BBC Documentaries

Synth Britannia (2009x26)

: 16, 2009

Documentary following a generation of post-punk musicians who took the synthesiser from the experimental fringes to the centre of the pop stage. In the late 1970s, small pockets of electronic artists including the Human League, Daniel Miller and Cabaret Volatire were inspired by Kraftwerk and JG Ballard and dreamt of the sound of the future against the backdrop of bleak, high-rise Britain. The crossover moment came in 1979 when Gary Numan's appearance on Top of the Pops with Tubeway Army's Are Friends Electric heralded the arrival of synthpop. Four lads from Basildon known as Depeche Mode would come to own the new sound whilst post-punk bands like Ultravox, Soft Cell, OMD and Yazoo took the synth out of the pages of the NME and onto the front page of Smash Hits. By 1983, acts like Pet Shop Boys and New Order were showing that the future of electronic music would lie in dance music. Contributors include Philip Oakey, Vince Clarke, Martin Gore, Bernard Sumner, Gary Numan and Neil Tennant. With Moogs turned up to 11, a 1970s/80s journey through the BBC's synthpop archives from Roxy Music to New Order. Track listing: Roxy Music — Do the Strand Tubeway Army — Are 'Friends' Electric? Sparks — Beat the Clock The Human League — The Path of Least Resistance Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark — Messages Ultravox — Vienna Depeche Mode — New Life New Order — Temptation Soft Cell — Say Hello, Wave Goodbye Japan — Ghosts Yazoo — Don't Go Tears for Fears — Mad World Eurythmics — Love is a Stranger Heaven 17 — Temptation Howard Jones — What Is Love? Pet Shop Boys — Opportunities