Darkwave

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Please see the talk page to discuss this -->

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Darkwave is a term which refers to an 80s movement that coincided with the popularity of New wave music. Building upon the basic principles of new wave, such as synthesizers and a feminine male archtype, darkwave evolved through the addition of dark, gothic lyrics, and an undertone of sorrow.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Its first usage appears to have been in the early 1990s, to describe a synthesizer-based variant of gothic rock developed largely in Germany. The three most commonly cited bands are Das Ich, Pink Turns Blue and Project Pitchfork.

Related Topics:
Germany - Das Ich - Pink Turns Blue - Project Pitchfork

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Shortly afterwards, in the United States the term "darkwave" became associated with music produced on the Projekt records label because it was used as the name of their printed catalog. The Projekt label carried bands such as Lycia, black tape for a blue girl and Love Spirals Downwards, all characterized by slow, moody ethereal female vocals, with a strong Cocteau Twins influence (something like the later music of Dead Can Dance). This sense of the term darkwave would also apply to similar music from other labels carrying similar work (e.g. World Serpent and Middle Pillar).

Related Topics:
Projekt records - Lycia - Black tape for a blue girl - Love Spirals Downwards - Cocteau Twins - Dead Can Dance - World Serpent - Middle Pillar

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Still a third commonly used meaning is based on the assumption that "darkwave" is a contraction of "dark new wave", and hence refers to the dark/moody new wave bands such as Ultravox, Gary Numan or Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark. One version of this usage takes this category as distinct from the early gothic rock bands (e.g. Bauhaus, Joy Division), another is to regard "darkwave" as a more inclusive umbrella term.

Related Topics:
New wave - Ultravox - Gary Numan - Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark - Bauhaus - Joy Division

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

It could be argued that there is still a fourth meaning of "darkwave" evolving, as current fans of the music attempt to both refine the meaning of the term and expand its reach. Current self-identified fans of "darkwave" are inclined to include the works of artists such as Die Form, known for experimental recombination of elements of goth, classical and electronic music. A few other examples of bands included in this meaning of darkwave are The machine in the garden, The synthetic dream foundation and Android Lust.

Related Topics:
Die Form - The machine in the garden - The synthetic dream foundation - Android Lust

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

A common criticism of the term is that there's no clear distinction between "darkwave" and the more widely used terms "gothic" or "industrial".

Related Topics:
Gothic - Industrial

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

It's often suggested that the primary motivation for using the term "darkwave" is an attempt at gaining some distance from these other categories that are regarded as too cliched, over-exposed, or passé

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~