Synth Britannia

[Chris Strellis]

BBC Four Autumn 2009/Winter 2010

"In the late Seventies small pockets of electronic artists such as The
Human League, Cabaret Voltaire and Throbbing Gristle were inspired by
Kraftwerk and J G Ballard to dream of the sound of the future against
the backdrop of bleak, high-rise Britain.

Gary Numan's 1979 appearance on Top Of The Pops heralded the invention
of synthpop, which would provide the soundtrack as Britain entered a
new, ruthless era in the Eighties.

Depeche Mode, four lads from Basildon, came to embody the new sound,
while post-punk bands such as Ultravox, Soft Cell, Orchestral Manoeuvres
In The Dark and Yazoo took the synth from the pages of the NME and onto
the front cover of Smash Hits.

By 1983 the Pet Shop Boys and New Order were pointing to where the
future of electronic music lay - in dance.

Contributors to Synth Britannia include Philip Oakey, Vince Clarke,
Martin Gore, Bernard Sumner, Gary Numan and Neil Tennant."

Trailer here:

http://tinyurl.com/kw433l

Looking forward to this.  For non-UK residents I'm sure it'll go up on
YouTube or a Torrent.

Cheers

Chris