Category SynthPop

Jul 27 2011

New Queen Of Hearts track, produced by Monarchy.

queenofhearts

If you keep an eye on Queen Of Hearts’ Twitter (which sounds a bit like stalking when you say it outloud?) you’ll know she recently tweeted about being in the studio with ElectroPop geniuses Monarchy. An exciting prospect I’m sure you’ll agree. Well, here’s the result.

I think vocally ‘Perfect Mistake’ is the most intimate performance we’ve heard from QoH so far, the subtleties in her vocals make the track feel more personal. It’s a pretty classic SynthPop tune, in it’s content and arrangement, but given a contemporary sheen by the Queen and Monarchy resulting in a perfect meeting of the retro and the new. And this is just a demo! I can see Queen Of hearts gathering momentum and things picking up the pace very soon. There are rumors TOTP is coming back, might be just in time!

♫ Queen Of Hearts – Perfect Mistake (Demo.) (Produced By Monarchy)

Check out more from Queen Of Hearts On SoundCloud.

Jul 25 2011

New music from The New Division

thenewdivision

Out today is the new single from The New Division, the southern Californian four piece who we called ‘the bridge between Minimal Synth and Dreamwave’ last time we wrote about them.

Their new track, ‘Opium’ continues in that tradition. Deep and dark but with more of a LA flavoured groove than many of their contemporaries. I really wouldn’t know where to categorise The New Division, drawing on as much LA Disco in their sound as UK Post Punk and European SynthPop. And that what I love about them, ‘Opium’ even had a slightly 90’s House thing going on in there. It’s like they’ve taken Minimal Synth, got it drunk and taken it to the club and tried to explain Joy Division while dancing to Moroder. Check out ‘Opium’, it’s got a bit of everything.

♫ The New Division – Opium

The ‘Opium’ single is released today on the band’s Bandcamp, it’s taken from their album ‘Shadows’.

Buy The New Division’s music from:

 

Jul 25 2011

Goin’ Old School: Ultravox – All Stood Still @ TOTP

Ultravox performing ‘All Stood Still’ on TOTP in 1981, that’s what you get today, ‘cos It’s an Ultravox day!

Buy Ultravox’s music from:

   

Jul 23 2011

Goin’ Old School: Landscape – Einstein A Go Go

Landscape released ‘Einstein A Go Go’ way back in 1981, back when synths were still seen as a geek thing and synth players were perceived as boffins in white coats. They cashed in and made it catchy!

Buy Landscape’s music from:

Jul 23 2011

Social Ambitions

Social Ambitions

Social Ambitions are a Swedish SynthPop duo signed to Electric Fantastic Sound.

Their new single, ‘Commandments’, is released at the beginning of August and is an infectious slice of Classic SynthPop with a contemporary twist. Just shy of falling into the Modern SynthPop trap, ‘Commandments’ boasts an off-beat bassline and those post-Depeche Mode vocals so often found in Modern SynthPop, but Social Ambitions distance themselves from the pack with the ability to write a good hook and a catchy chorus. Sliding chainsaw synths form quite a nice counterpoint the vocals, giving the track some balls. The breakdown is a little ‘90’s Trance’ for my liking but overall ‘Commandments’ is definitely worthy of your attention.

♫ Social Ambitions – Commandments

The track is B-sided with the Kraftwerk-esque ‘Paris’ and released 1st August.

Buy Social Ambitions’ music from:

 

Jul 22 2011

Goin’ Old School: OMD – Electricity

In 1979 OMD (Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark) bust into the charts with ‘Electricity’. Changing, alongside The Human League, the face of Pop music forever, and for the better.

Buy OMD (Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark)’s music from:

   

Jul 21 2011

Goin’ Old School: The Assembly – Never Never (Extended Version)

So what did Vince Clarke do in 1983, after Yazoo, but before Erasure? The Assembly, that’s what! With vocals from Fergal Sharkey, ‘Never Never’ was their only single.

Buy The Assembly’s music from:

   

Jul 20 2011

The Human League X Plastic Plates

theleague

We’ve actually already written about Plastic Plates reMix of The Human League ‘s forthcoming single, ‘Sky’, you can read what we wrote here. But in anticipation of the single’s release next week we can offer the track for you to download.

It’s one of my favourite reMixes of the track, taking The Human League to new laidback, funky, places. It’s not often you get to hear The League with such a Disco so, for me, this track is like a meeting of everything I love. The mix has a nice piano groove running throughout keeping the energy up while retro synth stabs and the most Disco of Disco beats handle the dancefloor. this track has already found it’s way onto a few mixtapes, expect more to come.

♫ The Human League – Sky (Plastic Plates reMix)

‘Sky’ is released 25th July, ‘Credo’ is out now.

Buy The Human League’s music from:

Jul 16 2011

Goin’ Old School: Lipps Inc. – Funky Town

Lipps Inc.’s ‘Funky Town’ from 1980. They should label it “I can’t believe it’s not Moroder”!

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Jul 15 2011

Goin’ Old School: Simple Minds – Don’t You (Forget About Me)

Simple Minds’ ‘Don’t You (Forget About Me)’ from 1985. Oh don’t look at me like that, you love it! I’m off to find a football field to stride across with my fist pumped in the air…then freeze.

Buy Simple Minds’ music from: