Neoclassical Dark Wave

Dark wave, or darkwave, is a music genre that emerged from the new wave and post-punk movement of the late 1970s. 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. 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" that encompasses a variety of musical styles, including cold wave,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." ethereal wave, gothic rock,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." neoclassical dark waveCarstens, 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." and neofolk.

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

History

Origins in Europe

1980s: Foundations

Since the 1980s, SPEX. Musik zur Zeit: Classified Ad by German distribution company EFA – Spots 5/85, issue 5/85, p. 17, May 1985
online picture
/ref>New Life Soundmagazine, issue 38, description of the single "Love Will Tear Us Apart“ by Joy Division, p. 10, November 1988 the term "dark wave" has been used in Europe by the music press to describe the gloomy and melancholy variant of new wave and post-punk music.Issitt, Micah: ''Goths: A Guide to an American Subculture'', Greenwood Publishing Group, 2011, , p. 111 At that time, the term "goth" was inseparably connected with gothic rock, whereas "dark wave" acquired a broader meaning, embracing bands and solo artists that were associated with gothic rock and synthesizer-based new wave music,
"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." such as Bauhaus, Joy Division, the Cure, Siouxsie and the Banshees, the Sisters of Mercy, Anne Clark, 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.Matzke, Peter; Seeliger, Tobias: ''Das Gothic- und Dark-Wave-Lexikon'', p. 400–401, 2003, French cold wave groups such as Clair Obscur and Opera Multi Steel have also been associated with the dark wave scene; Rémy Lozowski, guitarist of French cold wave band Excès Nocturne, described his music as ("dark new wave").

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") with gothic rock, or began to borrow elements of post-industrial music. Attrition, Die Form (France), Pink Industry (UK), Psyche (Canada), Kirlian Camera (Italy) and Clan of Xymox (Netherlands) 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).

German dark wave bands were partially associated with the Neue Deutsche Welle (i.e. German new wave), and included Xmal Deutschland, Mask For, Asmodi Bizarr, II. Invasion, Unlimited Systems, Moloko †, Maerchenbraut,Kilpatrick, Nancy. ''The Goth Bible: A Compendium for the Darkly Inclined''. New York: St. Martin's Griffin, 2004, , pp. 84/85. Cyan Revue, Leningrad Sandwich, Stimmen der Stille, Belfegore, and Pink Turns Blue.

1990s: Second generation

After the new wave and post-punk movements faded in the mid-1980s, dark wave was renewed as an underground movementSchmidt, Axel; Neumann-Braun, Klaus: ''Die Welt der Gothics. Spielräume düster konnotierter Transzendenz.'', Wiesbaden: VS Verlag für Sozialwissenschaften 2004, , pp. 258/259 by German bands such as Girls Under Glass, Deine Lakaien, Love Like Blood, Love Is Colder Than Death, Diary of Dreams, the Eternal Afflict, 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. 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,Matzke, Peter; Seeliger, Tobias: ''Das Gothic- und Dark-Wave-Lexikon'', p. 311, 2002, 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''). Other bands, such as Silke Bischoff, In My Rosary, Engelsstaub, and Impressions of Winter 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.

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. This style took cues from 1980s bands like Cocteau Twins and is often referred to as ethereal dark wave. Projekt Records has also had a long association with Attrition, who appeared on the label's earliest compilations. Another American record label in this vein was Tess Records, which featured This Ascension, Faith and the Muse, and the reunited Clan of Xymox.

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 that is characterized by incorporating elements of classical music to create an ethereal, dramatic or melancholy atmosphere. 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) and In the Nursery ('' Stormhorse'', 1987) released influential albums which essentially laid the foundations of the genre.

Other artists include Arcana, Ataraxia, Autumn Tears, Camerata Mediolanense, Dargaard, Dark Sanctuary Impressions of Winter, Ophelia's Dream, Les Secrets de Morphée,
Love Is Colder Than Death, Stoa, and WeltenBrand.

Revival and influence (2010s–present)

In the 2010s, as part of the post-punk revival, 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.

Substance is an annual Darkwave and Industrial music festival occurring in Los Angeles which began in the 2010s. Meanwhile, Verboden is an annual Darkwave festival in Vancouver, British Columbia. 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.

References

Bibliography

* Farin, Klaus; Wallraff, Kirsten: ''Die Gothics''. Bad Tölz: Verlag Thomas Tilsner, 1999, .
* Mercer, Mick. ''Hex Files: The Goth Bible''. New York: The Overlook Press, 1997, .
* Steinberg, Shirley; Parmar, Priya; Richard, Birgit: ''Contemporary Youth Culture. An International Encyclopedia. Volume II''., Greenwood Publishing Group, 2005, .
* van Elferen, Isabella; Weinstock, Jeffrey Andrew: ''Goth Music: From Sound to Subculture''. Routledge Studies in Popular Music, 2015, .
* Hecken, Thomas; Kleiner, Marcus: ''Handbuch Popkultur'', J. B. Metzler Verlag, 2017, .
* Sturman, Janet: ''The SAGE International Encyclopedia of Music and Culture.'' SAGE Publications, 2019, .

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