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Sophisti-pop is a subgenre of
pop music which developed out of the
new wave movement in the UK during the mid 1980s. The term has been applied retrospectively
to describe acts who blended elements of
jazz,
soul, and
pop
Pop or POP may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Music
* Pop music, a musical genre Artists
* POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade
* Pop!, a UK pop group
* Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band
Albums
* ''Pop'' (G ...
with lavish
production.
Music so classified often made extensive use of
electronic keyboards,
synthesizer
A synthesizer (also spelled synthesiser) is an electronic musical instrument that generates audio signals. Synthesizers typically create sounds by generating waveforms through methods including subtractive synthesis, additive synthesis and ...
s and polished arrangements.
Artists also utilized cutting-edge studio technology and perfectionist recording methods.
The genre has been described as mellow, romantic, and atmospheric.
''
Stylus Magazine
''Stylus Magazine'' was an American online music and film magazine, launched in 2002 and co-founded by Todd L. Burns. It featured long-form music journalism, four daily music reviews, movie reviews, podcasts, an MP3 blog, and a text blog.
Addi ...
'' suggested that acts were influenced by the work of
Roxy Music (such as 1982's ''
Avalon'', often cited as the first sophisti-pop album
) and
Bryan Ferry's mid-1980s albums, ''
Bête Noire
''Bête noire'' ("black beast" in French, meaning something that is an object of aversion or the bane of one’s existence) may refer to:
* ''Bête Noire'' (album), an album by British singer Bryan Ferry, released on Virgin Records in November 1 ...
'' and ''
Boys and Girls''.
''Sweetwater'' named major artists in the genre as including
the Blue Nile,
Prefab Sprout,
the Style Council,
Scritti Politti
Scritti Politti are a British band, originally formed in 1977 in Leeds, England, by Welsh singer-songwriter Green Gartside. He is the only member of the band to have remained throughout the group's history.
Beginning as a punk-inspired collect ...
,
Everything but the Girl, and
Danny Wilson.
added
Simply Red,
Sade,
Basia, and
Swing Out Sister
Swing Out Sister are a British pop group best known worldwide for the 1986 song " Breakout". Other hits include "Surrender", " Twilight World", " Waiting Game", and a remake of the Eugene Record soul composition "Am I the Same Girl?"
Histor ...
.
Writer Iain Munn added to the list
Level 42,
the Blow Monkeys, and
Joe Jackson's 1984 album ''
Body and Soul''.
See also
*
List of sophisti-pop artists
*
Progressive soul
*
Plastic soul
References
Bibliography
*
External links
Hue and Cry noting AllMusic's usage of the term
Pop music genres
1980s in music
British styles of music
New wave music
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