Musically Proper

08/30/2026

Founded in France’s coldwave scene in 1983, Réseau d’Ombres brought a vicious punk edge to the gloomy synth sound of their contemporaries.

The trio recorded ‘Mirrors’ in 1985. Ernst Lamballais providing menacing vocals and clinical synths. Jean-Marc Hamard with a muscular bass line. And Pierre-Yves Hamard delivering a tribal drum assault to flesh out this primal banger.

You won’t find them on streaming platforms, but the Laval-based band was somewhat prolific during their run from 1983-1987. Releasing five cassettes (one being a live show from 1984 ‘Ireos’), one 7”, one 12”, and two full-length LPs. Thankfully, the Athens-based label eirkti released Ireos in 2014 that can be found on Bandcamp.

08/23/2026

In 1977, Martyn Ware and Ian Craig Marsh, both working as computer operators in Sheffield, formed an electronic band called The Future with singer Adi Newton. After Newton left later that year, Ware and Marsh recruited Philip Oakey to be their new lead singer, officially renaming the group The Human League in early 1978.

Recorded for just £2.50 on a mono tape recorder, The Human League released the “all synth” track ‘Being Boiled’ in June 1978 on the Edinburgh independent label Fast Product.

A protest song about the silk industry, it was one of the first British singles to abandon traditional rock instruments entirely, using only cheap synthesizers, including The Roland System 100 and Korg 700s, the latter being responsible for the tracks’s iconic dark, monophonic bassline.

Oakey’s melodic and authoritative baritone performance introduced the concept of the electronic band “frontman,” an archetype that would define 80s synth-pop. After creative tensions with Oakley, Ware and Marsh would leave the group in 1980 to form Heaven 17 and the production project B.E.F. (British Electric Foundation).

08/14/2026

Spotting an EDP Wasp, the ‘Da Da Da’ Casio, and a vintage red Farfisa organ all in one underground 80s music video by Testcard F.

Testcard F aka The Testies are an experimental synth pop band from Norwich, England. The band famously included a metal coat rack and waste bins as DIY organic percussion in their setup to add a “human feel” to their heavy electronic sound.

They met in 1981 as students at the University of East Anglia (UEA) and had recorded a legendary BBC John Peel session by 1982. The irony being that the band chose their name as a deliberate nod to the iconic BBC Test Card F, which famously featured Carole Hersee playing tic-tac-toe with a clown doll named Bubbles.

07/30/2026

Originally known as Crystal in 1972, a long-haired French pub band playing local gigs, Rockets took shape in 1974 when they teamed up with mastermind producer and “6th band member” Claude Lemoine.

Lemoine convinced the entire band to shave their heads, paint their skin in metallic silver, wear gray contact lenses, and adopt full alien personas.

While their German contemporaries Kraftwerk were lean and precise, and Tangerine Dream were ambient and hypnotic, Rockets blended heavy synth-pop with high-tech rock showmanship. Stadium shows featured live lasers, vocoder alien vocals, and a 10-foot bazooka that shot literal fire over the audience.

‘Ideomatic’ is from their 1981 album π 3,14. A darker, tech-focused cult masterpiece that’s proof the group was more than just a gimmick.

07/24/2026

Syntoma emerged from Mexico City in the early 80s and released one stellar LP, No Me Puedo Controlar, in 1983.

Using Korg and Yamaha synths, the trio created dystopian operas, exploring sci-fi themes while keeping a sense of fun and tropical rhythms beneath it all.

The band is said to have dubbed their style “electropical-urban.”

07/18/2026