Songwriting Tips from 3 Influential New Wave Tracks

These three New Wave/New Romantic tracks from the 1980s influenced me and inspired me to create electronic music. While there are many more obvious choices I could have included (Depeche Mode, New Order, and Tears for Fears), these songs embody everything about electronica that appeals to me, even if the tracks themselves aren’t electronic.

3 Lessons That Orbital Taught Me

Phil Hartnoll (Oribtal) @ Stealthunit 5 year birthday, Kaapelitehdas, Helsinki 2008. Photo by Vilhelm Sjostrom on Flickr.

The British dance music duo of Phil and Paul Hartnoll, who came to be known as Orbital, were critically and commercially successful in the dance music movement of the 1990s — and famed for their live improvisation during their gigs. But listening to their studio tracks taught me some important lessons. One track in particular “The Box” encapsulates these lessons in a single tune.

Influences: Suzanne Ciani’s New Age Melodies

I’ve decided to take a look at some of the tracks and music that helped shape my musical taste and style. This category of posts will be called Influences. First up, the melodic new age instrumentals of Suzanne Ciani, which can be summed up in this one track: “Mosaic.”