Electropop

Electropop is a pop-oriented form of electronic music primarily consisting of the use of synthesizers and various electronic musical instruments. The genre has seen a revival of popularity and influence since the late 2000s.

The term was used during the 1980s to describe a form of synthpop characterized by an emphasized electronic sound.

Characteristics

Electropop songs are electronic and pop songs at heart, often with simple, catchy hooks and dance beats, but differing from those of electronic dance music genres in that songwriting is emphasized over simple danceability.^[2] Electropop is characterized by a distinctive low frequency synthesizer sound which might variously be described as crisp, crunchy, crackly, fuzzy, warm, distorted or dirty.^[2]

History

Electropop music began appearing in the late 1970s, with the "Robot Pop"^[3] of German band Kraftwerk,^[4] the "technopop"^[5] of Japanese band Yellow Magic Orchestra,^[6] and the electronic music of British artists who took inspiration from David Bowie's "Berlin period" albums Low, Heroes, and Lodger,^[7] as well as late 70s electronic-influenced disco, especially Germany's Munich Machine led by Giorgio Moroder and Donna Summer. Some groups also took inspiration from the NYC synthpunk group Suicide.^[8]

Electropop's early steps, and the Numan Futurist movement in particular, were strongly disparaged in the British music press of the late 1970s and early 1980s as the "Adolf Hitler Memorial Space Patrol" (Mick Farren).^[9]

During the early 1980s, the electro style was largely developed by Afrika Bambaata, who was heavily influenced by Yellow Magic Orchestra and Kraftwerk.^[10]

21st century revival

In the late 2000s, many popular mainstream artists began to make electropop songs.^[11] The second album by British singer Lily Allen released in 2009 called It's Not Me, It's You is largely electropop as opposed to her first ska album.^[12][13]

Current wave of electropop artists

Kesha is considered one of the most successful American female electropop artists of the early 2010s

Lady Gaga, one of the most successful electropop artists performing on her ArtRave Tour

	Womanizer The 2008 Britney Spears song "Womanizer" is an example of an electropop track.
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	"I Love It" The song's composition features massive usage of synthesizers, which is common in many electropop songs.
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The British and other media in 2009 ran articles proclaiming a new era of the female electropop star and indeed 2009 saw a rise in popularity of female electropop artists. In the Sound of 2009 poll of 130 music experts conducted for the BBC, ten of the top fifteen artists named were of the electropop genre.^[14] Lady Gaga had major commercial success since 2008 with her debut album The Fame.^{[15][16][17][18][19]} Music writer Simon Reynolds noted that "Everything about Gaga came from electroclash, except the music, which wasn't particularly 1980s".^[20] Other female electropop acts that emerged were Ladyhawke,^[21] Kesha,^[22] Demi Lovato,^[23] Britney Spears,^{[24][25][26][27][28]} Elly Jackson of La Roux ^[21] and Perfume.^[29]

Male acts that have emerged included British writer and producer Taio Cruz who charted well in the U.S.,^[30] One man act Owl City who had a number 1 US single,^[31][32] and another one man act Kaskade,^[33] and LMFAO.^[34] Singer Michael Angelakos of the Passion Pit said in a 2009 interview that while playing electro pop was not his intention, the limitations of dorm life made the genre more accessible.^[35] Some artists have used music technology to convert songs from other genres into electropop; for example, Paul Duncan of Warm Ghost took a record by indie folk artists Mountain Man and turned it into an electropop song.^[36]

In 2009, James Oldham—head of artists and repertoire at A&M Records—was quoted as saying "All A&R departments have been saying to managers and lawyers: 'Don't give us any more bands because we're not going to sign them and they're not going to sell records.' So everything we've been put on to is electronic in nature."^[21][37]

See also

• Dance-pop
• Electro
• Electro house
• Electronic rock
• Synthpop
• Wonky pop
• Electroclash

Notes

References

• Depeche Mode & the Story of Electro-Pop, Q/Mojo magazine collaboration, 2005.
• Electronic Music: The Instruments, the Music & the Musicians by Andy Mackay, of Roxy Music