Powered as much by the charm of lead singer Oana Nistor as their simple synth melodies, the hits of Activ played a major role in taking Euro house out of the country's clubs and into the domestic pop mainstream.
There are euphoric moments – when a simple synth line has an illuminatingly transformative effect on Gosh, for instance – but elsewhere there is plenty of dance music here for people whose primary intention isn't dancing.
Over a spartan beat, simple synths and bassline courtesy of producer Adeptus, aka 25-year-old Philip Holtzman, our heroine raps, "Rockin' in the club, catch me on the elephant... .. Is this a drug reference?
"Under The Moon" finds him multitracking harmonies like a one-man boy-band; "Swagger Chick" and "Have It Your Way" feature synth-funk grooves which recall Earth, Wind & Fire; "Nothing To Be Scared Of" samples Adam Ant's "Prince Charming"; while "Rope Chain" protests his affiliation with old-school hip-hop over simple, brusque synth chording that hints at more modern influences.
This was created with a simple plugin synth sound.
The frosty synths of 'Coldest Winter' are pure Detroit techno, while 'Say You Will' is R Kelly does Kraftwerk, a slow jam built around a simple radioactive pulse.
Chippendale has also used a KMD 8021 Drum Exciter, a simple drum-synth module, triggered by the bass drum.
Bezier uses a classic and fairly simple palette of classic Juno-esque synths in an arrangement that turns and breathes seamlessly.
A simple setup of drums, guitars and a synth provides a surreal, sorrowful spiritual quality to her songs, which are broken up by a bit of humour but mainly by heartache in the wake of the referendum result.
With the au-courant synth pop of Liverpool's Ladytron.
