Koto - Jabdah

Italian wackiness or sheer genius? You decide. Koto was a big synth guy in the 1980s, this is a cash in on Star Wars (he is meant to be in Jedi robes, not Karate!)
From Wikipedia:
"Koto is an Italian synth pop group that originally consisted of Anfrando Maiola and Stefano Cundari. Their most popular songs were "Visitors", "Dragon's Legend", "Chinese Revenge" and "Jabdah", released in 1983-1988. Koto is often associated with a genre of music called Spacesynth, a music style streamed from Space Disco. Unfortunately, it has been reported that Stefano Cundari died some time between 1991 and 1992 from a brain tumor."

Bonus video for humpday- Phil Oakey and the Pet Shop Boys

Get over 2 hours of synthpop for under $6

Electrosquad - Envy

Here's a classic video, well made. The band broke up but now one member has released material as Space March.



Buy CDs for Spacemarch at A Different Drum

iTunes
-Spacemarch

-Electrosquad




Amazon has Espionage

Primary Sources- Hot Butter "Popcorn"

Let's go wayyyy back to the first synthpop song most people heard and clearly one of the first electronic top 40 hits, back in 1972!


Here is an updated version from Marsheaux


Of course nothing is ever simple, in doing research I found that Hot Butter was not the first "band" to record the song. Here is what Wikipedia has to say
"Composer Gershon Kingsley (of Perrey and Kingsley) first recorded it for his 1969 album Music to Moog By. In 1971 the song was re-recorded by Kingsley's band First Moog Quartet. Stan Free, member of the First Moog Quartet, rerecorded the instrumental with his band Hot Butter in 1972. "

A Different Drum has the CD with Marsheaux's version.


Also there seems to be a verison by Crazy Frog, here is one band's interpretation....


And the "original" crazy frog


ok, that's enough....

Amazon has the Moog soundtrack, worht picking up and not just for the Hot Butter version of Popcorn

Little Boots - New In Town (Fred Falke Mix)

Littel Boots has been getting mad press in the UK, she even recorded a song with Phil Oakey of the Human League!
I found this remix and really like her style, a sort of more modern sounding ladyhawke imho.



iTunes has an EP up (but not with this song on it:
The EP sounds much more synthy btw.

Name Change?

Hi
I am thinking of changing the name of this blog so that I can post things like news and MP3s of synthpop not just videos.

Any ideas?

weekend : Simian Mobile Disco / Grace Jones

I normally don;t like to post "still videos" but you tube has alots of them that are for good music, so this weekend a change a little.

First up is SMD- 10000Horses Can;t Be Wrong - I imagine this is what the BEF or eraly Human League would have sounded like in 1979 if they had the equipment they have today. Totally cool electronics here



And then some Grace Jones. If youhave to ask how Grace Jones is synthpop exactly, then go back and check out her cover of "Warm Leatherette" (or see it below)

This remix ofa track from her new album Hurricane is just awesome. Can't wait for the US release. Right folks?

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and here's a primer for those who are familiar with Grace Jones:
The synthpop


The Hit