Mars by 1980

In Mars By 1980, David Stubbs charts the evolution of electronic music from the earliest mechanical experiments in the late nineteenth century, through to the ubiquitous, familiar sounds of electronica, house, and techno that we know today.

It's a tale of mavericks and future dreamers overcoming Luddite resistance, malfunctioning devices, and sonic mayhem. The beginnings may be in the world of avant-classical composition, but it continues on through the sonic funk of Stevie Wonder and Giorgio Moroder, via the astonishing sounds of the BBC Radiophonic Workshop, through unforgettable eighties electropop by the likes of Depeche Mode, the Pet Shop Boys, and Laurie Anderson, and right up to present-day innovators on the underground scene.