Archive for the synthpop Category

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Twelve Drummers Drumming – We’ll Be the First Ones 12”

Posted in 12'', 1980s, 1983, german, new wave, synth, synthpop, twelve drummers drumming on October 24, 2026 by Frankie Teardrop

If you’ve ever heard me DJ over the last 15 years, you’ve most certainly heard this song, no matter if I’m doing a guitar night, a synth night, or a dance night. The title track of this 12” single is an all time favorite, and it seems to catch fire with friends and club patrons alike. I digitized this single today because it occurred to me, after all these years of playing the 12” and the album, that the recordings are different – this particular version being a touch faster and more primal. Ultimately, it’s the same arrangement, with slightly different production. Love when bands did that…

Twelve Drummers Drumming were a German quintet, originally called Volkswagen. They quickly changed their name, plucking it from the famous Christmas song that we’ve all heard a million times in a million variations. They quickly released two singles in 1983 (this one, and “Lonely”) alongside their self-titled debut record, which was released the same year. Their sound is very reminiscent of the new wave/synth pop changing of the guard that was happening around this time, but the band still has a bit of that post-punk edge buried deep within. Touchstones for those who need this sort of thing could include Ultravox, Fiat Lux, Popular History of Signs, A Drop In the Grey, Silent Running, Zerra One, and maybe even a bit of Bauhaus’ guitar-glam edge or The Chameleons’ romanticism (without that stunning twin guitar attack, of course).

The band would release three more LPs after their underrated debut, sometimes using 12 instead of Twelve in their name, and changing a few members along the way. Their 1990 album Loveless (not to be confused with that other album that came out a year later) was produced by David M. Allen (The Chameleons, The Cure, Richard Strange, Sisters of Mercy, Wire, etc.). They’ve also released two best of compilations, one from 1992 and one from 2001, both which do a nice job collecting the band’s work on CD.

This particular 12” also features a live version of the track with an extended outro. The mix of “Wasting Time” seems nearly identical to the album counterpart, but your mileage may vary. Otherwise, there’s a video for this killer tune, but it’s the album mix that kicks off with an animated version of the LP cover.

Hope y’all enjoy this track as much as I do!

Twelve Drummers Drumming – We’ll Be the First Ones 12”
1. We’ll Be the First Ones
2. Wasting Time
3. We’ll Be the First Ones (Live)

*download it here*

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Glory – At Last! 12”

Posted in 1980s, 1982, dancing madly backwards, glory, minimal, minimal synth, new wave, New York, new york city, synth, synthpop on February 26, 2026 by Frankie Teardrop

Here’s an extremely rare/spendy 12” from NYC band Glory, their one and only release from 1982. Much love to my Harrow bandmate and fellow music historian Greg Fasolino for lending me this one to rip and for turning me on to the first track, the excellent mid-tempo new wave track “Oh My Brothers,” which is the clear standout here. The remaining tracks veer a bit towards that rock and roll/power pop side of the new wave spectrum for my taste (think early Blondie or pre-Pleasure Victim Berlin), but for my money, “Oh My Brothers” is a lost classic, through and through, and deserves to be heard across the board.

The band appears to have gotten their name from an Emily Dickinson poem, according to the sleeve. Always here for a literary reference! After Glory disbanded, members of this band would reform as Dancing Madly Backwards, releasing a similar-sounding, but slightly darker/heavier 12” in 1983. There’s a new recording of “Oh My Brothers” featured on that single as well, proof that this song had something special… If anyone has that record and could provide a better-sounding rip than what’s out there, I’d be more than happy to feature it here!

Dancing Madly Backwards would evolve into Air America and release one more 7” before calling it a day. Vocalist Andriette Redmann would remain active in rock/folk bands such as Sun Palace and Avon Faire.

Without any further ado…

Glory – At Last! 12”
1. Oh My Brothers
2. Turn the Channel
3. I’m Not Falling
4. Surfing Sickness

*download it here*

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Blue Mathue – Perfect Pictures 12”

Posted in 1980s, 1983, blue mathue, clockwork orange, minimal, minimal synth, norsk, norweigan, synthpop on July 22, 2025 by Frankie Teardrop

Jumping across the ocean for the next two posts. This one was also a HUGE DJ staple for me over a decade ago that also lived in my record bag most weeks… This 12” is three tracks of dance-driven minimal synth perfection from Norway’s first synth pop band. Most folks will be familiar with the killer “Perfect Pictures” via the absolutely essential Maskindans CD compilation that collected dozens of equally amazing tracks from the Norsk scene. The second track on this 12” also appeared on the similarly excellent Burning the Midnight Sun compilation in 1984, which also featured tracks by Svart Klovn, Popul Vuh, De Press, and the underrated Fra Lippo Lippi. The third track here is exclusive (for now), and deserves an updated rip along with the rest of them.

While this was the only release by this duo, Jan Berg would quickly form Clockwork Orange, whose track “Sensation Boys” is another stellar gem from the era, Our good friend Nick from Crispy Nuggets was kind enough to share their lone 7” many years back, so be sure to check it out if you missed it.

Moving right along, hope you enjoy!

Blue Mathue – Perfect Pictures 12” (1983)
1. Perfect Pictures
2. In Our Dream
3. The Vision

*download it here*

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Missing Link- Politicians 12”

Posted in 1980s, 1985, france, french, Missing Link, Oberkampf, synth, synthpop on November 12, 2024 by Frankie Teardrop

Well, here’s a rather suitable 12” – three tracks of politically charged synth pop from 1985 that makes you want to dance ’til the world ends… From the cold war all the way to today’s political climate.

Missing Link were the French duo of Marc Dmitry (who also performed with The Game on their excellent LP Under the White Bible Law) and Patrick Levy (also a famous French House producer and a member of cold punk band Oberkampf,). This is their only release under this project name, though they would record again under the moniker FX 2000 in the mid-90s.

Fans of B-Movie, Jarvon Jol, Electric Theatre, and huge synth pop hooks with world weary edge and a little light guitar work should find much to love here. Not much more to say here other than enjoy, and much love to y’all out there.

Missing Link- Politicians 12”
1. Politicians
2. Happy (Tax Payer)
3. Angel

*download it here*

5 Comments »

Pitch Black – Suspiria/Renee 12”

Posted in 1990, Claude Raines, darkwave, ebm, New York, pitch black, synthpop, US on February 3, 2023 by Frankie Teardrop

Can’t stop/won’t stop!

Keeping with the theme of the last post, this single is a perfect compliment, featuring a series of dancefloor-friendly remixes of darkwave tracks, also released in 1990. Our friend Goutroy turned me on to this one some weeks ago, tipping me off that this NY-based trio consisted of three members of Red Violet Red, who, which you may recall, also shared a key member with Eleven Pond. The remaining members, bassist Jerry Dellapietra, guitarist Lyle Wells (RIP), and vocalist/synth player/programmer Cedric Herrera (who also formed this project after recording with Claude Raines) and recorded two killer darkwave songs that at their core, sound similar to their previous project, but run through a very dance culture filter. There’s quite a bit of acid/new beat influence, as well as nods to hip-hop, freestyle, and house music, but the vocals and songs themselves cut deep with dark energy that make this single a true hybrid success.

A quick note that there’s a hidden remix of “Suspiria” buried on the “Renee” side of the 12”, which is unlisted on the record itself. I’ve labeled it simply with the name of the track, but if anyone knows the title of this mix, feel free to leave a comment!

Otherwise, hope you enjoy!

Pitch Black – Suspiria/Renee 12”
1. Suspiria (College Radio Edit)
2. Suspiria (12″ Mix)
3. Suspiria (Hip Hop Remix)
4. Renee (College Radio Edit)
5. Renee (Acid Dance Remix)
6. Suspiria*
7. Renee (Stringapella)

*download it here*

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Tanz Waffen – Big Strong Man 12”

Posted in 1990, austin, darkwave, synth, synthpop, tanz waffen, US, zyx on February 3, 2023 by Frankie Teardrop

Happy belated new year, folks! I’ve been struggling to find time to keep this thing going, but I still have a huge backlog of things I’ve been digitizing in my spare time, so it’s time I kick back into gear here, I suppose. Let’s see if I can get two posts done today!

The first: a big big synth pop single from 1990 on ZYX Records. The project: Tanz Waffen, which translates to Dance Weapons. Despite their German name, the band hailed from Austin, Texas, and consisted of Jeff Campbell of The Secret Six and vocalist Nanz Campbell. After releasing this one single, the duo would join forces with like-minded Austin EBM project Mark of Kane to form Voodoo Dali, who released one cassette in 1991.

As for this single, the clear dance floor filler here is “Big Strong Man,” which appears in extended and 7” form. However, the third track, “Memories of Voices,” is a moodier, more esoteric track that showcases Nanz Campbell’s vocals and features some darkwave guitar throughout. The A-side certainly has Celebrate the Nun-esque vibes, while the flip reminds me a bit of Six Sed Red or Soma Holiday. Either way, the single is an absolute banger, and as with most of the ZYX catalog, is worth picking up!

Tanz Waffen – Big Strong Man 12”
1. Big Strong Man (Wild Boys Remix)
2. Big Strong Man (Wild Boys 7” Remix)
3. Memories of Voices

*download it here*

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Cargo Cult- Shakedown 12”

Posted in 12'', 1985, electro, electronic, industrial, synth, synthpop on February 1, 2022 by Frankie Teardrop

Here’s a one-off 12” by a dark electro/industrial project from the US, released in 1985. Not to be confused with the incredible minimal synth project Cargo Cultus, there’s virtually no information to be found about this project – members, city or state, or stories about the band or any live dates. The stark cover is met with a pitch black back cover with the most minimal of details, including the year and the record label. The only other documented release on the label is the first, more scarce 7” by Angel of the Odd, who were from California. If the label was a local affair, we can potentially deduce that Cargo Cult were also from California, but that still isn’t a sure bet. Any information about this project is welcome!

As for the sounds here, this 12” should definitely appeal to fans of mid-era Cabaret Voltaire, which might be already something you might already gather from the name of the band and the title track. Crackdown, shakedown, all the same, it’s an excellent sample-driven electronic track that you could expect to get the floor cooking on the earlier side of the evening. The second track is a little funkier, yet a bit more experimental, with a distorted three-note melody in tow, while the final track (my personal favorite here), has an extremely hypnotic electronic bass line pulsing throughout, with some scathing guitar thrown in for good measure. All in all, three excellent tracks worth their weight in gold. Enjoy!

Cargo Cult- Shakedown 12”
1. Shakedown
2. Last Cab In Berlin
3. Ji’had

*download it here*

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The Telling- The Telling 12”

Posted in 1980s, 1986, california, dreampop, ethereal, synth, synthpop, US on May 4, 2021 by Frankie Teardrop

It’s no small secret that I tend to go wild for things on the more ethereal/dream pop side of the spectrum, especially now more than ever before. With that in mind, today’s post was originally recommended by Goutroy and has become a fast favorite these last few weeks. Here we have the first 12” by The Telling a band from California. The band, consisting primarily of Don and Sheri Swanson, released this debut single in 1986 and followed it up with two albums in 1990 and 1998, respectively. I’ve heard a bit of the first record, which mixes in some more folk influences, via YouTube and immediately ordered a CD copy, but I haven’t heard much of the second record just yet.

This debut 12” features two vocal tracks and two dreamy, instrumental passages. While it may be easy to pick out the usual 4AD influences on this single, I also hear the playful art-pop influence of Kate Bush throughout, especially on closing track “Heaven Never End.” Other natural touchstones include latter-era Japan/early Sylvian solo works, and of course, the highly underrated Bel Canto, who were operating around the same time with their own blend of ethereal, atmospheric synth pop.

Hope you all enjoy!

The Telling- The Telling 12”
1. Ghost of Tokyo
2. Cocoon
3. Sand Mass
4. Heaven Never End

*download it here*

4 Comments »

A Deux Voix- Reaction 12”

Posted in 1980s, 1989, a deux voix, synth, synthpop, US on March 29, 2021 by Frankie Teardrop

Spring is here in NYC. Brighter skies, more hope on the horizon, and much more in the coming weeks, I hope. With that in mind, here’s a quick post to keep things moving along here. This particular 12” is by a Dallas, TX-based synth pop project called A Deux Voix. Released in 1989, this single is the only release by the band, which is a two piece, judging from the back cover details.

Obvious touchstones here are Celebrate the Nun, Red Flag, and the slew of Depeche Mode-esque synth pop bands that were pretty common at the time. Even though the sound is a familiar one, the songs are stellar slabs of big beat synth pop that should get you aching for the dance floor again, or at the very least, eager to run to Discogs to score a copy asap. The b-side of this 12” is comprised of instrumental versions, which may or may not be up your alley, depending on your particular tastes.

Anyway, I can’t share too much more about this one, but I’m happy to get straight to the details. Enjoy!

A Deux Voix- Reaction 12”
1. Reaction
2. Choices
3. Choices (Instrumental)
4. Reaction (Instrumental)

*download it here*

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Nikola Eugene- Longest Revolution 7”

Posted in 1980s, 1983, new romantic, new wave, synth, synthpop on February 18, 2021 by Frankie Teardrop

Here’s a more romantic/synth pop flavored single from the UK, released in 1988. Thanks to Goutroy for the rip on this one! Really couldn’t tell you too much about Nikola Eugene or the label America First Records, but here’s two tracks that should be welcome for fans of things like Anna Domino, Toyah, ‘Til Tuesday and things in that vein with plenty of dreamy new wave hooks but a fair amount of cold guitar mixed in for good measure. All in all an excellent little slice of obscure wave. Hope y’all enjoy!

Nikola Eugene- Longest Revolution 7”
1. Longest Revolution
2. More Than a Prayer

*download it here*

6 Comments »

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