early electronic music from the 70's.

[battyrat]

It surprises me that I have not found much that relates to the early pioneers of electronic music.This music was highly original in its day and still sounds fresh to listen to today.Some of it was such a big inflence on later musicians of the 80's onwards.Bands like kraftwerk,or single artists like Jean Michel Jarre,or Isao Tomita.
I did not have much knowledge of them until the late 70's when I discovered Jean Michel Jarre in french lessons at school.This lead onto Kraftwerk and later Tomita.There were others but I cannot remember them.Does any body else have memories of these pioneers of electronic music or can remember any other pioneer of this genera.

[kevpk]

Re: early electronic music from the 70's.

I was always a big fan of electronic music, i discovered Kraftwerk early on and that led to Jean Micheal Jarre, Tangerine Dream , Klaus shulze ( ex tangerine dream), Vangelis, La Dusseldorf, others as well, mainly from the Krautrock scene. All this led to other groups like Hawkwind, Caberet Volitaire, Joy Division ultimately on to Tubeway Army , Gary Numan, Human League ( before the daft girls joined !!) , OMD, Depeche Mode, our daughters wedding, The 70s electronic bands influenced bands through the ages, still doing it today but there time, the 70s, for me, was the best era for electronic music, it was ground breaking and it happened in the background whilst, glam rock, punk rock, new wave, disco, new romantics came and went, Electronic music just kept on, other types of music came around again in time, punk for instance, but electronic music has never gone, its always there , influencing future music

[sixtyten]

Re: early electronic music from the 70's.

Wendy (Walter) Carlos

[Nostalgia]

Re: early electronic music from the 70's.

I was a big fan of punk and earlier genres such as 60's rock with bands like Zeppelin, Hendrix and Sabbath among others. Was never into Kraftwerk but I remember how electro-pop really took off and became mainstream in the early 80's with bands like The Human League, Depeche Mode, and Yazoo, then it went on to form the basis of a lot of the bands which constituted the New Romantic movement, which I personally had no time for, and was grateful for punk and its derivatives having been born years earlier.

There was a lot happening in the early to mid 80's besides electro-pop. Ska bands such as The Specials, Madness, and Bad Manners et al. made a huge impression, heavy metal was taking off in a big way, and even the Mod movement experienced a revival. The bands I was listening to were The New Model Army, The Cult, The Mission, and a lot of hardcore punk bands such as Crass, Discharge, and Conflict.

I must confess to having some Tears for Fears, Howard Jones, and later, Erasure in among my almost exclusively rock vinyl collection. How they got in there, I really don't know (yes I do), but that's what was happening in the musical mainstream at that time, and I guess sometimes I dabbled.

Nowadays I like electro-pop, as although I wasn't really into it in a big way at the time, it was the mainstream pop music of my youth, and I respect those bands who have stood the test of time. Depeche Mode, New Order, Duran Duran, Frankie Goes To Holywood, The Eurythmics ...among many others. That was the eighties, and at that time those bands were deemed cool, and I remember it all very well.

OMG, how we've aged ..

[ClaudineJones]

Re: early electronic music from the 70's.

John Foxx

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=919UyzgW6ws&feature=fvst

[sixtyten]

Re: early electronic music from the 70's.

First I can recall hearing would be Autobahn by Kraftwerk.
Heard that in 1975 in Primary school
After that it would be things like Jarre & Vangelis.
However at the time, those acts were quite serious and it was only the 80's Electro pop that brought Synths to the fore, although bands like Human League were totally Synth based in the late 70's.
Reproduction is still a totally classic album (which Dare is too, but for different reasons)
Chartwise though.. I Feel Love just blew me away in 1977.. so simple. yet still sounds like nothing else

[ClaudineJones]

Re: early electronic music from the 70's.

Chartwise though.. I Feel Love just blew me away in 1977.. so simple. yet still sounds like nothing else

Another Georgio Moroder collaboration here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ySU9BnBrObE

[ClaudineJones]

Re: early electronic music from the 70's.

Popcorn from '72. Originally recorded in '69 according to this.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OK5q1bU59Ic

[battyrat]

Re: early electronic music from the 70's.

The thing I remember most about it was that at the time it was never mainstream.I suppose in a way the music was underground.Bubbling away in the 70's before influencing later musical types.It was only a very small group of us that seemed to like it or even know about people like Jarre,vangellis etc.When someone brought a tape or the vinyl we used to crash around their house to tape it.Money was rather tight and good vinyl always cost more then we could afford.When synths did start to be used more in mainstream music we then became spoilt for choice and could go off in many diffrent directions as we did.

[battyrat]

Re: early electronic music from the 70's.

Oh wow,popcorn by Hot butter.Wow,yes I remember this.It was popular with my primary school teachers when we done PE in the hall.Fantastic stuff.I also seem to recall my teachers at the time playing parts from Camels music inspired by the snow goose.Camel were not electronic but progressive rock but they still relied heavily on various keyboards as many bands did at the time.

I suppose the kids today are so used to electronic music with computer games the don't really take all that notice of it.

[themilkman]

Re: early electronic music from the 70's.

For me, growing up during the 70's and and still being fairly young and just listening to the latest 'pop' music, i didn't really come across the early electronic bands like Kraftwerk and Tangerine Dream until the early eighties. As well as really getting into 'Computerworld' material that came out at that time, i was really drawn to the earlier recordings such as 'Ralf & Florian' etc. Maybe this is why i'm so keen on 'chillout' music these days.......i always prefered the instrumental music by these 70's groups whether it was Kraftwerk, Tangerine Dream (mostly instrumental anyway) or The Human League.

[zip55]

Re: early electronic music from the 70's.

The Dr. Who theme was done by Delia Derbyshire in 1963. One of the first pieces of recognisable electronica before the days of Moog.

[Richard1978]

Re: early electronic music from the 70's.

There are a few albums of music from the BBC Radiophonic Workshop, I've got a compilation of most of the best output.

[CitizenKeyne]

Re: early electronic music from the 70's.

I remember seeing this on TOTP and thinking the nosferatu had got a recorde deal .....

Ladies and Gentlmen I give you Mr Sal Solo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P-1XTgJoZAk

[battyrat]

Re: early electronic music from the 70's.

Jean Michel jarre from TOTP 1970's.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=66A0hEe1AUo

Not very exciting to watch but classic electronic.
Hopefully the link will work.