By Gregg Shapiro

Contributing writer

When it comes to 1980s electronic dance music, one might say that the decade technically began with Duran Duran and ended with Information Society. To their credit, both bands made significant first impressions with their debut albums. Duran Duran obviously had more staying power, dominating much of that decade and continuing to produce work in the years that followed, while Information Society all but disappeared by the mid-to-late 1990s.

In fact, the aptly named “Synthesizer” (Dancing Ferret) is Information Society’s first studio album in about 10 years. Original members Paul Robb, James Cassidy and Kurt Harland are present and are joined by a handful of other musicians. The disc may not contain “What’s On Your Mind (Pure Energy), Pt. 2,” but it does possess enough beats and electric charge to make it difficult not to dance. “To move her body” is what “Baby Just Wants” and this album opener provides plenty of opportunities to do just that. “Back In the Day” with its “I remember how it used to be before we walked away” chorus plays on the nostalgia that a new Information Society disc might stir up in the listener. “I Like The Way You Werk It” is a respectful nod to Kraftwerk, while the title track has an updated Giorgio Moroder vibe to it. “Run Away” feels like 1988 all over again, as does “Burning Bridges,” and don’t you just love it when a band makes reference to its past and then offers a glimpse of the present as Information Society does on “I Love It When…”?

The Duran Duran of the 1980s had the luxury of being trendsetters. After debuting as a New Romantic group, they quickly ascended to the forefront of the new wave scene. In the years that followed, while bands have appeared whose Duran Duran influence was unmistakable, Duran Duran’s focus seems to blur. Now, as in the case of their latest, “Red Carpet Massacre” (Epic), it is Duran Duran who are following trends. Working with a production team that includes Nate “Danja” Hills, Timbaland and Justin Timberlake, Duran Duran fits into the current musical landscape. Thankfully, Simon LeBon’s distinctive vocals guarantee that these songs won’t be confused for anything other than what they are. An improvement of 2004’s “Astronaut” disc, “Red Carpet Massacre” rolls out the carpet for a night of body slamming dancing on tracks such as “The Valley,” “Nite-Runner,” “Skin Divers,” “Tempted,” “Zoom In” and “She’s Too Much.”