Dark wave explained

Dark wave
Cultural Origins:Late 1970s – early 1980s, Europe (particularly in the United Kingdom, West Germany, Belgium, France and Italy)

Dark wave, or darkwave, is a music genre that emerged from the new wave and post-punk movement of the late 1970s.[1] [2] Dark wave compositions are largely based on minor key tonality and introspective lyrics and have been perceived as being dark, romantic and bleak, with an undertone of sorrow.[3] Common features include the use of chordophones such as electric and acoustic guitar, violin and piano, as well as electronic instruments such as synthesizer, sampler and drum machine. Like new wave, dark wave is not considered an "unified genre but rather an umbrella term"[4] that encompasses a variety of musical styles, including cold wave,[5] ethereal wave,[6] gothic rock,[7] neoclassical dark wave[8] and neofolk.

In the 1980s, a subculture developed primarily in Europe alongside dark wave music, whose followers were called "wavers"[9] [10] or "dark wavers".[11] [12] In some countries, most notably Germany, the movement also included fans of gothic rock[13] (so-called "trad-goths").[14]

History

Origins in Europe

1980s: Foundations

Since the 1980s,[15] [16] [17] the term "dark wave" has been used in Europe by the music press[18] to describe the gloomy and melancholy variant of new wave and post-punk music.[19] At that time, the term "goth" was inseparably connected with gothic rock,[20] whereas "dark wave" acquired a broader meaning, embracing bands and solo artists that were associated with gothic rock and synthesizer-based new wave music,[21] such as Bauhaus,[22] Joy Division,[23] [24] the Cure,[25] Siouxsie and the Banshees, the Sisters of Mercy, Anne Clark,[26] Depeche Mode, Gary Numan and the Chameleons.

The movement spread internationally, developing such strands as ethereal wave, with bands such as Cocteau Twins, and neoclassical dark wave, initiated by the music of Dead Can Dance and In the Nursery.[27] [28] French cold wave groups such as Clair Obscur[29] and Opera Multi Steel[30] have also been associated with the dark wave scene; Rémy Lozowski, guitarist of French cold wave band Excès Nocturne, described his music as French: new wave noire ("dark new wave").[31]

Simultaneously, different substyles associated with the new wave and dark wave movements started to merge and influence each other, e.g. synth-wave (a kind of new wave with synthesizers, also referred to as "electro-wave"[32] [33]) with gothic rock, or began to borrow elements of post-industrial music. Attrition,[34] Die Form (France), Pink Industry (UK), Psyche (Canada), Kirlian Camera (Italy) and Clan of Xymox (Netherlands)[35] performed this music in the 1980s. Other bands such as Malaria! and the Vyllies added elements of chanson and cabaret music. This sort of dark wave music became known as cabaret noir (or "dark cabaret", a term popularized by U.S. dark wave label Projekt Records).[36]

German dark wave bands were partially associated with the Neue Deutsche Welle (i.e. German new wave),[37] and included Xmal Deutschland,[38] Mask For, Asmodi Bizarr, II. Invasion, Unlimited Systems, Moloko †, Maerchenbraut,[39] Cyan Revue, Leningrad Sandwich, Stimmen der Stille, Belfegore,[40] and Pink Turns Blue.[41]

1990s: Second generation

After the new wave and post-punk movements faded in the mid-1980s,[42] dark wave was renewed as an underground movement[43] [44] by German bands such as Girls Under Glass, Deine Lakaien, Love Like Blood, Love Is Colder Than Death,[45] Diary of Dreams,[46] the Eternal Afflict,[47] and Wolfsheim, as well as Project Pitchfork and its offshoot Aurora Sutra. Ataraxia and the Frozen Autumn from Italy, and the French Corpus Delicti also evolved from this movement and became the leading artists of the west Romanesque dark wave scene.[48] These bands followed a path based on the new wave and post-punk music of the 1980s.

At the same time, a number of German artists, including Das Ich,[49] Goethes Erben, Relatives Menschsein, and Endraum, developed a more theatrical style, interspersed with German poetic, metaphorical lyrics, called Neue Deutsche Todeskunst (literally New German Death Art).[50] Other bands, such as Silke Bischoff, In My Rosary,[51] Engelsstaub,[52] and Impressions of Winter[53] combined synthesizers with elements of neofolk and neoclassical dark wave.

United States

After 1993, in the United States the term dark wave (as the one-word variant "darkwave") became associated with the Projekt Records label, because it was adopted by label founder Sam Rosenthal after leafing through the pages of German music magazines such as Zillo, and has been used to promote and market artists from German label Hyperium Records in the U.S., e.g. Chandeen and Love Is Colder Than Death.[54]

Projekt featured bands such as Lycia, Black Tape for a Blue Girl, and Love Spirals Downwards, some of these characterized by atmospheric guitar and synth-sounds and female vocals.[55] This style took cues from 1980s bands like Cocteau Twins and is often referred to as ethereal dark wave.[56] Projekt Records has also had a long association with Attrition, who appeared on the label's earliest compilations.[57] Another American record label in this vein was Tess Records, which featured This Ascension, Faith and the Muse, and the reunited Clan of Xymox.[58]

Joshua Gunn, a professor of communication studies at Louisiana University, described the U.S. type of dark wave music as:

Neoclassical dark wave

Neoclassical dark wave is a subgenre of dark wave music[59] that is characterized by incorporating elements of classical music to create an ethereal, dramatic or melancholy atmosphere.[60] [61] Neoclassical dark wave makes extensive use of orchestral components; many bands utilize modern production equipment (orchestra-derived synthesizer samples), while others make use of chamber orchestras and acoustic instruments (e.g. string and brass instruments and orchestral percussion). Vocals in the subgenre can vary; female voices predominate.

In the second half of the 1980s, former post-punk bands such as Dead Can Dance (Within the Realm of a Dying Sun, 1987[62]) and In the Nursery (Stormhorse, 1987) released influential albums which essentially laid the foundations of the genre.[52]

Other artists include Arcana, Ataraxia, Autumn Tears,[63] Camerata Mediolanense,[64] Dargaard,[65] Dark Sanctuary Impressions of Winter,[66] Ophelia's Dream,[67] Les Secrets de Morphée,[52] Love Is Colder Than Death,[68] Stoa, and WeltenBrand.

Revival and influence (2010s–present)

In the 2010s, as part of the post-punk revival,[69] a new generation of bands rekindled several sonic characteristics of early dark wave music for a new generation of fans. Some prominent acts include She Wants Revenge, the Soft Moon, She Past Away, Drab Majesty, Twin Tribes, Selofan and Boy Harsher.[70] [71]

Substance is an annual Darkwave and Industrial music festival occurring in Los Angeles which began in the 2010s.[72] Meanwhile, Verboden is an annual Darkwave festival in Vancouver, British Columbia.[73] The Wave-Gotik-Treffen festival in Leipzig, Germany, established in 1992, is considered one of the world's largest festivals for "dark" music and culture, taking place at Pentecost annually throughout the city. It attracts around 20,000 visitors from all over the world.

Bibliography

Notes and References

  1. Book: Farin. Klaus. Neubauer. Hendrik. Artificial Tribes: Jugendliche Stammeskulturen in Deutschland. 2001. 493304020. Tilsner. Bad Tölz. 3-933773-11-3. 139. Orig.-Ausg..
  2. Book: Thomas . Hecken . Marcus S. . Kleiner . Handbuch Popkultur . J. B. Metzler Verlag . 2017 . 978-3-476-02677-4 . 79.
  3. Schmidt, Axel; Neumann-Braun, Klaus: Die Welt der Gothics. Spielräume düster konnotierter Transzendenz., Wiesbaden: VS Verlag für Sozialwissenschaften 2004,, p. 270
    "Textlich und musikalisch ergibt sich für Dark Wave ein Stimmungsbild, das sich gezähmt zwischen Härte und Romantik bewegt, sehnsuchtsvoll und melancholisch, Wut kommt kaum aggressiv zum Ausdruck, alles wirkt ausgewogen und reflektiert."
  4. Book: Strother, Eric S. . The SAGE International Encyclopedia of Music and Culture . Janet . Sturman . . 2019 . 978-1-50635-338-8. 727.
  5. Schilz, Andrea: Flyer der Schwarzen Szene Deutschlands: Visualisierungen, Strukturen, Mentalitäten. Waxmann Verlag, 2010,, p. 84.
    "Dark Wave ist ein ... Oberbegriff für düstere Spielarten des Wave, der auch Gothic darunter subsumiert. Cold Wave bezeichnet eine Untergattung experimenteller, minimalistischer Elektronikmusik aus Frankreich."
  6. Bryan . Reesman . The Scene Is Now: Dark Wave . . 68 . 48 . April 1999 . Female vocals, both wispy and operatic, have become fashionable, particularly in the Ethereal subgenre. .
  7. Uecker, Susann: Mit High-Heels im Stechschritt, Hirnkost Verlag, 2014,
    "Die Dark-Wave-Szene unterteilt sich unter anderem in den klassischen Dark Wave, den Gothic-Rock, elektronische Gruppen oder auch den Neofolk."
  8. Carstens, Olaf; Thalhofer, Frank: Duden - Das Fremdwörterbuch, Bibliographisches Institut, Auflage 11, 2015,, p. 726
    "Genre der Dark-Wave-Musik, das durch verschiedene Stilmittel und Komponisten der Romantik, der Alten Musik oder der Neuen Musik inspiriert ist."
  9. Book: Farin. Klaus. Wallraff. Kirsten. Archiv der Jugendkulturen e.V., Berlin. Die Gothics : Interviews, Fotografien. 1999. Tilsner. Bad Tölz. 60. 9783933773098. Orig.-Ausg..
  10. Book: Matzke. Peter. Seeliger. Tobias. Die schwarze Musik-Szene in Deutschland. 2002. 742385153. Schwarzkopf & Schwarzkopf. Berlin. 3-89602-332-2. 217. 2., erg. Aufl..
  11. Haumann, Melanie: Fetisch Weiblichkeit. Der Mythos der schönen Frau?, Verlag für Wissenschaft und Forschung, 2001,, p. 2
    "Die Dark Waver, Waver – oder belächelnd auch "Grufties" genannt – sind eine Jugendkultur, die in den 80er Jahren aus der Punk-Bewegung entstanden ist."
  12. Farin, Klaus: Jugend, Gesellschaft und Recht im neuen Jahrtausend, Forum Verlag Godesberg, 2003,, p. 66
  13. Book: Shirley R. . Steinberg . Priya . Parmar . Birgit . Richard . Contemporary Youth Culture. An International Encyclopedia. Volume II. . Greenwood Publishing Group . 2005 . 0-313-33729-2 . 431 .
    "The subculture of the Goths (in Germany called "Grufties") started in Britain in the early 1980s and derives from the gloomy, resigned side of punk and new wave, in the field of music called 'dark wave' or 'doom.'"
  14. Hodkinson, Paul: Goth. Identity, Style and Subculture, Bloomsbury Academic, 2002,, p. 50
  15. [Spex (magazine)|SPEX]
  16. Bobby Vox: Gorgonen, Hydras & Chimären – Interview with Marquee Moon, E.B. music magazine, issue 3/86, p. 18, May 1986
  17. New Life Soundmagazine, issue 38, description of the single "Love Will Tear Us Apart“ by Joy Division, p. 10, November 1988
  18. Book: Völker, Florian. Kälte-Pop – Die Geschichte des erfolgreichsten deutschen Popmusik-Exports. 2023. Walter de Gruyter GmbH. Berlin/Boston. 182. 978-3-11-124515-7. Orig.-Ausg..
  19. Issitt, Micah: Goths: A Guide to an American Subculture, Greenwood Publishing Group, 2011,, p. 111
  20. Schmidt, Axel; Neumann-Braun, Klaus: Die Welt der Gothics. Spielräume düster konnotierter Transzendenz., Wiesbaden: VS Verlag für Sozialwissenschaften 2004,, p. 261.
  21. News: Rouner. Jeff. The Seven Ages of Goth. Houston Press. 20 January 2011.
    "The term 'darkwave' came from back in the 1980s, and was one of the terms used to describe the Golden Age bands, as well as dark electronica acts like Gary Numan and Depeche Mode."
  22. Matzke, Peter; Seeliger, Tobias: Das Gothic- und Dark-Wave-Lexikon, p. 39, 2002,
  23. Book: Farin. Klaus. Wallraff. Kirsten. Archiv der Jugendkulturen e.V., Berlin. Die Gothics : Interviews, Fotografien. 1999. Tilsner. Bad Tölz. 47. 9783933773098. Orig.-Ausg..
  24. Peter Jandreus, The Encyclopedia of Swedish Punk 1977–1987, Stockholm: Premium Publishing, 2008, p. 11.
  25. Book: Farin. Klaus. Weidenkaff. Ingo. Jugendkulturen in Thüringen. 1999. Tilsner. 651857996. Bad Tölz. 3-933773-25-3. 41. Orig.-Ausg..
  26. Book: van Elferen, Isabella . Nostalgia or Perversion? . Cambridge Scholars Publishing . 2007 . 184718247X. 127.
  27. Matzke, Peter; Seeliger, Tobias: Das Gothic- und Dark-Wave-Lexikon, p. 400–401, 2003,
  28. Nym, Alexander: Schillerndes Dunkel. Geschichte, Entwicklung und Themen der Gothic-Szene, Plöttner Verlag 2010,, p. 169
  29. SPEX. Musik zur Zeit: Classified Ad by German distribution company EFA, issue 12/88, p. 58, December 1988
  30. http://opera.multi.steel.pagesperso-orange.fr/About%20us.htm Opera Multi Steel - Official band biography
  31. Illusions Perdues magazine: Interview with Excès Nocturne, issue 1, p. 18, January 1989
  32. Matzke, Peter; Seeliger, Tobias: Das Gothic- und Dark-Wave-Lexikon, p. 222, 2003,
  33. Book: Stücker, Bianca . Gothic Electro. Die Funktionalisierung von Technik innerhalb des subkulturellen Kontexts . de . Electro Wave . https://books.google.com/books?id=ElTximhNwPgC&dq=electro+wave&pg=PA76 . Europäischer Hochschulverlag . 2013 . 978-3-86741-863-8. 76.
  34. Web site: Composing noises. Sorted magAZine. 1999.
  35. DeBord, Jason: Clan of Xymox at DNA Lounge, Rock Subculture Journal, March 21, 2015
    "A pioneer of Darkwave music, the mix of Synth Wave, Post-Punk, and Gothic Rock had its golden age in the '80s among contemporaries like Bauhaus, Joy Division, the Cure, Sisters of Mercy, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Cocteau Twins, and Depeche Mode."
  36. Stücker, Bianca: Die Funktionalisierung von Technik innerhalb des subkulturellen Kontexts, Europäischer Hochschulverlag, 2013,, p. 74
  37. Schmidt, Axel; Neumann-Braun, Klaus: Die Welt der Gothics. Spielräume düster konnotierter Transzendenz., Wiesbaden: VS Verlag für Sozialwissenschaften 2004,, p. 256
  38. Schmidt, Axel; Neumann-Braun, Klaus: Die Welt der Gothics. Spielräume düster konnotierter Transzendenz., Wiesbaden: VS Verlag für Sozialwissenschaften 2004,, p. 257
  39. Kilpatrick, Nancy. The Goth Bible: A Compendium for the Darkly Inclined. New York: St. Martin's Griffin, 2004,, pp. 84/85.
  40. Esch, Rüdiger: Electri_city, Berlin: Suhrkamp Verlag, 3rd edition, 2015,, p. 356
  41. Oliver Sheppard: Pink Turns Blue – An interview with German darkwave pioneers. CVLT Nation magazine, 9 September 2016
  42. Schilz, Andrea: Flyer der Schwarzen Szene Deutschlands: Visualisierungen, Strukturen, Mentalitäten. Waxmann Verlag, 2010,, p. 92
  43. Schmidt, Axel; Neumann-Braun, Klaus: Die Welt der Gothics. Spielräume düster konnotierter Transzendenz., Wiesbaden: VS Verlag für Sozialwissenschaften 2004,, pp. 258/259
  44. Köble, Oliver: Editorial, Glasnost magazine, issue 28, p. 3, July/August 1991
    "Der Trend ist eindeutig: Die großen Star-Bands verschwinden immer mehr aus dem Rampenlicht, während eine Vielzahl junger Nachwuchsbands sich stetig wachsenden Interesses seitens des Szene-Publikums erfreut. Und ohne unangenehmes Gefühl darf gesagt werden, dass Deutschland momentan das absolute Zentrum der Wave-Musik ist."
  45. Matzke, Peter; Seeliger, Tobias: Das Gothic- und Dark-Wave-Lexikon, p. 266, 2002,
  46. Matzke, Peter; Seeliger, Tobias: Das Gothic- und Dark-Wave-Lexikon, p. 111, 2002,
  47. Book: Platz, Judith . Die Welt der Gothics – Spielräume düster konnotierter Transzendenz . Axel . Schmidt . Verlag für Sozialwissenschaften . 2008 . 978-3-531-15880-8. 273.
  48. Stableford, Brian: News of the Black Feast and Other Random Reviews, Wildside Press 31 March 2009,, p. 24
  49. Matzke, Peter; Seeliger, Tobias: Das Gothic- und Dark-Wave-Lexikon, p. 311, 2002,
  50. Schmidt, Axel; Neumann-Braun, Klaus: Die Welt der Gothics. Spielräume düster konnotierter Transzendenz., Wiesbaden: VS Verlag für Sozialwissenschaften 2004,, pp. 280/281.
  51. Matzke, Peter; Seeliger, Tobias: Das Gothic- und Dark-Wave-Lexikon, pp. 221/222, 2002,
  52. Book: Strother, Eric S. . The SAGE International Encyclopedia of Music and Culture . Janet . Sturman . . 2019 . 978-1-50635-338-8. 728.
  53. Matzke, Peter; Seeliger, Tobias: Das Gothic- und Dark-Wave-Lexikon, p. 219, 2002,
  54. Web site: Projekt:Darkwave, Catalogue November 1996 . 17 July 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/19970130043245/http://www.projekt.com/order/orderform.html . 30 January 1997 . dead .
  55. Dave Thompson, Kirsten Borchardt: Schattenwelt – Helden und Legenden des Gothic Rock., Hannibal Verlag 2003,, p. 362
  56. Glasnost Wave-Magazin, issue 42, Description of the bands Trance to the Sun, This Ascension, p. 32/34, April 1994
  57. Various Artists: From Across this Gray Land, first appearance of Attrition on Projekt Records, 1986
  58. Book: Spracklen . Karl . Spracklen . Beverley . The Evolution of Goth Culture: The Origins and Deeds of the New Goths . Emerald Publishing Limited . 2018 . 978-1-78714-677-8. 103.
  59. Book: Ladouceur, Liisa . Encyclopedia Gothica . Neoclassical. ECW Press . 2011 . 978-1-77041-024-4. 192.
  60. Book: Platz, Judith . Die Welt der Gothics – Spielräume düster konnotierter Transzendenz . Axel . Schmidt . Verlag für Sozialwissenschaften . 2008 . 978-3-531-15880-8. 282.
  61. Book: Stücker, Bianca . Gothic Electro. Die Funktionalisierung von Technik innerhalb des subkulturellen Kontexts . de . Neo-Klassik . https://books.google.com/books?id=ElTximhNwPgC&dq=neo-klassik&pg=PA82 . Europäischer Hochschulverlag . 2013 . 978-3-86741-863-8. 82.
  62. Book: Vantyghem, Pieter . 365 albums die je beluisterd moet hebben . nl . The Serpent's Egg . https://books.google.com/books?id=ze2EDwAAQBAJ&dq=%22neoclassical+darkwave%22&pg=RA8-PA30 . Lannoo Meulenhoff . 2019 . 978-9-40145-972-3. 30.
  63. Matzke, Peter; Seeliger, Tobias: Autumn Tears In: Das Gothic- und Dark-Wave-Lexikon, p. 44, 2003,
  64. Matzke, Peter; Seeliger, Tobias: Camerata Mediolanense. In: Das Gothic- und Dark-Wave-Lexikon, p. 82, 2003,
  65. Matzke, Peter; Seeliger, Tobias: Dargaard. In: Das Gothic- und Dark-Wave-Lexikon, p. 139, 2003,
  66. Matzke, Peter; Seeliger, Tobias: Impressions of Winter. In: Das Gothic- und Dark-Wave-Lexikon, p. 287, 2003,
  67. Matzke, Peter; Seeliger, Tobias: Ophelia's Dream. In: Das Gothic- und Dark-Wave-Lexikon, p. 421, 2003,
  68. Web site: Marks, Peter. Review of Time . Release Music Magazine. For the first half of the 1990s, this band were in the vanguard of the neo-classical movement....
  69. Book: Boucanier, Thierry . Goth. Histoire d'une subculture . Camion Blanc . 2020 . 978-2-378-48161-2 . ?.
  70. Web site: Be 'Careful': Boy Harsher Pushes its Darkwave Sound to Thrilling Ends. Leah. Mandel. 24 January 2019. 18 December 2022. NPR.
  71. Web site: Boy Harsher are the cinematic sound of heartbreak | Dazed. 3 September 2019 . 18 December 2022.
  72. https://post-punk.com/los-angeles-post-punk-festival-substance-reveals-its-2022-lineup/ Los Angeles Post-Punk Festival Substance Reveals its 2022 Lineup
  73. Web site: Verboden Festival . 2023-05-02 . Verboden Festival . en.