Silicon Teens were a virtual

Virtual band

In music, a virtual band is any group whose members are not corporeal musicians, but animated characters...

 British

British people

The British are citizens of the United Kingdom, of the Isle of Man, any of the Channel Islands, or of any of the British overseas territories, and their descendants...

 electronic new wave

New Wave music

New Wave is a subgenre of :rock music that emerged in the mid to late 1970s alongside punk rock. The term at first generally was synonymous with punk rock before being considered a genre in its own right that incorporated aspects of electronic and experimental music, mod subculture, disco and 1960s...

 pop group

Pop music

Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...

. The project was the creation of Mute Records

Mute Records

Mute is an independent record label based in the UK. It was founded in 1978 by Daniel Miller and featured several prominent musical acts on its roster such as Goldfrapp, Depeche Mode, Yazoo, Erasure and Fad Gadget.-Beginnings:...

 founder Daniel Miller.

Background

The "group" were publicised as a quartet with members named Darryl, Jacki, Paul and Diane, but in reality these individuals did not exist and for media interviews their parts were played by actors. The project was launched in 1980 with a sole album called Music For Parties, a collection mostly comprising rock n' roll standards from the 1950s

1950s

The 1950s or The Fifties was the decade that began on January 1, 1950 and ended on December 31, 1959. The decade was the sixth decade of the 20th century...

 and 1960s

1960s

The 1960s was the decade that started on January 1, 1960, and ended on December 31, 1969. It was the seventh decade of the 20th century.The 1960s term also refers to an era more often called The Sixties, denoting the complex of inter-related cultural and political trends across the globe...

, played in an upbeat synthpop

Synthpop

Synthpop is a genre of popular music that first became prominent in the 1980s, in which the synthesizer is the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s and early 1970s by the use of synthesizers in progressive rock, electronic art rock, disco and particularly the "Kraut rock" of...

 style. There were four original compositions on the album, those being "TV Playtime", "Sun Flight", and the instrumentals "Chip 'n' Roll" and "State of Shock (Part 2)".

Despite considerable media interest as a novelty, neither the album nor offshoot singles "Memphis Tennessee

Memphis, Tennessee (song)

"Memphis, Tennessee" is a song by rock & roll singer-songwriter Chuck Berry. It is sometimes shortened to "Memphis". In the UK, the song charted at #6 in 1963, at the same time Decca Records issued a cover version in the UK by Dave Berry and the Cruisers, who came from Sheffield, Yorkshire...

" and "Judy in Disguise" were ever hits, though their third (double-A side) single "Just Like Eddie

Just Like Eddie

"Just Like Eddie" was a hit single in the UK in 1963. It was sung by Heinz - his first release after leaving The Tornados to launch his solo career. The record was produced by Joe Meek mentor to both Heinz and the Tornados...

" b/w "Sun Flight" did manage some UK Chart success.
Film director John Hughes was so taken with it that their rendition of "Red River Rock" (in a re-recorded version) can be heard in the film soundtrack of the Steve Martin

Steve Martin

Stephen Glenn "Steve" Martin is an American actor, comedian, writer, playwright, producer, musician and composer....

 and John Candy

John Candy

John Franklin Candy was a Canadian actor and comedian. He rose to fame as a member of the Toronto branch of The Second City and its related Second City Television series, and through his appearances in comedy films such as Stripes, Splash, Cool Runnings, The Great Outdoors, Spaceballs, and Uncle...

 film Planes, Trains, and Automobiles.
The band's rendition of "You Really Got Me

You Really Got Me

"You Really Got Me" is a rock song written by Ray Davies and performed by his band, The Kinks. It was released on 4th August 1964 as the group's third single, and reached Number 1 on the UK singles chart the next month, remaining for two weeks...

" was featured on a compilation album of New Wave songs put out by French covers band Nouvelle Vague

Nouvelle Vague (band)

Nouvelle Vague is a French musical collective led by musicians Marc Collin and Olivier Libaux. Their name is a play on words, meaning "new wave" in French, and "bossa nova" in Portuguese...

.

The group is the subject of a song called "Silicon Teens" by The Pulsars

The Pulsars

The Pulsars was a New Wave/Indie rock band based out of Chicago, Illinois led by Dave Trumfio and his brother, Harry Trumfio. They made two records in the mid-90's, one of which was released and another that has yet to be released...

on their 1997 album, Pulsars.

Discography

• Memphis Tennessee / Let's Dance (MUTE 003) August 1979
• Judy In Disguise / Chip 'n' Roll (MUTE 004)
• Just Like Eddie / Sun Flight (MUTE 008)
• Music for Parties (album) (STUMM 2) September 1980

External links

• Silicon Teens at Mute Records Official site
  • [ Music for Parties Review]
• Silicon Teens Discography at discogs.com