Synth-pop is a music genre that first became prominent in the late 1970s and features the synthesizer as the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s and early 1970s by the use of synthesizers in progressive rock, electronic, art rock, disco, and particularly the Krautrock of bands like Kraftwerk. It arose as a distinct genre in Japan and the United Kingdom in the post-punk era as part of the new wave movement of the late 1970s.
Erasure are an English synth-pop duo formed in London in 1985, consisting of lead vocalist and songwriter Andy Bell with songwriter, producer and keyboardist Vince Clarke, previously co-founder of the band Depeche Mode and a member of synth-pop duo Yazoo. From their fourth single, "Sometimes" (1986), Erasure established themselves on the UK Singles Chart, becoming one of the most successful acts of the mid-1980s to the mid-1990s. From 1986 to 2007, the pair achieved 24 consecutive top-40 entries in the UK singles chart. By 2009, 34 of their 37 chart-eligible singles and EPs had made the UK top 40, including 17 climbing into the top 10. At the 1989 Brit Awards, Erasure won the Brit Award for Best British Group.
Vincent John Martin, known professionally as Vince Clarke, is an English synth-pop musician and songwriter. Clarke has been the main composer and musician of the band Erasure since its inception in 1985, and was previously the main songwriter for several groups, including Depeche Mode, Yazoo, and the Assembly. In Erasure, he is known for his deadpan and low-key onstage demeanour, often remaining motionless over his keyboard, in sharp contrast to lead vocalist Andy Bell's animated and hyperactive frontman antics.
"Love to Hate You" is a song by English synth-pop duo Erasure, released in September 1991 as the second single from their fifth studio album, Chorus (1991). Written by band members Vince Clarke and Andy Bell, it is an electronic dance track inspired by disco music. The synthesizer melody in the chorus is an interpolation of the string break from American singer Gloria Gaynor's disco-era classic "I Will Survive". The duo also recorded a Spanish version of the song, called "Amor y Odio", and one in Italian called "Amo Odiarti". The single was released by Mute Records in the UK and Sire Records in the US. It peaked at number one in Israel as well as number four on the UK Singles Chart and became a top-10 hit in Austria, Denmark, Finland, Greece, Ireland, and Sweden. Its music video was directed by David Mallet.
Vincent James Turner, better known by his stage name Frankmusik, is an English synth-pop musician. Since 2010 he is based in Los Angeles as remixer and producer.
Parallels is a Canadian synthpop band from Toronto, Canada led by Holly Dodson. Dodson's vocals have been compared to Kate Bush and True Blue-era Madonna. In Flare Magazine's 30th anniversary issue, Dodson was featured as one of the "Hottest names to know in Canadian Music".
Synthwave is an electronic music microgenre that is based predominantly on the music associated with action, science-fiction, and horror film soundtracks of the 1980s. Other influences are drawn from the decade's art and video games. Synthwave musicians often espouse nostalgia for 1980s culture and attempt to capture the era's atmosphere and celebrate it.
Franck Hueso, better known by his stage name Carpenter Brut, is a French darksynth artist from Poitiers, France. He has released three EPs, EP I (2012), EP II (2013) and EP III (2015), which were collected and released together as the album Trilogy (2015). He later released three additional studio albums, Leather Teeth (2018), Blood Machines OST (2020) and Leather Terror (2022), along with one live album, CarpenterBrutLive (2017). He has also contributed original music to a variety of soundtracks, both for film and video games.
Gunship is a British synthwave band formed in 2014 by Dan Haigh and Alex Westaway; they were later joined by drummer Alex Gingell.
Steven Schriver, also known as Shredder 1984 is a French American electronic/synthwave artist and video producer.
Nina Boldt, known mononymously and professionally as NINA is a German singer-songwriter based in London and Berlin. Her music is a fusion of pop, new wave, and electronic music. She released her debut album Sleepwalking in 2018 and her follow-up album Synthian in 2020. Her third major release Control was released as an EP via Lakeshore Records and features samples from Cliff Martinez's film score for Drive, which began a mainstream modern revival of the cliche 1980s music, art, and graphics scene.
The Rise of the Synths is a 2019 documentary film written and directed by Iván Castell and narrated by filmmaker and composer John Carpenter. The film explores the origins and growth of the electronic music genre known as synthwave, charting its rise in popularity from the underground online music scene to its recent mainstream exposure, following use in retro-themed soundtracks, notably the 2011 film Drive and more recently, the television series Stranger Things.
The Neon is the eighteenth studio album by English synth-pop duo Erasure, released on 21 August 2020 by Mute Records. The album debuted at number four on the UK Albums Chart with 8,394 copies sold in its first week.
Michael James Oakley is a Scottish synthwave producer and musician.
Aztec Records is an independent British record label. It specialises in electronic and pop music, in the subgenres of Synthpop, Synthwave and Retrowave following the music and pop culture of the 80s. It was founded in 2010 by Laura Fares and Ariel Amejeiras.
Roxi Drive is a British singer-songwriter and actress. In 2017, she began writing and recording 1980s-influenced synth-pop, synth-rock and synthwave songs, having always had a passion for 1980s music. Her first song, "Run All Night ", was released in June 2017 as a collaboration with producer Sellorekt/LA Dreams. Later that year, she released her first extended play, Girl on the TV. She worked with several producers for her first studio album, Strangers of the Night, which was released in October 2018. She released several more singles, including "Dangerous" with Juno Dreams and "Polybius ", and her second album, Electric Heart, was released in October 2020. Her music has been received positively, with praise towards her songwriting and production.
John von Ahlen is an Australian musician, producer, vocalist, and instrumentalist based in Melbourne. He is the lead vocalist of the electronic pop and synthwave band Parralox, formed in 2008. Parralox caught the attention of the international EDM community within the same year. He has been additionally involved in other music projects, such as The Sound of the Crowd. and The Tenth Stage. Von Ahlen also hosts Neon Nights on Joy 94.9, Australia's largest LGBTIQ radio station. He is also an animal rights activist.
Dance with the Dead is an American music duo formed in California in 2013 by Justin Pointer and Tony Kim. Their music has been characterized as a blend of metal and synthwave, as well as "dark synthwave".
Stereopolina is a Russian synthpop, synthwave, postpunk and electroclash singer and songwriter. She has participated in multiple music festivals.
