Not going for the 80's but several come instantly to mind I am afraid :

VH Jimp already mentioned.

And who remembers always (attempting to play) and to be honest had a serious influence in synth love:



The bassline (actually this is more sampling but bass on the Emulator I believe)

Takes me back to my old school days, I get emotional - i miss it!

Not a synth riff but I had to include it just to butch things up somewhat



Jeez this got nostalgic all those late nights up on the commodore 64 listen to the C90's on the ghetto blaster lol.

Incidentally most I still own on vinyl, my son WILL grow to appreciate :)

Almost forgot one of my fav's, who remembers doingthe 'robotics' dance to this! :)

Lol robotics - takes me back Hands up who remembers Tik and Tok :)

A couple of legendary intros never to be forgotten:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N1Hs2AQwDgA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x2KRpRMSu4g

These are almost teetering on obscurity, but MAN!...that phasey lead on "A Wish Come True"!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iVGlrDaFJfo

and a bonus tune

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=71w0dwiclvI

Hobbit mentioned the first ones that came into my head (Final Countdown, Axel F, Tubular Bells, Take On Me).

A few other ground breaking ones:


Telstar (1962) - The Tornados (aka Joe Meek) - Not my favourite, but one of the early popular synth lines, used a Clavioline.


Popcorn (1969) - Gershon Kingsley, the original, before Hot Butter got hold of it (using a MiniMoog amongst others, great production and use of technology for its era, can grab you by the bollocks even now - with its filter envelopes, delay + verb, and the offbeat hi-hat and kick, it's effectively trance some 30 odd years before it became mainstream [and the fucking crazy frog covered it])


I Feel Love (1977) - Donna Summers (iconic Moog modular arpeggiating, effectively kicking off the start of club music)


BladeRunner (1982) - Vangelis

Guess I'm a sucker for arps/gate/step-seqs, inc. AirWolf theme tune, Crockett's Theme (Jan Hammer), Blue Monday (New Order), Living on Video (Trans-X), Kids in America (Kim Wilde), Radio Ga Ga (Queen), et al.

Loads of New Romantic tunes of the 80's used synths, with Human League, Spandau Ballet et al, but Fade to Grey by Visage stuck out for me...


Fade to Grey - Visage


Are Friends Electric - Tubeway Army (Gary Numan)

Eurythmics - Sweet Dreams


Not specifically a synth, but a keyboard (organ) riff, the opening to the Phantom of the Opera:-


Bit of a 90's melodic dance kid so almost every synth riff seems iconic...
Anything from Hardfloor Acperience 303, although preferred Josh Wink's later Higher State of Consciousness

Prodigy - Voodoo People (2:42)

Underworld - Rez

...through to Energy 52 - Cafe del Mar

Faithless pizzi (JD990) Insomnia & Salva Mea

Zombie Nation - Kernkraft 400 (C64 SID chip)
.. and beyond. Far too many to mention!

I'd be interested to know a track that did the Blue Monday rolling bass line synth first.

Any Contenders???

A full decade of European dance music was based around that style.

Do you mean the same actual notes that Blue Monday used or just the style of playing the bass disco style (arping between higher and lower octaves in the same key)?

I think some of Abba's tracks are probably some of the earliest examples I can think of that popularized that, but it was all over 70's disco.

Insomnia... Did they do that first? I remember they tried to sue others who copied them but failed as the sound was a generic Yamaha preset. Obviously the riff is iconic but it can be interesting to see where it's first ideas stemmed.

Like the lately bass. Which i was told was named after Janet Jacksons Song. Which ties me into my earlier post. This preset and similar combined into a rolling bass line spawned thousands of euro dance tracks.

Rofos theme being an example! for the roller!

Ok, just realised actually quite different. Blue Monday simple up down. Rofos has the double note, what later become the generic for a trance roller.