Putting together an early ’80s synth-pop set feels like being a kid in a candy store.

👉 You want to take everything… and then some 😁

At the very least, this week’s Twelve Inch Mixcloud set runs through the key names of UK synth-pop:

ABC, Spandau Ballet, Fad Gadget, Tears For Fears, Blancmange, The Thompson Twins, Talk Talk…

👉 It’s all there.

⸻

I kick things off with the track at the heart of this week’s substack story:

👉 Don’t You Want Me Baby – The Human League

From there, it opens up.

Because as always, the real fun sits just below the surface:

• Tik & Tok, not the app 😁, with their brilliant take on Summer In The City

• A Certain Ratio with Knife Slits Water

• Wide Boy Awake’s Slang Teacher

• And Fashion, one of those early 80s bands that felt destined for something big, with Move On

👉 Hits, near-hits, and the ones that lived on the dancefloor.

⸻

This set isn’t just a selection.

👉 It’s a snapshot of a moment when synths took over, and the dancefloor followed.

🎧 Listen here:

mixcloud.com/pedupre/th…

⸻

If you want the full story behind this sound, I go deep in this week’s Twelve Inch:

👉 Why The Human League broke through

👉 How Dare was built

👉 And how this whole wave crossed the Atlantic

📝 Read the full story:

⸻

Curious where this one takes you.

👉 Which track still hits hardest for you?