A-ha

[Paulo]

As I have said in a previous post, we have a nightclub here in Rio which plays disco-music. It's a retro 70's and 80's party. I sometimes go there to listen and get drunk. They play all the obvious hits which no one can't stand listening anymore.

But by the end of the night, they play a bit more obscure disco... (this means nothing like THE KINGS OF DISCO by Dimitry From Paris).

This time they played at 3AM a big portion of JUMBO's 17 minute TURN ON TO LOVE (yes, they wanted everybody out of the club... I mean: I love it but I think no one there but me and the DJ knew the song).

4 or 5 months ago they played FEELING LUCKY LATELY by HIGH FASHION (it seemed no one, including me, knew it)

Just before the Jumbo song, the DJ played an obscure set of songs by A-ha:
LOVE IS REASON
THE BLUE SKY
DREAM MYSELF ALIVE

As usual I went to the both to bother the DJ to ask what was that.

He told me the songs were just album versions on their debut LP.

My silly question for those of you who know those songs is: What do you call that kind of music?
80's Disco?
Hi-nrg?
Synth-Pop?

I ask this because they were "disco" enough to play in a club, but I never heard A-ha was associated with club-music.

http://www.discomusic.com/records-more/2331_0_2_0_C28/
http://www.discomusic.com/records-more/2332_0_2_0_C28/

[Eurodancemix]

A-ha were first and foremost pop artists, but their hit "The Sun Always Shines On TV" was a major club hit in 1987 thanks to a fantastic remix.

The tracks you mentioned from their first album can best be described as synthpop.

[Nano]

A-ha were on the set list of the Live 8 event last Saturday. They played in Berlin (if I remember well), with glasses and hairdos but dressed in a grungey fashion (the singer with baggy shorts á la Mike Patton from Faith No More). I saw them on a TV broadcast doing "Take on me", and over the end of the song they really sounded like a Nineties rock band, loud drums and all. :o
However, their music was seen as synth-pop during its time. It's true some of it played well in clubs... specially one catchy song that began with "You/are the one..."