Impact on the music industry and culture
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The synthesizer has had a large impact on modern music over the past forty years.[1] The most significant influence of the instrument came during the 1970s and 1980s. After Wendy Carlos Switched-On Bach in 1968, others were influenced by her work and by the Moog synthesizer. Switched-On Bach was one of the most popular classical music recordings ever made, and the first to go Platinum.[2] During the late 1960s, hundreds of other popular recordings used Moog synthesizer sounds. The Moog synthesizer even spawned a subculture of record producers who made novelty "Moog" recordings, depending on the odd new sounds made by their synthesizers (which were not always Moog units) to draw attention and sales.
The synthesizer's notable influence during the late 1970s and throughout the 1980s lead to mainstream popularity amongst renowned music artists. Among the first major artists to fully use the synthesizer were Wendy Carlos,[2] Stevie Wonder, Peter Gabriel, Kraftwerk, Ultravox and Yellow Magic Orchestra. English musician Gary Numan was influenced by Kraftwerk, Ultravox and David Bowie. His 1979 hit Are 'Friends' Electric? used synthesizers heavily.[3] Numan continued to use synthesizers throughout most of his career, including the 1980 hit Cars.[4]
The influences on the New Romantic music movement in the United Kingdom during the early-mid 1980s were evident from its usage by Nick Rhodes, keyboardist of Duran Duran. At the time, the band used the Roland Jupiter-4 and Jupiter-8 synthesizers.[5] The emergence of Synthpop, a subgenre of New Wave, can be largely credited to the synthesizer. It lasted from the late 1970s to the mid 1980s. The influences of synthesizer technology and Germanic ambience of groups such as Krafterwerk and of David Bowie during his Berlin period (1976-77), were both crucial in the construction of the synthpop genre.[6] By 1981, many artists had adopted the synthpop sound and experienced chart success, such as Depeche Mode, Visage, OMD and Ultravox.[6] At this time, Duran Duran and Spandau Ballet were classed as leaders of the genre. Many other acts followed, including Soft Cell, Culture Club, Eurythmics and Blancmange.[6] At this time, synthesizers were one of the most important instruments within the music industry.
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The synthesizer brought about many sounds in the 1980s which became recognizable. OMD's Enola Gay from November 1980 used a distinctive electronic percussion and synthesized melody. Typically, the sounds varied between artists and songs, but were all distinctively produced using a synthesizer.[7] Soft Cell used a fast tempo (150 bpm) and synthesized melody in their 1981 hit Tainted Love. [8] Other chart hits which took advantage of the synthesizer include Depeche Mode's Just Can't Get Enough from 1981,[8] and The Human League's Don't You Want Me. [9]
References
edit- ^ Eisengrein, Doug (September 1, 2005), Renewed Vision, Remix Magazine, retrieved 2008-04-16
- ^ a b Catchlove, Lucinda (April 1, 2002), "Wendy Carlos (electronic musician)", Remix Magazine
- ^ George-Warren, Holly (2001). The Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock & Roll. Fireside. pp. 707–734. ISBN 0743201205.
- ^ Robbins, Ira A (1991). The Trouser Press Record Guide. Maxwell Macmillan International. p. 473. ISBN 0020363613.
- ^ Black, Johnny (Jan/Feb 2003). "The Greatest Songs Ever! Hungry Like the Wolf". Blender Magazine. Retrieved 2008-04-16.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ a b c Borthwick, Stuart (2004). Popular Music Genres: An Introduction. Edinburgh University Press. p. 120. ISBN 0748617450.
- ^ Borthwick (2004), 128
- ^ a b Borthwick (2004), 129
- ^ Borthwick (2004), 130