This was an exciting time for electronic music, where the genre started to become established in the industry. As it entered it’s adolescent stage of development, the music was experimental, quirky, young and often melancholic to reflect the political turmoil and disillusioned feelings of antidisestablishmentarianism of the times….
Tears for Fears
This duo represented a sound of a anxious generation. With songs like ‘Mad World’, ‘Shout’ and ‘Everybody Wants To Rule The World’, their work is still so relevant. Being re-used by new generations to represent their emotions, as seen with ‘Mad World’ in Donnie Darko cult classic movie.
Pet Shop Boys
No-one quite sums up the rhetoric of the times like the Pet Shop Boys. Their musical simplicity, gives prominence to the lyrics, highlighting the issues of the time. ‘Rent’ has to one of our all time favourite songs by them but with such a broad and deep repertoire it isn’t surprising to note that this duo is still mining a musical goldmine in 2017.
New Order
Who can forget the ‘Power, Corruption and Lies’ album cover? It is almost easy to forget the album within the cover is / was an absolute knockout, and stands the test of time. If you haven’t listened to their music yet you should. A little known fact about New Order is that they are actually a 2nd generation band, reformed from the remaining members of Joy Division (featured in Inspirational Musicians of the 70’s blog).
Depeche Mode
One of the All time greatest bands of all time, we are great fans of Depeche Mode at Stage Looper. They have continued to play through the decades but the 80’s is where arguably they created some of the best electronic sounds.
Camoflage
This German NewWave band formed in 1983, and are still working. This band came to grate prominence in 1987 with the release of ‘The Great Commandment’. Their work is little known today, but well worth rediscovering. They even tried to produce an opera in the 1990’s.
Eurasure
Made up of Andy Bell and Vince Clark, this dynamic duo created some of the classics of the era. Songs like ‘A Little Respect’, ‘Chains Of Love’ and ‘Always’ are still anthems to this day!
Eurythmics
This iconic pairing; Annie Lennox and David A Stewart, we actually an off shoot from another band, now long forgotten. But their music spread through the 80’s like an exotic dream, encapsulating the era. We can’t get the song ‘Sweet Dreams (are made of these) out of our head!
The KLF
This Maverick duo are something from another planet. After making millions with their music, they decided to burn it all their money on a private island. If their was ever a statement of angsty ten-like rebellion against everything related to the state, The KLF personified this.
Talking Heads
‘Psycho Killer’, ‘Road To Nowhere’ and ‘Burning Down the House’ are just a few of their most memorable tunes from this epoch. Their alternative rock sound brought different elements to electronic music, stewing a new mix of sounds for new generation of musicians.
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