Could Synthpop go mainstream again?

[Abercrombie-Ai]

It Seems appropriate for this day and age, doesn't it?

[WoodlandParkPunk]

Wishful thinking. Unless a 12 - 13 year old will buy it, it ain't going mainstream.

[Abercrombie-Ai]

maybe if a band preformed something on nickelodeon, or MTV(well, they Act like a bunch of 12-13 year olds) that would break the ice, Huh?[:D]

[Frank_Chickens]

It already has. Check out Goldfrapp's new album. "Supernature", creamy 80's goodness all the way, synth-tastic!


--

"As chairman of the Cradle of Filth fanclub I'm the most insensitive man in Britain, but even I can see there's tension there"

[Abercrombie-Ai]

I guess what I mean is COULD the floodgates open as wide as they did in the 1980's, do they have the potential in this day and age? I think it could, the good ones at least.

[Ollie Stench]

Nope, to "the kids" it's what their parents listen to. Unless Britney Agulara-Simpson does it, Paris Hilton listens to it, or MTV-TRL gives it the thumbs-up we're stuck with corporate pop and rap.

[jumpshift]

MTV should show videos by Elkland.

[WolverineSyr]

I don't know Ollie - Rockabilly was our parent's music (at least mine...) and look at the resurgence it made during the New Wave era.

From my perspective, I think that synthpop making a comeback depends on a few "if's".

While Synthpop isn't dance music - they share some common sounds & instruments. Every few years popular music swings to another genre, and for a couple of years of each decade, dance makes a huge impact on pop culture/top 40. If some of the more poppier trance acts (Lasgo, Ian Van Dahl, etc.) can make a dent on the top 40 charts - that may herald in a bigger appreciation of synths to the new, younger general public, and usher in a wave of top 40 dance acts.

If trance/techno, etc. is the dance genre of choice, then the more puruist of the trance acts will gain popularity. Inevitably synths will impact other popular forms of music.

Once the dance thing dies down, newer artists & fans with an appreciation for synths will look for other genres to listen to - which will probably be only mildly danceable.
Or, as the genre dies down, those sounds will seep into newer forms of music - maybe something very similar to synth pop. Those artists that were on the fringes of trance etc will continue to evolve, etc.

Just a thought or two...[8D]

[Nakedprey]

[quote][i]Originally posted by jumpshift[/i]
<br>MTV should show videos by Elkland.


[/quote]

I saw them open for Erasure recently. Not bad really. I also found their CD cheap. Sounds like a cross between Erasure and early Cure. I was surprised to find out their manager is none other than Steve Lau formerly of The Ocean Blue. They actually used to play lots of Christian rock festivals before signing to Columbia. Thankfully, they aren't playing that whole run-of-the-mill Christian rock game.

Time was on my side for so long, 'til it said "so long" to me.

[Ollie Stench]

[quote][i]Originally posted by WolverineSyr[/i]
<br>I don't know Ollie - Rockabilly was our parent's music (at least mine...) and look at the resurgence it made during the New Wave era.
[/quote]

Agreed, but in the ensuing 25 years corporate America has really infiltrated the teen culture, much more than it was in the early 80's. One of the things that I really liked about New Wave was the explosion of creativity and diversity that was encouraged. It seems to me that in this day that creativity is not only not encouraged but actively squashed. maybe it's just me being paranoid, or having now been at work for 13 hours...

[bpdp3]

I don't think synthpop was ever really in the 'mainstream' all that much in the 80's. There was the occasional top 40 hit, Soft Cell Tainted Love or Depeche Mode People are People, but other than that I don't recall alot of it getting played in a top 40 format.

Alot of the pop listened to today isn't THAT far removed from synthpop like Wolverine mentioned. Keyboards and drum-machine are there. I know there's a slew of current underground synth-pop out there that very few people listen to. Certainly not the main-stream.

To me, all it's going to take is one hit. Imagine if Kelly Osbourne's recent song (very synthy) had become a monster hit. I think we would've started hearing more synth pop (probably sadly overproduced by 'the man', as Ollie points out).

Strange that it is harder to imagine a male-based synth pop comeback; back then most the synthpop groups were all guys. I think it'll unfortunately be a marketable young girl with an 80's-minded producer to bring it back, if it's to happen.

[geoffolehane]

Synthpop the way we remember it probably won't make a big comeback. Today's techno/house/trance music is more or less an outgrowth of that.

Part of the difference is that today's synthesizers are far more superior to the old Casiotones, Yamaha's and Moog's that they used then. Most of them had pre-programmed bass lines and drum beats and the musicians sometimes write music off of those. The old machines had a lot of electronic sound effects and basically reminded me of a pissed-off cat.

Nowadays the machines do much more, imitate and sample many more instruments, and are easier to program. And is some sense, mush of today's pop and Hip Hop use synthetic bass lines and a ton of keyboards.

[Abercrombie-Ai]

[quote][i]Originally posted by geoffolehane[/i]
<br>

Part of the difference is that today's synthesizers are far more superior to the old Casiotones, Yamaha's and Moog's that they used then. Most of them had pre-programmed bass lines and drum beats and the musicians sometimes write music off of those. The old machines had a lot of electronic sound effects and basically reminded me of a pissed-off cat.

Nowadays the machines do much more, imitate and sample many more instruments, and are easier to program. And is some sense, mush of today's pop and Hip Hop use synthetic bass lines and a ton of keyboards.
[/quote]

Yeah, People today seem to have this notion that it all must be done by computers. Samplers are a big part of the music scene to day, but when bands like DM and big audio dynamite started using them back then, it was a big deal. I don't use virtual synth or much of the instruments today cause they seem to do "It All". I mean they had the fairlight, still the most expensive instument in the world, but that thing still sounded betterthan most of the synths today.

[Abercrombie-Ai]

Still, I think if there was one band, or one song, it could open doors for Synthpop, and the fanbase would already be there to carry it.

[CodyK46]

Not until the crunk shit that is played on the radio and Emo dies off. I would love to see synth pop come back as big as it was back in the 80s.