The 80s were full of great electronic music. Here is a list of some of the best bands that came out during this decade:
1. Talk Talk
Talk Talk was formed in 1981 by Mark Hollis (vocals, guitar, piano), Lee Harris (drums), and Paul Webb (bass). They were later joined by Simon Brenner (keyboards) and Tim Friese-Greene (keyboards and bass).
Talk Talk released five albums including the last two as the official duo of Hollis and Friese-Greene. The band broke up in 1991 after releasing their last album Laughing Stock. This album was met with critical acclaim, but it failed to sell as much as their previous albums, due to the fact that their label EMI refused to promote it because they felt it was uncommercial.
The 80s were a wonderful time for electronic music fans.
The 80s saw the emergence of the first commercially successful electronic music bands, including the Human League, Depeche Mode, Yazoo and Eurythmics. This was also when Madonna released her debut album, a true milestone in pop music history.
Here are some of the most popular electronic acts and artists of the 80s:
– The Human League
– Depeche Mode
– Yazoo
– Eurythmics
– Madonna
For many reasons, the 80s were a special decade. They were a time of great change for electronic music and for society as a whole. Many of the bands listed here continue to tour, others have moved on to other projects, and some are no longer with us.
This blog will take you through a chronological list of electronic music artists from the 1980s and 1990s. I’ll give you an insight into their history, how they got started, where they are now and what their influence has been on electronic music.
I’ll also be looking back at some of the bands that left their mark on the 80s synthpop scene, but didn’t get much airplay at the time.
80’s Electronic Music
Electronic music is a genre that incorporates elements of both dance and pop music. Unlike conventional music styles, this genre is generated using only electronic instruments. Electronic music was first created during the early 20th century, when composers began experimenting with electronic musical instruments such as the theremin, an electronic pitch generating device which can be played without physical contact from the musician.
Fast forward to the 1980s (a decade known for its technological advances, economic prosperity and avant-garde fashion), electronic music continued to develop and gain popularity as it was being used by many artists and bands at that time. Throughout the 80s, many genres of electronic music were introduced including new wave, synthpop, house and techno.
The 80s are the decade to which we are most nostalgic, and electronic music was one of the most popular genres of music back then.
So, let’s start this blog by introducing the most popular electronic artists of that decade.
For an introduction to electronic music and its history, check out my other blog post.
Kraftwerk
“We are not human beings having a spiritual experience; we are spiritual beings having a human experience.” – Pierre Teilhard de Chardin
The German band Kraftwerk is considered by many as the ultimate electronic band. Their albums Autobahn, Trans-Europe Express, Radio-Activity and Electric Café were the first ever albums to be recorded entirely on synthesizers. The group’s co-founder Ralf Hütter coined the term “robot pop” in order to describe their very mechanical style of playing. The group also pioneered themes of technology and modernity, with tracks like “Pocket Calculator”.
Mike Mareen and Westbam are two of the most influential figures in the German Techno scene. Both men were born in 1962 and both spent their childhood in Berlin. In the late 1970s, Mareen joined the band “Silver Convention” as a dancer. On his birthday 1980, he began his DJ career in Berlin’s legendary “Squat Club”. The club was located at Kurfürstenstrasse (near Wittenbergplatz) and was considered to be Germany’s first Disco-Pub.
In 1982, Mareen left Silver Convention to work as a DJ at another club called “The Sound”, which was located in the famous Hansa Studios where David Bowie had recorded his albums Heroes and Low. Hansa Studios also became famous through Iggy Pop’s Lust for Life album. Mike met his future wife there, who worked as a model for fashion shows in the Hansa area.
GERMANY: Top 20 Singles Chart – 8/26/82 (Source: Media Control)
Electronic music refers to music that emphasizes the use of electronic musical instruments or electronic music technology as a central aspect of the sound of the music. Historically, electronic music was considered to be any music created with the use of electronic musical instruments. This included many popular genres of music such as rock, pop, dance, and jazz. These days, however, electronic is used to refer to a specific genre related to techno, house, trance and other types of popular dance music.
Electronic music has been around almost as long as recorded sound itself. The BBC Radiophonic Workshop is one of the most important early contributors to this type of music; however it was not until the late 80s that it gained popularity among mainstream audiences. Today it is one of the most popular and best-selling genres in the world.