2023 – Albums Of The Year

TEC’s Albums of Choice from 2023… 2023 proved to be a busy year for music which saw some legacy acts making an impressive return with some standout albums, while plenty of contemporary synth-pop outfits also delivered some strong contenders. Here … Read More

2023 – Songs Of The Year

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

Ryuichi Sakamoto 1952 – 2023

The sad news of the passing of Ryuichi Sakamoto brings about an end to a particular chapter in the Japanese music industry, as well as the closing of a distinct period in the history of electronic music. As one of … Read More

2022 – Songs Of The Year

A year in music… 2022 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

2022 – Albums of the Year

2022’s best electronic albums… As ever, this past year saw a wealth of electronic music talent both new and old serving up a wide variety of tunes. Among those releases, there was a good balance between effective synth-pop as well … Read More

Happy Birthday Ryuichi Sakamoto

Celebrating the iconic musician’s legacy Today marks the 70th birthday of musician and composer Ryuichi Sakamoto. As one of Japan’s pioneering names in the world of electronic music, Sakamoto will always be associated with technopop outfit Yellow Magic Orchestra, a … Read More

2021 – The Year In Review

Exploring a year in electronic music… 2021 was certainly a busy year for music, which also marked the 40th Anniversary for many records from the classic synth-pop era. This included iconic albums such as Depeche Mode’s Speak & Spell, OMD’s … Read More

1981 – A YEAR IN SINGLES

A classic year… 1981 proved to be a significant year for music – and was certainly a landmark year for synth-pop. It saw the release of iconic albums that included Depeche Mode’s Speak & Spell, OMD’s Architecture & Morality, Soft … Read More

2021 – Albums of the Year

2021’s best electronic albums… This year saw a wealth of electronic music talent competing for attention, even as we still battled on through an ongoing pandemic. Among those releases, there was a good balance between effective synth-pop as well as … Read More

2021 – Songs Of The Year

Electropop Annual Despite the ongoing COVID-19 crisis, 2021 managed to be a good year for music. As well as the return of live events, it also saw a wealth of music releases within the electronic music scene. Despite the problems … Read More

SOFT CELL – Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret

Synth-pop classic celebrates its 40th Anniversary… 1981 will always serve as a year of particular good fortune when it comes to music, serving up some of the most iconic albums of the decade. This was the year that saw the … Read More

RECORD STORE DAY 2021

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

International Women In Electronic Music Day 2021

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

PRETTY IN PINK: An Eclectic Soundtrack

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

2020 – Albums Of The year

2020’s best electronic albums… 2020 has proved to be a grim year for many reasons, but chiefly because of the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. Yet, despite the gruelling impact of Covid both personally and professionally on so many people, … Read More

2020 – The Year In Review

Exploring a tough year… It’s an inescapable fact that 2020 has proved to be a grim year for many reasons, but chiefly because of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Yet, despite the gruelling impact of Covid both personally and … Read More

Harold Budd 1936 – 2020

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

ULTRAVOX – Vienna 40th Anniversary

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

ELISABETH ELEKTRA Interview

“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

The Recording History Of ENOLA GAY

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

OOBERFUSE & HIBARI – Enola Gay

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

Florian Schneider 1947 – 2020

The lights in the electronic music community dimmed suddenly this week when the news broke of the passing of Kraftwerk’s Florian Schneider. Born in 1947, Schneider originally began his musical journey while studying in Düsseldorf. Delving into the experimental music … Read More

2019 – Albums Of The year

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

2019 – The Year In Review

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

SILICON DREAMS 2019

Liverpool’s Electronic Music Event Returns… This summer sees the return of Silicon Dreams – Liverpool’s premiere electronic music festival, featuring Sinestar, Northern Kind, Twist Helix, Berlyn Trilogy, OVVLS, Armada Named Sound, The Rude Awakening and Caroline McLavy. Silicon Dreams evolved … Read More

SYNTHETIC CITY 2019 LINE-UP

Electronic acts descend on London for a packed synth-pop extravaganza… 2019 sees the return of the Synthetic City Electronic Music Festival, a regular fixture on the gig-going calendar featuring nine distinctive acts from both the UK and abroad. Hosted as … Read More

PSYDOLL – Machine Kingdom

Cyber Pop Go Music seems to love a neat, orderly system of genres for artists and bands to be filed in. Occasionally, however, some bands turn up that prove difficult to nail down to any one niche. Tokyo’s Psydoll are … Read More

2018 – The Year In Review

A year in electronic music… Although it might have seemed as if 2018 was a quiet year for electronic music in some respects, there was actually more going on than expected. It saw the return of some classic electronic outfits, … Read More

The Musical Worlds of BANDERSNATCH

The choice is yours… There’s few shows on TV that have managed to quite engage audiences in the peculiar manner that Black Mirror has achieved. Charlie Brooker’s science fiction-tinged show plays around with stories of technology gone wrong, dystopian futures … Read More

Jean-Michel Jarre and the unusual evolution of Oxygène

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

SYNTHETIC CITY 2018 LINEUP

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

LADYTRON announce new album details

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

Jóhann Jóhannsson 1969 – 2018

The talents of Icelandic musician and composer Jóhann Jóhannsson revealed a unique ability to adapt and change. His familiarity with classical arrangement, as well as with electronic music, was matched by the rapid speed in which he mastered the art … Read More

2017 – The Year In Review

2017 has been an eventful year in the world of electronic music, particularly here in the UK which saw some of the classic acts back in action. But it also saw the emergence of some talented contemporary electronic acts as … Read More

2017 – Albums Of The Year

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

2017 – Songs Of The Year

Electronic music in 2017… If 2017 proved anything it was that the field of electronic music is a broad one. A lot of songs grabbed our attention across 12 months of intriguing, captivating and often challenging music. While many classic … Read More

EMPATHY TEST Interview

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

AUTUMN NEW RELEASES

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

LIFELINES: Morten Harket

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

The Story Of BRIDGES

“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

An Interview With SAILOR & I

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

LIFELINES: Pål Waaktaar-Savoy

Aside from an impressive recording career that has spawned ten studio albums since 1985, a-ha’s principal three members have also built up a considerable back catalogue of quality songs via an array of side projects. In this article, Barry Page … Read More

Ikutaro Kakehashi 1930 – 2017

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

OMD – Liberator Revisited

“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 Music of GHOST IN THE SHELL

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 SOUND OF ARROWS – Beautiful Life

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

Teclist: MISSING WORDS, a.me & AMANI

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

INTERNATIONAL WOMEN IN ELECTRONIC MUSIC DAY

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

SILICON DREAMS 2017

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

Lost Albums : U96 Replugged

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

2017 NEW RELEASES

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

Introducing SAILOR & I

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

Lost Albums : KON KAN Syntonic

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

KON KAN Move To Move

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

AIVIS The Wilderness

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

THE GAMES – Circus Minimus

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

Missing In Action: SCHMOOF

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

The Dream World of FIFI RONG

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

JOHN FOXX Gives Evidence

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

PRINCESS CHELSEA Frack

Space Opera Chelsea The subtle electronic charms of Princess Chelsea continues to win over new fans as she expands her sphere of influence introducing new listeners to the delights of the Lil’ Golden Book album. Along the way, Princess Chelsea … Read More

Alles Klar – On Tour With ULTRAVOX

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

KRAFTWERK vs K-ON! + 45RPM Exhibition

Kraftwerk meets J-Pop… Despite co-founder member Ralf Hütter having recently celebrated his 66th birthday, the continuing cultural influence of Kraftwerk on the world cannot be underestimated. And no more so than with this wonderful fan made tribute video using the … Read More

TASTY FISH : 30 Lost Songs of the CD Era

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

Introducing JESSE RUINS

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

Introducing SAPPHIRE SLOWS

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

EVERGREEN Why Synth Britannia Still Rules

Featuring Duran Duran, John Foxx, Gary Numan and Ultravox The Synthpop Phenomenon Re-emerges Some three decades ago witnessed fine electrical currents of post-punk experimental playback; an all-new generation of musicians who pumped new blood into the heart of pop culture, … Read More

A-HA – The Last Hurrah

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