NB. This article originally featured on my website samplenerd.com

Selling over 50 MILLION records, Pet Shop Boys are the biggest selling pop duo in UK history.

Where are the speakers?!

Released in 1981 this small analogue Synthesiser enters the home of soon-to-be singer Neil Tenant.

Realising this precursor to the now legendary KORG MS-20 needed speakers, our young lyricist walks to the local HiFi shop – which is terribly old fashioned isn’t it, or isn’t it?

From building structure to song structure

Architectural design student Chris Lowe also happened to be there. 

Striking up a conversation they realised they liked the emerging electro-pop scene and from there began writing together. The first song to come out of this partnership was actually penned by the Blackpudlian Chris and called “Jealousy.”  

The Marcato effect

Using only sounds from the Emulator II the newly crowned ‘Pet Shop Boys’ (a reference to friends that Chris had) penned an international hit, perhaps you know it…

Nonetheless…

15 albums later the kings of “symphonic electro-pop” find themselves at the top of the charts 40 years after their first number one with the single Dancing Star.  

So, should KORG be given more credit for being the accidental architect of Britain’s most successful pop duo?

Obviously