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Instrumentation

Synthesizer/s (main melodic instrument)(minimoog, meletrons etc.)

Drum machine/drums Bass

Tape loops

Keyboard

Vocoder

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instrumentation

Vocals (mostly male)

Samplers

Sequencers

Guitar

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Influences

Punk rock

New wave

Post-punk

Pop

Rock

Progressive rock

Disco

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characteristics

Synthpop was defined by the use of synthesizers,drum machines and sequencers.

Generic structures and textures were replaced by

synthetic textures and robotic rigidity, due to thelimitation of technology, such as only being able toplay one note at a time on a monophonic synth.

In its second phase in the 1980s, dance beats and

more rock instrumentation were used.

Synthesizers were increasingly used to imitate thesound of orchestras and horns.

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origins

In the 1970s New Wave and post-punk bands began

to adopt the synthesizer as part of their sound.

Cat Stevens is an example of this. His 1977 albumIzitsoaltered his pop rock style with the extensive

use of synthesizers.

Japanese band Yellow Magic Orchestra released a

self-title album in developing their fun-loving sound,which focused on synth melodies. They introduced

the rhythm machine to pop music and became a

major influence on early British synthpop acts.

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origins

One of the mot major influences on the synthpop

genre was Gary Numan.

Numan and his original band Tubeway Army beganto experiment with a minimoog, which heavily

altered the sound of their debut album to a more

New Wave sound.

Numan later went solo, and in 1979 released hisalbum Pleasure Principle. The single Carstopped

the charts.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ldyx3KHOFXw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ldyx3KHOFXwhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ldyx3KHOFXwhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ldyx3KHOFXw

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Major artists

Gary Numan

Pet Shop Boys -

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p3j2NYZ8FKs

Kraftwerk - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=68C-

r9kSLNE

Soft Cell -

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eHTbWtacquk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p3j2NYZ8FKshttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=68C-r9kSLNEhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=68C-r9kSLNEhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eHTbWtacqukhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eHTbWtacqukhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eHTbWtacqukhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=68C-r9kSLNEhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=68C-r9kSLNEhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=68C-r9kSLNEhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p3j2NYZ8FKshttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p3j2NYZ8FKs