On International Women’s Day, a showcase for some of the women who work in the world of electronic music… International Women’s Day, which falls on 8th March each year, has become an opportunity to not only recognise the achievement of … Read More

A year in music… 2023 saw a good combination of legacy acts and new outfits delivering some amazing music across the year. It was also a period in which electronic music was given another opportunity to demonstrate how broad a … Read More

On International Women’s Day, a showcase for some of the women who work in the world of electronic music… International Women’s Day, which falls on 8th March each year, has become an opportunity to not only recognise the achievement of … Read More

To the shores of Sealand… With an extensive musical career that stretches back over several decades, it’s understandable that many people will have their own particular favourite OMD album. Some plump for the band’s imperial phase (encompassing the first four … Read More

Following the relative failure of their disco-infused Hot Space album, Queen bounced back with ‘Radio Ga Ga’, a bona fide synth-pop classic. Barry Page looks at the legendary rock band’s use of synthesisers, which culminated in the making of this … Read More

It’s a long long way… Thirty years ago, OMD scored back-to-back top 10 hit singles for the first time since their commercial and artistic peak in the early 1980s, but it was a success that was achieved without three of … Read More

Vinyl summer… This year will once again see the return of Record Store Day, an opportunity to snap up some rare and collectable records – which includes some intriguing releases that fall under the electronic banner. Record Store Day 2021 … Read More

On International Women’s Day, a showcase for those women who work in the world of electronic music… International Women’s Day, which falls on 8th March each year, has become an opportunity to not only recognise the achievement of women throughout … Read More

The deeper you get, the sweeter the pain… In the slow evolution of teen movies through the 1970s and 1980s, the choice of music usually stuck to either a traditional use of reliable classics or relied on contemporary rock music … Read More

The passing of composer and musician Harold Budd arrives in the midst of a tough year for music, but there’s something particularly tragic over the loss of such a legendary figure within the electronic music community. While he had already … Read More

It fades to the distance… Ultravox’s Vienna album was originally released on Chrysalis Records on the 11th July 1980. Produced by the legendary German producer Conny Plank (Neu!, Kraftwerk), whom had worked with the band previously, (and would work with … Read More

“I can’t remember a time when music wasn’t central to my life…” One of the albums that caught our ear in 2020 was the stunning Mercurial by Glasgow-based musician Elisabeth Elektra. From the anthemic ‘My Sisters’ through to the euphoric … Read More

Looking back at a synth-pop classic… With the 75th Anniversary of the Hiroshima bombing, it seems like a timely opportunity to explore the history of the song that was inspired by the tragedy. It’s one of OMD’s most iconic songs … Read More

This kiss you give, it’s never going to fade away… Although the history of the 20th Century is littered with significant events, there’s probably few that can match the scale and impact of the bombing of Hiroshima in 1945. It … Read More

Moondust will cover you… Although he passed back in 2016, it’s still tough to accept that David Bowie is no longer with us. Widely considered  one of the most influential musicians of his era, his career is landmarked via invention … Read More

2019’s best electronic albums… This year saw a wealth of electronic music talent competing for the attention of the public. There was a good balance between classic acts that were still capable of crafting solid tunes – and also contemporary … Read More

A year in electronic music… 2019 proved to be a hectic year for electronic music with new acts emerging, old acts releasing new material, a wealth of music events and some intriguing crossovers. Here, TEC looks back on 12 months … Read More

Nothing ever ends… One of the most captivating elements of the new HBO series Watchmen is the soundtrack – care of seasoned hands Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross. At times unsettling and other times mesmerising, the music helps to provide … Read More

Kitchen electronica When it comes to iconic electronic albums, Jean-Michel Jarre’s 1976 opus Oxygène will always rank highly. But although the album has achieved both a commercial and critical assessment that is worthy of the exceptional music contained within, its … Read More

March promises a stellar billing for the annual Synth City Festival… The Synthetic City Electronic Music Festival remains one of the most vital events of the year. Its combination of global acts lends the all-day event an intriguing and broad … Read More

An in-depth look at OMD’s tenth studio album With rave reviews – and a top five placing – for their latest album The Punishment Of Luxury, a near sell-out UK tour, plus long-overdue recognition for their pioneering synth-pop work, it’s … Read More

The wheel is turning the machine… After a lengthy hiatus, electropop outfit Ladytron have announced details of a new album due to be released later this year. Formed in Liverpool, Ladytron initially began life as a project between producers/DJs Daniel … Read More

2017’s best electronic albums… This year saw a wealth of electronic music talent competing for the attention of the public. There was a good balance between classic acts that were still capable of crafting solid tunes – and also contemporary … Read More

Catching up with one of electropop’s rapidly rising outfits… Empathy Test consists of childhood friends Isaac Howlett and Adam Relf. Formed in 2013, the London-based duo established themselves through a series of EP releases, including 2014’s Losing Touch and Throwing … Read More

Acoustic love from Norway’s finest… “Suddenly we’re a band again, suddenly we understand why we’re together, and we’re in agreement like never before.” – Morten Harket “This current process has given us an incredible team spirit and a creative exchange … Read More

A look at some of autumn’s forthcoming electronic music releases… 2017 has already shaped up to be a good year for record releases with a combination of classic artists and contemporary bands putting out some sterling new albums. As a … Read More

As the instantly recognisable voice of a-ha, Morten Harket needs very little introduction. In the second part of our Lifelines series, we take an in-depth look at the solo career of the Kongsberg-born vocalist, uncovering a vast array of projects … Read More

“Musically, we went through a bunch of phases – for a while it was rock opera. We were going to compose some grandiose stuff about earthquakes in Guatemala. Our ambitions had no limits.” – Paul Waaktaar-Savoy It’s been well documented … Read More

The brooding, glacial pop of Swedish artist Alexander Sjödin, aka Sailor & I, had originally captured the attention of the electronic music scene via the glacial pop perfection of tracks such as ‘Black Swan’ and ‘Chameleon’. Sjödin describes Sailor & … Read More

The passing of Roland’s founder marks the end of an era… Ikutaro Kakehashi was a visionary whose work in the world of electronic music has helped to shape and hone it into a revolution that continues into the modern era. … Read More

There’s some good news and bad news for fans of Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark. Sources have revealed that their new album The Punishment Of Luxury has now been delayed until Spring 2018, due to touring commitments. The good news … Read More

“I thought this one would be edgier, but I seem to have written my poppiest album ever!” – Andy McCluskey If you were to poll a cross section of Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark fans asking them to rank their … Read More

The anime adaptation goes electronic… The business of scoring a film soundtrack has, in recent times, resulted in the soundtrack often having as much cultural impact as the film itself. The 2011 crime thriller Drive for instance cribbed from synthwave … Read More

The return of Sweden’s cinematic pop perfectionists… Based in Stockholm, THE SOUND OF ARROWS are an electronic music duo consisting of Oskar Gullstrand and Stefan Storm who have crafted their own very distinctive style of widescreen synth-pop since 2006. Since … Read More

A diverse selection of tunes this week from the bold synth-pop of MISSING WORDS, the lo-fi charm of a.me & the smooth and soulful tones of AMANI… Missing Words – Howl At The Moon Hailing from California, Missing Words are … Read More

On International Women’s Day, a showcase for those women who work in the world of electronic music… International Women’s Day, which falls on 8th March each year, has become an opportunity to not only recognise the achievement of women throughout … Read More

“Creatively, I felt like I’d come home. I was enjoying it all again, I was thinking better, my mind was wandering like it used to. Most importantly, it was fun again” – Gary Numan Sacrifice has often been cited as … Read More

July hots up with a barrage of electronic artists for SILICON DREAMS 2017… 2017 marks the return of Silicon Dreams, the electronic music festival whose roots lay in the Vintage Computer Festival back in 2010 (which featured OMD). The idea … Read More

Iconic pop tune gets re-imagined for the 21st Century… When it comes to pop tunes, there’s a select few that manage to be immediately recognisable regardless of whatever decade they were recorded in. So the iconic opening bars of The … Read More

Despite having sold over 15 million records worldwide, U96 are virtually unheard of in the UK. The Hamburg-based electronic act are best remembered for their huge international hit, ‘Das Boot’, a techno treatment of Klaus Doldinger’s 1981 film theme, which … Read More

A look at some of the year’s forthcoming electronic music releases… 2017 is already shaping up to be a good year for record releases with a combination of classic artists and contemporary bands putting out new albums, reissues and compilations. … Read More

Synthpop with a Swedish flavour care of SAILOR & I… Swedish electronic musician Alexander Sjödin caught everyone’s attention with the dark electropop appeal of ‘Black Swan’ in 2016 under the moniker Sailor & I. Sjödin grew up with an avid … Read More

In 1989 Canadian act Kon Kan scored a huge international hit with “I Beg Your Pardon”, an innovative composite of synth-pop influences (New Order and Pet Shop Boys in particular) and samples (notably, country star Lynn Anderson’s ‘Rose Garden’). Whilst … Read More

Exploring the history of a dance classic A huge transatlantic hit in 1989, Kon Kan’s ‘I Beg Your Pardon’ was something of an embryonic mash-up, cleverly fusing classic country with contemporary dance music. With the help of some of the … Read More

New synth duo AIVIS offer warmth and emotion in their debut release… It’s always refreshing to discover new electronic bands that offer intriguing, original sounds and can be influenced by a variety of bands without having to mimic any of … Read More

Circus Games The release of the album Circus Minimus by The Games sheds light on one of many of the lost bands that emerged from the Wirral and Liverpool music scene of the late 70s/early 80s. OMD are perhaps Wirral’s … Read More

By the turn of the 21st century, synth-pop as a genre was on life-support. Pioneering bands like The Human League and Pet Shop Boys were still in action (and releasing some of their finest ever work) but a mass audience … Read More

Songwriter and singer Fifi Rong has been carefully building up her own musical profile over recent years, an effort which has resulted in the captivating debut single ‘Over You’. Originating from from China, Fifi has weaved in Chinese Folk elements … Read More

Unique Interplay – The Pleasures of Electricity There has never been a more extraordinary time for John Foxx. He remains an innovator of hard electro composition; illuminated by retro frameworks and technological genius. A somewhat purist pairing that multiplies to … Read More

Now in the fourth year of their widely documented reunion, Ultravox know no boundaries. When it came to the next jigsaw sequence in Ultravox history, the unveiling of their 2012 studio album Brilliant, with a European tour to follow, was … Read More

Lost and found… By no means a comprehensive list, here is a snapshot of electronic music from between 1990 to 1999 featuring 30 near-hits, minor hits, flops and oddities. Not all of these were released in the UK, with many … Read More

Bassy dreampop delights There’s an intriguing electronic music scene in Japan at the moment which is the polar opposite of the more familiar primary colours of the contemporary J-Pop scene. Jesse Ruins is a good example of this with their … Read More

Ethereal moods from Japan… One of the more interesting and intriguing acts to emerge from the Japanese electronic music scene comes courtesy of the ethereal soundscapes of Sapphire Slows. Composing tunes in her bedroom on her trusty laptop this Tokyo-based … Read More

It’s hard to conceive it all comes to an end In October 2009, a-ha announced they were to split following a final world tour. Here The Electricity Club looks back at the career of the Scandinavian phenomenon, and reports from … Read More