Dark Wave Facts

Origins and early development

Dark wave emerged from the new wave and post-punk movement of the late 1970s and the term was used in Europe in the 1980s to describe the gloomy and melancholy variant of those styles. Early exponents and associated artists cited in contemporary coverage included bauhaus, joy division, the cure, siouxsie and the banshees, the sisters of mercy, anne clark, depeche mode, gary numan, the chameleons, cocteau twins and soft cell, among others.

Evolution or diversification

The movement spread internationally in the 1980s and developed strands such as ethereal wave and neoclassical dark wave, with acts like cocteau twins and dead can dance associated with these strands. Different substyles associated with new wave and dark wave merged and influenced each other, including synth-wave with gothic rock and elements of post-industrial music, while french cold wave and cabaret noir or dark cabaret were also linked to the scene. In the 1990s a second generation renewed dark wave as an underground movement with german and other european bands such as girls under glass, deine lakaien, love like blood, love is colder than death, diary of dreams, the eternal afflict and wolfsheim.

Cultural or musical significance

In the 1980s a subculture developed primarily in Europe whose followers were called "wavers" or "dark wavers", and in some countries, notably Germany, the movement included fans of gothic rock known as "trad-goths". Dark wave served as an umbrella term embracing both gothic rock and synthesizer-based new wave artists and continued to influence and intersect with other genres and substyles across subsequent decades.