Welcome to 80s New Wave Music, a growing documentary archive dedicated to the music that shaped my life.
Here I explore the world of early 1980s New Wave, Synthpop and the New Romantic movement, with a particular focus on the pioneering UK scene and the artists, albums and songs that defined it.
These documentaries combine careful research, musical analysis and, where it feels natural, my own memories of discovering this music as a teenager and why it has stayed with me for more than forty years.
Rather than simply telling the history, I want to understand what made this music so unique, why it still resonates today and why it continues to inspire listeners around the world.
Whether you've loved this music for decades or you're discovering it for the first time, I hope you'll enjoy the journey and share your own memories in the comments.
80s New Wave Music
ONLINE SOON
Howard Jones - Human’s Lib: Inside the Album
Before the hits, before the success, there were the songs that would become Human’s Lib. My next documentary looks back at Howard Jones and the debut album that took him all the way to number one.
3 days ago | [YT] | 98
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80s New Wave Music
I've been thinking quite a lot lately about the future of 80s New Wave Music and where I could take the channel over the next few years. 😊
I absolutely want to stay true to what the channel has always been about and to the music and period I'm passionate about. But at the same time, I feel there is still an enormous world to explore within that framework, including artists, music and stories I haven't touched on yet.
So over the next few weeks, I'm going to start putting together a loose two-year game-plan for the channel. Nothing rigid or set in stone, just a way of gathering ideas and looking at all the different directions the documentaries could take while keeping the identity of the channel intact.
And I'd really like your input while I'm doing it. What would you like to see me explore in the future? It could be an artist, album, song, story, subject or simply a direction you think would be interesting for the channel.
I'm very curious to see what you come up with. 😊
1 week ago | [YT] | 118
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80s New Wave Music
BEFORE THE HITS - VOL. 2 is here!
I'm returning to 1980 and 1981 with another personal selection of 15 essential UK non-hit tracks from New Wave, New Romantic and Synthpop.
Album tracks, B-sides and overlooked singles from Gary Numan, Depeche Mode, OMD, Ultravox, Japan, Simple Minds, Duran Duran, Soft Cell and more.
Now online on the channel.
#NewWave #Synthpop #NewRomantic
1 week ago | [YT] | 19
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80s New Wave Music
BEFORE THE HITS - VOL. 2 is coming soon.
I'm returning to 1980 and 1981 with 15 essential non-hit tracks from New Wave, New Romantic and synthpop. Album tracks, B-sides and overlooked gems from Gary Numan, Depeche Mode, OMD, Ultravox, Japan, Simple Minds, Duran Duran, Soft Cell and more.
A journey beyond the hits and back into two extraordinary years of music.
1 week ago | [YT] | 63
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80s New Wave Music
I've been sharing a few thoughts over on Patreon about how the visual side of my documentaries has been changing lately. 😊
Yesterday I wrote about how my approach to thumbnails has gradually become much simpler, and today I followed it up with some thoughts about how that same thinking is beginning to influence the documentaries themselves and the way I make them.
Just a little behind-the-scenes conversation about how my documentaries continue to evolve. If that sort of thing interests you, you're very welcome to join in with the conversation over on Patreon. 😊
www.patreon.com/80sNewWaveMusic
1 week ago | [YT] | 28
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80s New Wave Music
OUT NOW! Ultravox - Rage in Eden: Inside the Album
After Ultravox finally broke through with Vienna, they returned to Conny Plank's studio in Germany and approached the next album very differently.
I look at how Rage in Eden was created, the unusual recording process behind it, Conny Plank's role, and how Ultravox used their newfound freedom to expand their sound.
1 week ago | [YT] | 10
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80s New Wave Music
Coming soon to 80s New Wave Music...
After Ultravox finally broke through with Vienna, they returned to Conny Plank's studio in Germany and approached the next album very differently. My next documentary goes inside Rage in Eden, its creation, its sound, and what Ultravox did with the freedom that success had given them.
Ultravox - Rage in Eden: Inside the Album
1 week ago (edited) | [YT] | 92
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80s New Wave Music
My instrumental cover of Simple Minds - Love Song, created as the background music for my latest Rediscovering video "Simple Minds - Love Song: Why It Still Sounds Extraordinary", is now available on Bandcamp.
80snewwavemusic.bandcamp.com/track/simple-minds-lo…
Everything was recreated from scratch by me, with no original recordings, samples or AI used. Just my own tribute to that extraordinary early Simple Minds sound. 😊
#SimpleMinds #LoveSong #80sNewWave
2 weeks ago | [YT] | 35
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80s New Wave Music
What a great interview!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WBvsK...
2 weeks ago | [YT] | 13
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80s New Wave Music
NOW ONLINE!
Simple Minds - Love Song: Why It Still Sounds Extraordinary
The new Rediscovering video is now online.
Love Song was probably my first real encounter with Simple Minds, and it remains one of my favourite songs from the early New Wave era. I hope you enjoy revisiting this extraordinary recording with me.
2 weeks ago | [YT] | 14
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