Synthpunk

Electro Punk (also known as synth punk / synthpunk, electropunk, electro-punk, elekrtopunk) is an umbrella term that describes the combination of electronic music with the attitude of punk music.

Due to the predominant use of guitars in punk’s rock music roots, the use of synthesizers was controversial within the punk scene even though the punk music culture collectively embraced an anti-establishment political stance. It was very rare, particularly in USA, for punk musicians to use synthesizers or keyboards at all to make punk music, let alone replacing the guitars with them. While the rejection of using guitars was an extension of the logic of punk music’s anti-establishment politics, electro punk bands went farther than many fans were willing to extend that principle, and synthesizer-based punk rock groups had small following as a whole. It is probably due to this issue that the identification of a synthesizer-based, sub-genre of punk rock took so many years to become identified as a collective genre.

In it’s most pure and basic form, electro punk has the influence of bands like Suicide and the legacy of Alan Vega, 1970s and 80s punk, post punk electronic new wave experimental artist, who used farfisa organs, synthesizers, and drum machines to create their trademark sound. During the 90s the grander influence of Suicide’s electronic primitivism can be heard in the later music movements of synthpop, techno, and industrial music.

Also, During the early 1990s (next to the rave era) Digital Hardcore was developed in Germany. With a similar formula to Suicide’s: a genre fusing elements of punk (in this case hardcore punk) and electronic music. digital hardcore was created by bands like Atari Teenage Riot, EC8OR, Alec Empire etc. Some other elements of punk movements like 1990s riot grrrl movement can be perceive in bands such as: Lolita Storm, Hanin Ellias and Cobra Killer, which also have elements of the Electroclash movement, style of music that fuses New Wave and Electro Dance music. Define on that way by Larry Tee during the early 2000s.

Thanks to the revival of electro music during the mid 2000s in the entire world headed by french record labels: Kitsune and Ed banger, Electro has been taken different directions in the past decade.

Contemporary electro punk bands have fast words, direct and sometimes pretentious lyrics full of energy. A mix of influences: noise rock, electro and punk, European bands like: Kap Bambino, Sexy Sushi, Mass Kotki, Warren Suicide, Mediengruppe Telekommander, Schwefelgelb have help to determinate a specific type of music, known nowadays as electro punk.