From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Dark Wave
Dark Wave
Dark Wave 1980s
Stylistic New Wave, post-punk, gothic rock, The term was coined in Europe in the 1980s to describe a
origins synthpop dark and melancholy variant of New Wave and post-punk
music, such as gothic rock and dark synthpop, and was
Cultural late 1970s to early 1980s Europe (most
origins notably England, Germany, France and first applied to musicians such as Bauhaus,[6] Joy Divi-
Italy). sion,[7][8][9] The Cure,[8][10] Siouxsie and the Banshees,[8]
and The Chameleons.[8]
Typical Guitar, bass, synthesizer, drums, drum
instruments machine, piano, violin
The movement spread internationally, spawning
such developments as French coldwave. Coldwave de-
Mainstream Low to moderate in 1980s United States and scribed groups such as KaS Product,[11] Martin Dupont,
popularity Europe, mostly underground since then
Asylum Party, Norma Loy, Pavillon 7B, Résistance, Clair
Subgenres Obscur, Opera Multi Steel, The Breath of Life, and Tri-
somie 21. Subsequently, different dark wave genres
Coldwave, Ethereal Wave, Neoclassical
(complete list)
merged and influenced each other, e.g. electronic New
Wave music (also called Electro Wave in Germany) with
Fusion genres gothic rock, or used elements of ambient and post-in-
Gothic rock dustrial music. Attrition,[12] In The Nursery and Pink In-
dustry (UK), Clan of Xymox (Netherlands), Mittageisen
Regional scenes (Switzerland),[13] Die Form (France), and Psyche (Canada)
Coldwave played this music in the 1980s. German dark wave groups
of the 1980s were associated with the Neue Deutsche
Other topics
Welle, and included Asmodi Bizarr, II. Invasion, Unlimit-
Notable releases ed Systems, Mask For, Moloko †, Maerchenbraut,[14] and
Xmal Deutschland.
Dark Wave or darkwave is a music genre that began in
the late 1970s, coinciding with the popularity of New
Wave and post-punk. Building on those basic princi-
ples,[1] dark wave added dark, introspective lyrics and
an undertone of sorrow for some bands. In the 1980s, a
subculture developed alongside dark wave music, whose
members were called "wavers"[2][3] or "dark wa-
vers".[4][5]
History
Das Ich, a Neue Deutsche Todeskunst group.
1990s
After the New Wave and post-punk movements faded
in the mid-1980s, dark wave was renewed as an under-
ground movement by German bands such as Deine
Lakaien,[14][15] Love Is Colder Than Death, early Love Like
Blood,[16] and Diary of Dreams,[17] as well as Project
Pitchfork,[14] and Wolfsheim.[18] The Italians The Frozen
Peter Murphy with Bauhaus in 2006
Autumn, Ataraxia, and Nadezhda,[19] the South African
1
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Dark Wave
band The Awakening and the French Corpus Delicti, also
practiced the style. All of these bands followed a path
based on the New Wave and post-punk movements of
the 1980s. At the same time, a number of German artists,
including Das Ich,[14][17] Relatives Menschsein and Lac-
rimosa, developed a more theatrical style, interspersed
with German poetic and metaphorical lyrics, called Neue
Deutsche Todeskunst (New German Death Art). Other bands,
such as Silke Bischoff, In My Rosary and Engelsstaub min-
gled dark synthpop or goth rock with elements of the Ne-
ofolk or Neoclassical genres.[17]
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 the name
of their printed catalog, and was used to market German
artists like Project Pitchfork in the U.S. Projekt features
bands such as Lycia, Black Tape for a Blue Girl, and Love
Spirals Downwards, most of these characterized by ethe-
real female vocals.[20] This style took cues from 1980s The Crüxshadows
bands, like Cocteau Twins. This music is often referred to
as Ethereal Darkwave.[21] The label has also had a long as-
sociation with Attrition, who appeared on the label’s ear-
Bibliography
liest compilations. Another American label in this vein Mercer, Mick. Hex Files: The Goth Bible. New York: The
was Tess Records, which featured This Ascension and Overlook Press, 1997.
Faith and the Muse.[22] Clan of Xymox, who had returned
to their 1980s sound, following almost a decade as the
more synthpop Xymox, also signed to Tess in 1997.
References
Joshua Gunn, a professor of communication studies at [1] Arvid Dittmann · Artificial Tribes · Jugendliche
Louisiana University, described American darkwave as Stammeskulturen in Deutschland · Page 139 · 2001 ·
ISBN 3-933773-11-3
“ an expansion of the rather limited gothic ”
[2] Klaus Farin · Die Gothics · Interview with Eric
repertoire into electronica and, in a way, the
Burton from the German music group Catastrophe
US answer to the ’ethereal’ subgenre that de-
Ballet · Page 60 · 2001 · ISBN 3-933773-09-1
veloped in Europe (e.g. Dead Can Dance). An-
[3] Peter Matzke / Tobias Seeliger · Gothic! · Interview
chored by Sam Rosenthal’s now New York-
with Bruno Kramm from the German music group
based label, Projekt, Darkwave music is less
Das Ich · Page 217 · 2000 · ISBN 3-89602-332-2
rock and more roll, supporting bands who
[4] Glasnost Wave-Magazin · Heft-Nr. 21 · Interview
tend to emphasize folk songcraft, hushed vo-
with the music group Girls Under Glass · Page 8 ·
cals, ambient experimentation, and synthe-
May 1990
sized sounds more akin to the brief ’shoegaze’
[5] Glasnost Wave-Magazin · Heft-Nr. 31 · Review for an
movement in alternative rock than the punk
album of the music group Calling Dead Red Roses ·
styles of early gothic music. [...] Projekt bands
Page 34 · January/February 1992
like Love Spirals Downward and Lycia are the
[6] Peter Matzke / Tobias Seeliger · Das Gothic- und
most popular of this subgenre.[22]
Dark-Wave-Lexikon · Page 39 · 2002 · ISBN
3-89602-277-6
Wave-atypical influences [7] New Life Soundmagazine · Issue No. 38 · Description
A number of other U.S. bands mixed elements of dark of the single "Love Will Tear Us Apart“ · Page 10 ·
wave and ethereal wave with later developments in elec- November 1988
tronic music.[citation needed] Love Spirals Downwards, Col- [8] ^ Kirsten Wallraff · Die Gothics · Musik und Tanz ·
lide, and Switchblade Symphony incorporated elements Page 47 · 2001 · ISBN 3-933773-09-1
of trip hop,[citation needed] while The Crüxshadows com- [9] Peter Jandreus, The Encyclopedia of Swedish Punk
bined a range of contemporary electronic dance music 1977-1987, Stockholm: Premium Publishing, 2008, p.
elements with their synth-based alternative rock style.[ci- 11.
tation needed] [10] Ingo Weidenkaff · Jugendkulturen in Thüringen ·
Die Gothics · Page 41 · 1999 · ISBN 3-933773-25-3
2
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Dark Wave
[11] Mick Mercer, Gothic Rock, Los Angeles: Cleopatra [20] Mercer, p. 136-144.
Records, p. 112. [21] Glasnost Wave-Magazin · Issue No. 42 · Description
[12] "Composing noises". Sorted magAZine. 1999. of the bands Trance to the Sun, This Ascension and
http://sortedmagazine.com/archive/magazine/ others · Pages 32/34 · Germany · April 1994
sordid/attrition.htm. [22] ^ Kilpatrick, Nancy. The Goth Bible: A Compendium for
[13] Donnacha DeLong (1999). "Sordid Reviews the Darkly Inclined. New York: St. Martin’s Griffin,
February 1999". Sorted magAZine. 2004, ISBN 0-312-3069602, p. 90.
http://www.sortedmagazine.com/archive/
magazine/sordid/feb99.htm#mittag.
[14] ^ Kilpatrick, Nancy. The Goth Bible: A Compendium for
External links
the Darkly Inclined. New York: St. Martin’s Griffin, • "England Fades Away: Stylus Magazine’s Guide to
2004, ISBN 0-312-3069602, p. 85. Goth." StylusMagazine.com article on gothic rock.
[15] [1] • Cold Wave Years
[16] Glasnost Wave-Magazin · Issue No. 23 · Interview
with the German music group Love Like Blood ·
Page 13 · September 1990
See also
[17] ^ Mercer, p. 34-46. • Neoclassical
[18] [2] • List of Darkwave releases
[19] Mercer, p. 55-61
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Dark_Wave&oldid=470114835"
Categories:
• Darkwave
• New Wave music
• Music scenes
• Fusion music genres
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