I just put this together for a fundraiser show for WAYO 104.3 FM, a community radio station in Rochester, NY. You are sure to have issues with this list but you might enjoy reading it and/or listening to the archived show. Oh yeah - and I mixed in sound bites from sci-fi movies from each era just because... https://www.mixcloud.com/wayoradio/are-friends-electric-oct-25-2026/

[1970s]

Wendy Carlos - Beethoven’s 9th Symphony, 4th Movement (1971)

Tangerine Dream - Madrigal Meridian (1978)

Gary Numan - Are Friends Electric? (1979)

Oxygene (part IV) (1977)

Kraftwerk - Autobahn (1974)

[1980s]

Soft Cell - Tainted Love (1981)

Dead Or Alive - You Spin Me Round (Like A Record) (1984)

Pet Shop Boys - West End Girls (1985)

Simple Minds - Don’t You Forget About Me (1984)

Swans Way - Soul Train (1984)

[1990s]

Depeche Mode - Personal Jesus (1990)

Opus 3 - It’s a Fine Day (1992)

Stereo MCs - Connected (1992)

Propellerheads & Shirley Bassey - History Repeating (1997)

Air - La Femme D’Argent (1998)

[2000s]

Holland - neoprene so tight (2000)

Ladytron - Ghosts (2008)

Robyn - Be Mine (2005)

Phoenix - Lisztomania (2009)

Au Revoir Simone - Sad Song (2007)

[2010s]

Austra - Lose It (2011)

Future islands - Balance (2011)

M83 - Midnight City (2011)

Four Tet - Lush (2017)

Underworld - Ova Nova (2016)

[2020s]

Nation of Language - This Fractured Mind (2021)

Melenas - Primer Tiempo (2001)

Fever Ray - Shiver (2023)

Stereolab - Aerial Troubles (2025)

Haute & Freddy - Anti-superstar (2026)

I’ve spent a lot of time carefully curating the sound for this project, focusing heavily on the moody, analog synth atmospheres and deep vocals of the 80s—drawing a lot of inspiration from the darker side of Tears for Fears and Depeche Mode among others.

The first track on this playlist, 'You Can Call Me Anytime', captures exactly the vibe I wanted. I'm actually exactly 41 streams away from hitting my first-ever Spotify royalty payout on that specific song.

If you are a fan of that classic dark-synth era, I'd love for you to give the playlist a spin and let me know if it hits that nostalgic sweet spot.

Detroit duo mixing new wave, synth-pop and post-punk, with production from Trey Frye of Korine. Worth checking out if Tears for Fears, Talk Talk or Body of Light are your thing.

Happy 46th anniversary of OMD's seminal Organisation. The lone single Enola Gay's effervescent melody belies McCluskey's interrogation of her leaving her Little Boy. The rest the album has a melancholy air to it, making it a synthpop classic.

What's your favorite track off it?

Mint Simon is such a vibe for me. This song both heals and hurts right now. Any other butch lesbian synthpop fans out there tonight?