Philip King’s compilation of late-seventies – mid-eighties synth pop has a similar, if less political, approach as Adam Curtis: find leftfield, obscure tracks and highlight them, creating a sideways look at pop culture. As the title suggests, there is a DIY, deliberately un-glossy attitude to much of the music on offer. Frankie Goes To Hollywood may have had top producer Trevor Horn and a Fairlight at their disposal; these artists were striking out on their own with less than state-of-the-art equipment.
Opener ‘Premonition ‘ by Design, sets out its stall. It’s perky enough, but largely forgettable. ‘Lucifer ‘s Friend’ by Vision, is more emblematic of the direction synth pop would take in the eighties, campy, catchy and with a raised eyebrow.
As the album progresses, so too does the use of more sophisticated synthesizers, and the acknowledgement of pioneers like Wendy Carlos and Kraftwerk bleeds into the sound. This is most apparent in The Goo Q, and their track ‘I’m A Computer’, with cutesie whistle sample and a reliance on vocoder vocals. It’s a kitsch classic.
Then, Sole Sister’s insistent ‘It’s Not What You Are, But How’ seems prophetic, anticipating the rise of computer console music, and by extension, the hyperpop explosion. And Disco Volente point to yet another massive sub -genre, Hi-NRG, as popularised by the likes of Bobby Orlando, with the frenetic ‘No Motion’. The quality overall is inconsistent, then, but there’s enough decent material to tickle a tired palate, and it’s a fascinating time capsule of eccentric electronic experimentation that sidesteps the obvious.
Out via Night School/School Daze Records on July 11th.
Hit The North 