About Synthpop Fanatic
You will dance your pain away.
Synthpop Fanatic is an independent music site devoted to dark electronic pop. I cover synthpop, darkwave, futurepop, EBM, and anything in between. I write about music that you’d hear at a goth-industrial club or festival. Most of the artists I cover cite ’80s legends like Depeche Mode and New Order as influences.
Despite the name, I’m not beholden to genre labels except as a way to organize and discover music.
I love legacy bands, but this site exists to spotlight new music. I cover new releases (especially on New Music Fridays), news, interviews, and the occasional review. I post a few times each week, more when my real job allows. On the last day of every month, I count down the 10 best tracks—a snapshot of the scene right now.
This site started as a Facebook page that started as a Spotify playlist. I was just trying to keep up with new releases, and here we are.
This site’s tagline comes from lyrics by French electronic artist Fragrance.
About the author
Hi, I’m Chris Brandon, the voice of Synthpop Fanatic.
I’m a writer and digital content strategist based in Washington, DC. I build and manage websites for a living, largely for nonprofits and professional associations. I live with my husband, Michael, and our two Siberian huskies, Phelan and Marley. My pronouns are he/him.
I grew up in Atlanta, Georgia, where I began exploring the goth-industrial scene at places like Little Five Points and 688 Club (shout-out to DJ Alabaster). I met my husband dancing in Hell at Masquerade. In college, I DJed the industrial music show “Factory 911” on our college radio station, WEGL 91.1 FM.
The first record I ever bought was “Abracadabra” by the Steve Miller Band. My first concert was Tina Turner’s Private Dancer tour. I’ve seen VNV Nation more than any other band. My bucket list includes Dead Can Dance, Portishead, Ashbury Heights, and Neuroticfish.
I strongly support diversity and human rights. Everyone is welcome here.
My AI policy
This space champions authenticity and human spirit. I do not knowingly promote music created by AI song-generation tools like Suno or Udio.
That said, it’s getting harder to tell what’s real. I do my best to avoid AI slop by considering a combination of factors, including: results of AI detection tools, promotional photos and visuals, release patterns, and historical context. I also ask around.
None of this is foolproof. I’m doing my best to navigate a messy, fast-changing landscape while staying true to what this site stands for. If you believe I’ve shared something that was generated by AI, please reach out and let me know.
Errors
It’s important to me to get things right, but this is a one-person operation. Mistakes happen. If you spot an error, please reach out. I’m always happy to correct it.
Submissions
Yes, I accept submissions. I’m always looking for new music, but please keep in mind that this is a niche site. If you have something that fits the format, send it my way.