| Cold wave | |
|---|---|
| Other names | Coldwave |
| Stylistic origins | |
| Cultural origins | Late 1970s – early 1980s, Europe[2] |
| Derivative forms | |
| Other topics | |
Cold wave (also known ascoldwave) is amusic genre that emerged during the late 1970s and early 1980s, particularly in France, Poland and Belgium. Originally pioneered bypost-punk anddark wave bands who drew influence from Germanelectronic music groupKraftwerk and made use of affordable, portablesynthesizers andelectronic instruments.
The term "cold wave" was originally coined by Sounds magazine on their 26 November 1977 issue on "New Musick". The label is a loosely defined descriptor, derived from "new wave", that was originally reserved for a collection of punk and electronic styles from the 1970s. The scope of the genre has evolved continuously throughout its history. According toThe SAGE Handbook of Popular Music (2014), "cold wave" is an early synonym for music that was later termed "dark wave", "goth", and "deathrock".[4]Treblezine's Jeff Terich remarked, "cold wave" was ultimately subsumed by retrospective labels such as "minimal wave" or "minimal synth".[5]
Veronica Vasicka, who coined "minimal wave", did so with the intent of tying together terms such as "minimal electronics", "new wave", and "cold wave" which had frequently appeared in music magazines of the early 1980s.[6]
According to Tom Watson ofCrack magazine, "the collective sound [of cold wave] was controlled yet 'colder' than that of their snotty predecessors – punk, with a depressive groove." Watson also identified "less guitar work, more analogue experimentation, militant rhythm sections and, above all else, a vehementlydo-it-yourself attitude" as a part of cold wave's shared ideology.[2]
The Guardian's Louis Pattison has stated that during the 1980s French cold wave bands such asMartin Dupont,[7] Les Provisoires andAsylum Party "started playing gloomypost-punk in their native tongue, inspired by the icy guitars and studio-produced drum sounds pioneered byFactory Records producerMartin Hannett."[8] The style is characterized by its detached lyrical tone, use of earlyelectronic music instruments, as well as aminimalist approach and style. Artists made use of affordable, portablesynthesizers such as theKorg MS-20.[3]
The term "cold wave" appeared in the 26 November 1977 "New Musick" issue of UK weekly music paperSounds. The caption of its cover picture, showingKraftwerk'sRalf Hütter andFlorian Schneider was "New musick: The cold wave". That year, Kraftwerk releasedTrans-Europe Express.[9] The term was repeated the following week inSounds by journalist Vivien Goldman, in an article aboutSiouxsie and the Banshees.[10] in which she wrote: "the cold, cold wave breaking over your head, and for one second you don't know whether you're going to see daylight again".[10] In 1977, Siouxsie and the Banshees described their music as "cold, machine-like and passionate at the same time", andSounds magazine prophecised about the band: "[they] sound like a 21st century industrial plant [...] Listen to the cold wave roar from the '70s into the '80s".[10]
A scene of French, Belgian and Polish musicians, dubbed "cold wave", emerged between the late 1970s and early 1980s.[2] The French scene was also known as "la vague froide,"[8] which was a term coined by the French music press to describe the sound of the bandMarquis de Sade.[11][12] According toVice, the most notable acts were Marquis de Sade, Asylum Party, and Twilight Ritual.[13]Brave Punk World author James Greene cited Marquis de Sade's 1979 albumDantzig Twist as "a classic" of the genre. He also referencedKaS Product as a group that "pushed cold wave to icier places in the early 1980s and ended up one of its preeminent voices."[14]
Benelux cold wave artists and cassette labels communicated through an undergroundcassette culture; Alain Neffe's Insane Music label in Belgium was heavily active in European cassette culture. Schoolwerth also stated thatAl Margolis ofNew York'sSound of Pig Tapes and Chris Phinney ofTennessee's Harsh Reality Music, who were active in theindustrial/experimental music scene, were largely responsible from introducing minimal synth and cold wave artists to the United States.[11]
Wierd Records is credited with establishing interest in the style in the US, while The Liberty Snake Club did much to popularize it within the UK.[8][15] TheTigersushi Records compilationSo Young but So Cold, compiled byIvan Smagghe, is one document of the scene.[16]Crack journalist Tom Watson referenced Angular Recordings'Cold Waves and Minimal Electronics (2010) as a "crucial" compilation.[2]
Wierd Records' weekly Wednesday night party in New York was described byThe Guardian journalist Louis Pattinson as the locus of the cold wave and minimal synth revival of the early 2000s. Artists who performed at these parties includedBlacklist andXeno & Oaklander.[8][17]
British-SwissLebanon Hanover, an influential band in the resurgence, formed in 2010.
