Synth pop is more or less the sound that defined the '80s. Inspired by trendsetters like Giorgio Moroder and Kraftwerk, it's pop music built around a single instrument, the synthesizer — from the monophonic setups used by Soft Cell, OMD and Depeche Mode in the early '80s to the polyphonic synthesizers that led to a richer, more complex sound as the decade went on. You can hear the influence of synth pop in contemporary artists like Disclosure, La Roux, Lady Gaga and Kesha.
The biggest synth-pop bands were often duos with a primary musician and a vocalist/lyricist. Erasure, the duo of Vince Clarke (a founding member of Depeche Mode and Yazoo) and Andy Bell, stands out as one of the few duos from the '80s salad days of synth pop that continues to produce relevant, quality music. Nearly 30 years since the release of their 1985 debut single, "Who Needs Love Like That," Erasure has released their 16th album, The Violet Flame. With Flame, Erasure has managed to evolve with the times while staying true to the vibes that percolate in their body of work.Â
"Our intention was to write 10 great songs," Clarke tells the Scene. "We relied on Richard X, the producer, to give the album a contemporary feel."Â
Countless contemporary musicians cite Erasure as an influence, among them Brian Transeau (aka BT), one of the most influential modern trance and intelligent dance music producers. Transeau recently teamed with singer Christian Burns to form synth-pop duo All Hail the Silence, who will open Erasure's upcoming show at War Memorial Auditorium. Despite his reputation for staying on the cutting edge of technology, BT made the decision to record for the project using only analog synths and no computers.
"The kick and snare drums are made completely from scratch, starting with oscillators, noise generators and envelopes," Transeau tells the Scene of the band's forthcoming release, "then sequencing them on control voltage sequencers [and] performed live, direct to tape."Â Â
Transeau goes on to say that the coming All Hail album was "made in a purposeful, thoughtful way that records are no longer made. ... [These] forced limitations imposed a very specific sort of thought process that affects the output creatively." He explains that he "wanted to work in the same way our heroes did."Â Â
After working with Christian Burns on several tracks, BT realized that he was the perfect vocalist for the project. "Christian's voice is such an amazing natural instrument," he says. "His intonation is absurd; I've worked with operatic singers on films who were not as good. ... It's not just the sound of his voice or the beautiful lyrics; we have the same point of reference for things that made us love music in the first place."Â Â
Similarly, it was the sound of Andy Bell's voice that inspired Vince Clarke to continue to work with him as Erasure for 30 years. Yes, he also served shorter periods working with legendary vocalists like Depeche Mode's Dave Gahan, Yazoo's Alison Moyet and Feargal Sharkey. Clarke's motivation for sticking with Bell? "Andy's ability to be able to sing with passion and emotion," and a "trusting personal relationship."
The idea for Erasure and All Hail the Silence to tour together came when Clarke was working with BT on a solo project.Â
"Vince, along with Trevor Horn, Martin Gore and Howard Jones are my absolute superheroes," says Transeau. "It is an extraordinary honor to be opening for Erasure. The 13-year-old kid in me can't believe it. I can't wait to nerd out about synthesizers and hope we get to eBay and search pawn shops together." Â
When asked about how he reacts to someone who tells him he was an influence, Clarke deadpans: "I usually look at my feet."
Although their albums have different origins — Erasure's is written on guitar and produced on computer, and All Hail the Silence's is completely analog — their live setup will be similar. BT will be using Ableton Live with Korgs and some analog gear, while Vince will use Logic and a keyboard controller.
Touring together makes sense. With three decades' worth of technology, countless awards and chart certifications, and all that pop know-how onstage, the show at War Memorial is like a symposium where the greatest minds in the field are paying tribute to, expanding the boundaries of and playing around with synth pop, one of dance music's most playful subsets.
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