Music for Parties

Though the credits list four different performers, the Silicon Teens was actually the nom de synth of Daniel Miller, the man behind Mute Records. This 1980 album shows that Miller was a prime mover of early British synth-pop not only for signing and producing such acts as Depeche Mode, but for leading the charge with his own music. MUSIC FOR PARTIES predates Depeche Mode's debut, but the musical similarities are striking; happy, gurgling, analog synth tones paint bright primary colors over primitive drum machine beats in an '80s redux of '60s pop.
Miller's vocals are (probably intentionally) adenoidal and jokey-sounding, fully insuring that the irony factor comes through. Many of the songs are electro-pop versions of '50s/'60s rock & pop hits such as Chuck Berry's "Memphis," the Kinks' "You Really Got Me," and Chris Montez's "Let's Dance." True to the album's title, the feel is consistently cheery, and surprisingly the joke doesn't wear thin (credit due to Miller's production capabilities and feel for camp. MUSIC FOR PARTIES was years ahead of its time both in its synth-pop arrangements and its ironic, futurist sense of nostalgia.