Before Are “Friends“ Electric?: How Synth-Pop Became Synth-Pop

Get Surfshark VPN at and enter promo code TRASHTHEORY for 83% off and 3 extra months for FREE! A vision of the future that never properly arrived, Synth-pop was an ever present staple of the British charts in the 1980s. A canny fusion of pop-suss and technological invention, its height reflected the increased affordability of commercial synthesizers from the late 1970s onward. But that doesn’t mean that the likes of The Human League, Ultravox, OMD and Gary Numan were the first to splice synths and pop together. So who were the pioneers? What were the essential steps along the way, the key tracks and influencers? And how did we get to the point where “Are “Friends” Electric” got to number one? This is how Synth-pop became Synth-pop. #GaryNuman #Synthpop #MusicDocumentary This video is sponsored by Surfshark Soundtrack: Luar - Citrine () B-Side - Pen Unubis Jesse Gallagher - The Golden Present Luar - Anchor () 0:00 Introduction 02:12 Del Shannon 03:18 Delia Derbyshire 05:26 1968 08:14 Wendy Carlos 10:46 Popcorn 12:38 Roxy Music & Brian Eno 15:06 Kraftwerk 17:50 Jean-Michel Jarre 19:54 David Bowie 22:10 I Feel Love 24:26 That New York Synth Band 26:01 Ultravox! 28:19 The Human League 30:05 Warm Leatherette 31:45 OMD 33:10 Gary Numan & Tubeway Army You can also follow me here: Twitter: Facebook: Or support me on Patreon: