Synth-Pop

Synth-pop is a form of pop music in which synthesizers and drum machines provide the principal instrumentation, replacing the guitar-led band format with programmed electronic textures. It emerged in late-1970s Britain and Germany from the meeting of *Kraftwerk*'s electronic minimalism and new wave's songcraft, and reached commercial dominance in the early 1980s through acts such as *The Human League*, *Depeche Mode* and *Duran Duran*. Melodic verse-chorus songwriting remains central, but harmony and rhythm are articulated by synth arpeggios, sequenced basslines and electronic percussion rather than by a conventional rock ensemble.