"The Musik Music Musique series charts the development of electronic pop throughout the 1980s, with the second volume, subtitled 1981: The Rise of Synth Pop, following a set focusing on the first year of the decade. Like the other compilations, this one is vast and sprawling yet nowhere near definitive, merely hinting at the abundance of creativity during the era ... As expected, the liner notes are extensive and informative, and the whole package paints a picture of a rapidly changing era that drastically reshaped the sound and look of popular culture".