New Order

Following Ian Curtis's suicide in 1980, the remaining members of Joy Division processed their grief in part by carrying on. While New Order's stark and brilliant 1981 debut, Movement, sounded like what might have been Joy Division's next step, the band went on to be innovators in electronic dance music...

By Tom Murphy

October 4, 2012

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Following Ian Curtis's suicide in 1980, the remaining members of Joy Division processed their grief in part by carrying on. While New Order's stark and brilliant 1981 debut, Movement, sounded like what might have been Joy Division's next step, the band went on to be innovators in electronic dance music throughout the '80s. The single "Blue Monday" has been an enduring influence on techno, house and hip-hop production. The band's introspective lyrics were often juxtaposed against upbeat music, which created a complex emotional dynamic that embodied the conflicted spirit of the 1980s. Iconic bass player Peter Hook will not be playing on this tour, but founding keyboard player Gillian Gilbert will be. Sonically, the recent wave of moody synth-pop owes a great deal to New Order.

Tom Murphy is a writer, visual artist and musician from Aurora, Colorado. He was a prolific music writer for Westword and a documenter of the Denver music scene.

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