Dark wave
Genre of music / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
For the 1956 documentary film, see The Dark Wave.
Dark wave (also typeset as darkwave) is a music genre that emerged from the new wave and post-punk movement of the late 1970s.[5][6] 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.[5][7] The genre embraces a range of styles including cold wave,[8] ethereal wave,[9] gothic rock,[8][10][6] neoclassical dark wave[11] and neofolk.[10]
It has been suggested that Neoclassical dark wave be merged into this article. (Discuss) Proposed since March 2024. |
Quick Facts Other names, Stylistic origins ...
Dark wave | |
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Stylistic origins | |
Cultural origins | Late 1970s – early 1980s, Europe (particularly in the United Kingdom, West Germany, Belgium, France and Italy) |
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In the 1980s, a subculture developed primarily in Europe alongside dark wave music, whose followers were called wavers[12][13] or dark wavers.[14][15] In some countries, such as Germany, the movement also included fans of gothic rock[1] (so-called trad-goths).[16]