OMD - Genetic Engineering (312mm Version) (Virgin, 1983)

Speak'n'Spell electro pop classic.

Before the advent of widespread sampling, playing a Speak'n'Spell* machine into a track was probably about as clever as it got.

'Genetic Engineering' is my favourite thing by OMD because it blends pop sensibility with a minimal approach to building a track and a degree in sociology.

Download OMD - Genetic Engineering (312mm Version) (Speak'n'Spell, FuturePop, mp3) (Divshare)

Check-out this cool Speak'n'Spell simulator.

The Human League - The Black Hit Of Space (Virgin, 1980)

It's wasn't all New Romantic handbags and gladrags...

As great a single as 'Don't You Want Me' was, this is pretty great too. A much more amateurish (in a good way) take on cutting edge electronic pop, 1980-style.

The lyrics are incongruous in the extreme. They might be rubbish but they're brilliant, telling of a record so awesome it creates a black hole. A record that's not just climbed to number one in the charts, it's gone "into minus figures".

The music is wobbly like the theme tune from a sci-fi version of Crossroads and it certainly keeps interesting company. Cabaret Voltaire. Kraftwerk. Wendy Carlos. Gary Glitter...

Intriguing and awkwardly funky.

Download The Human League 'The Black Hit Of Space' (electronic pop mp3) (Mediafire)