Gothic music history

Gothic music is a musical style of old-fashioned punk in late 1970s, including English
punk rock. The genre creates darker music accompanied by introspective and romantic lyrics.
Gothic rock then inspired many subcultures that included clubs, fashion and publications in
the 1980s.
Gothic music is first known in 1967, in a review published in The Williams Record.
The theme of this kind of music is given as pleasant, amusing hippies, and violent. In this
music, a dark atmosphere on stage during the concerts is featured.
In the late 1970s, the word "gothic" was used to describe the atmosphere of old style
punk bands like Siouxsie and the Banshees. Bauhaus's debut single, "Bela Lugosi's Dead", in
1979, was considered to be the beginning of the gothic rock genre. The song was written to
be tongue-in-cheek style.
In the early 1980s, post-punk bands included more gothic characteristics in their
music. For the example, using "sacred and profane" things, using old testament imagery with
stories about sin, curses and damnation.
In 1983, there was a creation of "positive punk" with promises of revolution, either in
the rock'n'roll sense or the wider political sphere. This gave an idea of personal revolution,
and imagination. Later on the new, harder form of gothic rock had created. Including the
cooperation of drum machine.

Style of gothic music

According to music journalist Simon Reynolds, standard gothic music include,
"scything guitar patterns, high-pitched basslines that often usurped the melodic role and beats
that were either hypnotically dirgelike or "tribal" African polyrhythmic". He described the
vocal that it is "deep, droning alloys". Some gothic music band used flanging guitar effects,
producing a brittle, cold and harsh sound. They also used drum machines for the backbeat.
Gothic music presents dark themes by its lyrics and the music's atmosphere. The
poetic style creates literary romanticism, religious symbolism or supernatural mysticism.
Gothic music creates a dark atmosphere by an influence from the drones used by
protopunk group. Many goth singers are influenced by the "deep and dramatic" vocal style.
J.G. Ballard was a strong lyrical influence for many of the early gothic rock groups.

Impacts of gothic music

In the 1990s, the music has inspired by gothic music style a lot, Such as atmosphere
from goth and disco and industrial sound. As well as became darker, deeper and more
disturbing.
In term of historical and cultural art, The Goth culture of the 1980s inspired Punk,
New wave, and Glam. Including, movies, Gothic literature, horror films, vampire culture, noir
science fiction film, and traditional mythology. For the example, Celtic mythology, Christian
mythology, Egyptian mythology, and Paganism.
 Lots of famous philosopher also inspired by this kind of music, such as Friedrich
Nietzsche(1844-1900), Comte de Lautramont (1846-1870), and Jean-Paul Sartre (1905-
1980).
Gothic literature is a genre of fiction that combines romance and dark elements to
produce mystery, terror, horror and the supernatural. Typical characters consisted of the cruel
parent, sinister priest, courageous victor, and the helpless heroine, along with supernatural
figures such as demons, vampires, ghosts, and monsters. The plot focused ill-fated, internally
conflicted, innocently victim and insanity. The appearance of the characters are usually be in
the dark eyeliner or dressing in black.
In the view of visual art, not only musicians, but also painters and photographers got
this influence. In particular their work is based on mystic, morbid and romantic motifs. In
photography and painting the spectrum varies from romantic images of vampires or ghosts.
As well as well used dark colours, similar to Gothic fiction.

Gothic musics development

American gothic music began with punk-influenced style, became known as

deathrock. The Southern developed more conventional hard rock music. While many other
bands continue to be associated with gothic rock, the 1990s enhanced gothic music largely by
crossover from the industrial, electronic and metal scenes. Goth music in most cities created
popular culture.
In the 2000s, critics regularly noticed the influence of goth on new bands. English
band mixed 1960s garage rock with 1980s goth. Even female singer accepted gothic style.

Impacts of gothic music II

In the view of fashion, Gothic fashion is stereotyped as conspicuously dark, mysterious,

complex and exotic. Goth fashion can be recognized by its black colored clothing with dyed black
hair, dark eyeliner, black fingernails and black period-styled clothing. Sometimes with piercings.
Styles are often inspired from the Elizabethan, Victorian or medieval period expressing religious
imagery.
Ted Polhemus described goth fashion as a "profusion of black velvets, lace, fishnets and
leather tinged with scarlet or purple, accessorized with tightly laced corsets, gloves, precarious
stilettos and silver jewelry depicting religious or occult themes".
Researcher Maxim W. Furek stated that "Goth is a revolt against the slick fashions of the
1970s disco era and a protest against the colorful pastels and extravagance of the 1980s. Black
hair, dark clothing and pale complexions provide the basic look of the Goth Dresser. One can
paradoxically argue that the Goth look is one of deliberate overstatement as just a casual look at
the heavy emphasis on dark flowing capes, ruffled cuffs, pale makeup and dyed hair
demonstrate a modern-day version of late Victorian excess."
In film, gothic music inspired horror film images and soundtracks. There are uses of
swirling smoke, rubber bats, and cobwebs featured as gothic club decoration. The goth kids are
usually characterized listening to goth music, writing or reading Gothic poetry, drinking coffee,
flipping their hair and smoking.
In books and reading culture, American literary was deeply influenced by the gothic
scene. Such as alienation, loneliness, and the human condition. Not only did the characters
torment themselves, but also the cruel world. It was not cleary represent the gothic culture, but
gave ideas of romance and beauty of gothic style.
 Gothic bands

1. Joy Division: English band formed in 1976 in Manchester. The band mainly uses guitar,
keyboards, bass guitar, drums and percussion. The band is inspired by punk, and new post-
punk movement. The vocalist Ian Curtis had depression and personal difficulties, he was
then committed suicide. Later on, the left members developed the band. They form a new
wave band achieving critical and commercial success.

2. Bauhaus : English band formed in Northampton in 1978. The band uses guitar, drums and
bass. Their first single, "Bela Lugosi's Dead" gave them a kick-starting in the Goth scene.
Bauhaus was inspired by punk music, glam rock, Krautrock, funk, and dub. They had unique
gloomy style that was known as Gothic rock. Their essential elements included the vocals
deep voice and dub-influenced bass.

[Link] and the Banshees : British band which formed in [Link] only had vocal and
bass at first. They formed during the age of punk rock. Their idea of music style was, "It was
a case of us knowing what we didn't want, throwing out every cliche . . . Never having a
guitar solo, never ending a song with a loud drum smash." For the guitar, they liked it to be
sounded like "a cross between the Velvet Underground and the shower scene in Psycho.

[Link] Cure : An English band that formed in Crawley, Sussex in 1976. The band included
both post-punk and New Wave movements style. They had dark and tormented music style,
as known as the Gothic rock. The Cure had an outstanding musical traits, "dominant,
melodic bass lines; whiny, strangulated vocals; and a lyric obsession with existential, almost
literary despair."

Gothic music in the present

The classical music are more elite. These new media has more original music and
recruited composers educated in the classical traditions. Popular music in turn had a strong
influence on serious music, and jazz and other ideas became incorporated into the concert.
There are uses of new instruments such as the electric guitar and synthesisers. More recently
it creates and manipulates sound by using computer, as well as creating graphics and
animations. New styles and techniques are invented, re-invented and combined this in turn
stimulates further invention and discovery. However, it is clearly that gothic music creates an
inspiration on this modern style music.
The influence has spread around the globe. The current bands are Joy Division,
Killing Joke, Alice Cooper, David Bowie, New York Dolls, Gary Glitter, The Damned, and
tons more, many of the bands re-created a gothic music showing dark culture by themes of
death, love, and religion.
Goth was popular in the UK. In 2012, There are still great dark music, for the
example, The Seer by Swans which creating a whole dark soundscape, as well as other
upcoming bands, the Emo style bands, and fringe metal bands who present goth darkness. It
is obvious that there is a brand with completely new concept. They just indie bands taking on
a darker, more interesting, and the return of Goth.
 Gothic musician and techniques

Musicians and sound artists who developed Gothic music are raxil4, Mu, Seesar,
Charlie Collins, Anton Mobin, and Akoustik Timbre Frekuency. All of these musician have
unique instruments and techniques to create their sounds. Raxil4 and Mu both created
instruments specifically used in sonic style traditional instrument. Raxil4 used The Bone
Guitar, and Mu used The Spine of Darkness. Both artists used cattle and goat bones in the
instrument for the noise. Doing this, they are able to create horror or Gothic sound from
the instruments.
Moreover, some musician creates the sound by using the theme of European history.
Some used Eastern and Middle Eastern traditions as a theme, for the example, the spoils of
Christian crusades. This is showed through Goblet drums, sistrums, and other instruments:
Egyptian tablah, Celtic harp, non-keyed clarinet, cimbalom, recorders, Ghanaian dhun-dhun
drums, Native American shaman drums, and ouds alongside acoustic and electric guitars,
keyboards, and vocals sung in a wide range of languages evoking archaic styles.

Comparison between original gothic music and and modern music

Gothic music reflection:

Bauhaus - Bela Lugosi's Dead

[Link]

The song has an obvious pattern of background drum. There is also a guitar sound in
depressing and low key tone. Another guitar gives a higher pitch that soon develops into a
very high pitch like a punk-rock style.
The lyrics give nonsense idea, however, it repeats the same idea about depressing
environment. It uses words and phrases like death, white translucent, black capes,
bats, undead, victims have been bled.
For overall, the song tells the theme about a vampire. The background of the song is
showing the respect to Bela Lugosi. Bela Lugosi was an actor who famous in portraying as a
count dracula in horror films during the 19th century.
This is obvious that the song is inspired by the idea of untouchable being, one of the main
theme of gothic music.

Comparison between original gothic music and and modern music

Modern music reflection:

EGOIST- Fallen
[Link]

The song is published in 2015 which is considered as a modern music.

In this song, the main instruments are drum and very high piched guitar. Moreover, the vocal
has a high tone voice, but sings in a depressing tone.
The song has romantic theme mixed with violence and untouchable being. For the example
angel. The first verse of the song telling the picture of angel falling to the ground and die.
There is also a part gives, Staining me in scarlet-red. Some of the words and phrases
representing gothic idea are scent of blood, eternity, and erased the sound of my
breathing.
The music video also supports the culture of gothic. It uses monochrome color with some
red color representing blood.
To conclude, the song is clearly inspired by gothic music.