115-593: Neue Deutsche Todeskunst ( NDT , lit. "New German Death Art") is a musical genre that developed in Germany in the late 1980s. It is credited with establishing the German language in the dark wave movement, although there were already such German bands as Xmal Deutschland , Geisterfahrer [ de ] , and Malaria! . In the late 1980s, a number of German musicians combined music in neo-classical , gothic rock , and darkwave styles with German philosophical texts and
230-631: A Vapour", which was also included in the Heavy Metal 2000 film soundtrack. A live album was recorded during the tour, Gotham , which was released the following year. It included a studio recording of Bauhaus' cover of the Dead Can Dance song "Severance". Bauhaus reunited again in 2005, playing the Coachella Festival in Indio, California . Their set opened with Murphy being lowered upside-down to
345-431: A bit more. You pour in a fourth chemical, and it bubbles really violently, and then explodes. That's my answer". In 2017, Ash and Haskins toured as Poptone with Haskins' daughter Diva Dompe on bass. The group performed songs by Bauhaus, Tones on Tail and Love and Rockets, along with cover songs. A live album recorded at various stops on the tour was released through PledgeMusic . In 2018, Murphy and David J announced
460-484: A cassette tape that contain Halkett orally citing two of his poems. After listening intensely on the tape, David decided to go a recording studio where he provided the backing music to the tape. This collaboration resulted as a single called "Armour/Nothing" which was released by 4AD. According to David J regarding the correspondence, "He wrote to John Peel when he was playing Bauhaus' first record, 'Bela Lugosi's Dead', and Rene
575-455: A cover of David Bowie 's " Ziggy Stardust ", which was recorded during a BBC session. The song was chosen by the band in response to critics who had accused them of copying Bowie's sound. Ash explained: "[W]e thought we'd do the opposite of what they'd expect and promptly release 'Ziggy'." The song reached No. 15 on the British charts and earned the band an appearance on the television show Top of
690-451: A demo. In rehearsal, the band experimented with echo and delay effects on the drums. The first of five tracks recorded during the session, " Bela Lugosi's Dead ", exceeded nine minutes in length but was released as the group's debut single in August 1979 on Small Wonder Records . The band was listed simply as Bauhaus, with the "1919" abandoned. "Bela Lugosi's Dead" was strongly influenced by
805-567: A festival tour in 2009 and then reunited in 2023. Both Ash and David J released solo albums during the Love and Rockets years, and Murphy contributed backing vocals to David J's 1992 single "Candy on the Cross". Bauhaus reunited for the Resurrection Tour in 1998. Their stage show opened with Double Dare and Murphy singing to the audience on a television screen. The tour featured a new song, "The Dog's
920-728: A great emphasis on costumes, lights and pyrotechnics. The performances were designed to stimulate all the senses and convey an overall dark, brooding atmosphere. Lyrical themes include transience, evil, nihilism, surrealism, expressionism, existential philosophy, criticism of religion, violence, madness, isolation, depression, and especially death . As part of this movement, a number of bands use classical Latin for their lyrics and album names. The greatest Neue Deutsche Todeskunst hits include "Gottes Tod" by Das Ich (1990), "Verflucht" by Relatives Menschsein (1991), "Der Ketzer" by Lacrimosa (1991), "Das Ende" by Goethes Erben (1992) and "Regentanz" by Endraum (1992). Many NDT artists gravitated to
1035-605: A highly theatrical stage show. The music was based on post-punk , cold wave , and gothic rock of bands such as Joy Division , The Cure , and Siouxsie and the Banshees , and the synthesizer-based new wave sound of bands like Depeche Mode . The words often paid deep homage to German philosophers like Andreas Gryphius , Johann Wolfgang von Goethe , Friedrich Nietzsche and Gottfried Benn , as well as international poets such as Georg Trakl , Edgar Allan Poe , Charles Baudelaire , and Jean-Paul Sartre . The concerts of these groups put
1150-460: A record together, which was his poetry that I put to music. It was one of the first releases on 4AD. I would just go down and he would enthrall me with these stories of him appearing in these cabaret clubs in Weimar and dancing on the piano and letting off revolvers in the club and this whole sort of barbarous cabaret scene that he was intrinsically involved in. He met Bertolt Brecht and people like that,
1265-454: A rehearsal, but Murphy failed to appear on the scheduled day. However, the other three band members rehearsed and were inspired by the chemistry that they developed as a trio, leading to the formation of Love and Rockets in 1985. Love and Rockets released several highly acclaimed albums and penetrated the American charts with " So Alive " in 1989. The band dissolved in 1999, briefly reunited for
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#17328836091871380-469: A residential studio so we would all stay together at night time. So when we'd wind down, we'd always play either dub reggae or late Beatles, like Sgt. Pepper. When I mention that to people they're kind of surprised. So we weren't listening to dark music, there were many influences." Kevin Haskins , regarding the band's influences. "We were very influenced by reggae, especially dub. I mean, basically Bela
1495-401: A session for Peel's show, which was broadcast on 3 January 1980. Murphy recalled the session: "We walked up to reception, passing Motörhead on their way out, and said, 'Hello, we're Bauhaus and we're friends of John Peel. We'd like to go up please.' Somehow, we were allowed up there and we put the record in front of him. After we'd all introduced ourselves, he said on air, 'We've got Bauhaus in
1610-585: A side project in 1982. After Bauhaus disbanded, Kevin Haskins joined the group and the trio released an album and several EPs but disbanded after a 1984 American tour. During this time, David J released two solo albums and collaborated with other musicians, recording two albums with the Jazz Butcher , and also with comics writer/spoken-word artist Alan Moore in the short-lived band the Sinister Ducks. The former members of Bauhaus planned to reform and arranged
1725-561: A single. Bauhaus' growing success outstripped 4AD's resources, so the band moved to 4AD's parent label, Beggars Banquet Records . Bauhaus released " Kick in the Eye " in March 1981 as its debut release on the label. The single reached No. 59 on the charts. The following single, " The Passion of Lovers ", peaked at No. 56 in July 1981. Murphy said, "One of our loves is to make each single totally different from
1840-561: A solo career later on, while Ash and Haskins continued as Tones on Tail and, later, reunited with David J to form Love and Rockets . Murphy's solo career enjoyed greater commercial success in the United States than Bauhaus, as did Love and Rockets. Bauhaus eventually reunited for a 1998 tour, again from 2005 to 2008, and in 2019 and 2022. Daniel Ash, his friend David J. Haskins and Haskins' younger brother Kevin had played together in various bands since childhood such as Jam and Jackplug &
1955-518: A solo project with Rene Halkett, an original student of the Bauhaus art school. The origins of this correspondence was due to Halkett's younger neighbor telling him of hearing about a group called Bauhaus on the John Peel Show on BBC radio. This intrigued Halkett and he soon wrote to Peel about getting in touch with the band. They eventually met, discussed poetry and decided to work with David by sending
2070-414: A song." Murphy also elaborated: "There's an erotic, alluring element to the vampire. We didn't want to write an ode to Bela Lugosi, ostensibly. The kitsch element was his name because he was the biggest icon, yet he was the most unlikely vampire-looking person. So there was that Brit angle to it, but it wasn't at all negative. It was perfect. The idea of Bela Lugosi being dead or undead is classic." The band
2185-457: A tour of New Zealand, Australia and Europe to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Bauhaus, performing In the Flat Field in its entirety. In September 2019, after a 13-year hiatus, Bauhaus announced a show at the 4,000-seat Hollywood Palladium with all original members on 3 November. A second show was added for the following night after all tickets for the first show sold quickly. A third date at
2300-497: A year of formation. Their 1979 debut single " Bela Lugosi's Dead " is considered one of the harbingers of gothic rock music and has been influential on contemporary goth culture. Their debut album, In the Flat Field , is regarded as one of the first gothic rock records. Their 1981 second album Mask expanded their sound by incorporating a wider variety of instruments—such as keyboards, saxophone and acoustic guitar—and experimenting with funk-inspired rhythms on tracks like " Kick in
2415-430: Is Murphy's favorite novel. Murphy explains: "It was the first book with real substance that I chose for myself. It's a story of great narcissism and esoteric interior, and brilliantly written. It's a window into this personality, this Oscar Wilde chap I'd heard about. The language is so opulent. It's a rock star's story, really." The song A God In An Alcove was about "...the story of a fallen idol." The title track's In
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#17328836091872530-654: Is a song that was written as it happened. None of it was rehearsed, worked out or played beforehand. We simply told the engineer to turn on the tape. That was incredibly exciting. That said a lot for our confidence and courage and total absurdity; that it was possible to demonstrate that those ideas form an artistic point of view, come from another outside force – i.e. the collective creative thing." In an interview with John Robb , Ash mentioned that he bought an EBow in 1981. In their first album and singles, Bauhaus' songs dealt with taboo subjects such as martyrdom , paranoia , madness , obsession and prostitution . For example,
2645-610: Is also fab, and what about Earl Slick !" Ash also mentioned his appreciation of bands such as the Only Ones , the Damned , Television , Richard Hell and the Voidoids and said that the Stooges' Raw Power as one of his all-time favorite records. Kevin Haskins at 14 years old went to see Led Zeppelin and the drummer's ( John Bonham ) drum solo impressed him and called it "amazing". However at
2760-571: Is ironic because we ended up on that label." However, Peter Stennet of Small Wonder Records agreed to release the single, favorably comparing it to the Velvet Underground 's single " Sister Ray ". The single received a positive review in Sounds and stayed on the British independent charts for two years. It received crucial airplay on BBC Radio 1 and DJ John Peel 's evening show. The band recorded
2875-448: Is not considered an "unified genre but rather an umbrella term" that encompasses a variety of musical styles, including cold wave , ethereal wave , gothic rock , neoclassical dark wave and neofolk . In the 1980s, a subculture developed primarily in Europe alongside dark wave music, whose followers were called "wavers" or "dark wavers". In some countries, most notably Germany,
2990-606: Is not entirely either. With "Nothing", David has written a perfect arrangement for what is a quite concentrated philosophical idea and it becomes so much more than the words..." After Bauhaus disbanded, the members of the band began solo work. Murphy worked briefly with bassist Mick Karn of Japan in the band Dalis Car before embarking on a solo career with albums such as Should the World Fail to Fall Apart (1986), Love Hysteria (1988) and Deep (1989). Ash had already started Tones on Tail with Bauhaus roadie Glen Campling as
3105-451: Is often referred to as ethereal dark wave . Projekt Records has also had a long association with Attrition , who appeared on the label's earliest compilations. Another American record label in this vein was Tess Records, which featured This Ascension , Faith and the Muse , and the reunited Clan of Xymox . Joshua Gunn, a professor of communication studies at Louisiana University, described
3220-473: The Cooking Vinyl label. However, it marked the band's end, and the album had no promotional tour. Haskins later said: "We were getting along really well, but there was an incident that occurred ... Some of us just felt that we didn't want to carry on as a working unit." In early 2008, Murphy claimed that he "was most satisfied with the bonding on an emotional level. It was good to be working together and to put
3335-500: The Danse Macabre record label. The expression "Neue Deutsche Todeskunst" was first used in 1991 by Danse Macabre's label magazine MagazinOphon . It was picked up by Sven Freuen, a journalist for the Zillo magazine, who used it to classify bands like Relatives Menschsein , Das Ich and Goethes Erben . Dark wave Dark wave , or darkwave , is a music genre that emerged from
3450-541: The Hammer horror type. There was this conversation about the sexuality and eroticism of Dracula . Danny talked about his fascination with this and the occult connotations. So, we carried on that conversation and made it into a song." — Peter Murphy , on the origins of " Bela Lugosi's Dead " After only six weeks as a band, Bauhaus entered the studio for the first time, meeting at Beck Studios in Wellingborough to record
3565-480: The UK Albums Chart . Although the band was satisfied with the album, they later admitted that it had failed to capture everything that they had wanted and that its intensity level was too high, but it was "the purest statement of what [we] were like then". In August 1980, the band traveled to North America to play four dates in cities such as Toronto , Chicago and New York . One of Bauhaus' first US shows
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3680-452: The new wave and post-punk movement of the late 1970s. 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. Common features include the use of chordophones such as electric and acoustic guitar, violin and piano, as well as electronic instruments such as synthesizer, sampler and drum machine. Like new wave, dark wave
3795-689: The 1980s. Other bands such as Malaria! and the Vyllies added elements of chanson and cabaret music. This sort of dark wave music became known as cabaret noir (or "dark cabaret", a term popularized by U.S. dark wave label Projekt Records ). German dark wave bands were partially associated with the Neue Deutsche Welle (i.e. German new wave), and included Xmal Deutschland , Mask For, Asmodi Bizarr, II. Invasion, Unlimited Systems, Moloko †, Maerchenbraut, Cyan Revue, Leningrad Sandwich, Stimmen der Stille, Belfegore, and Pink Turns Blue . After
3910-575: The 2010s, as part of the post-punk revival , a new generation of bands rekindled several sonic characteristics of early dark wave music for a new generation of fans. Some prominent acts include She Wants Revenge , the Soft Moon , She Past Away , Drab Majesty , Twin Tribes , Selofan and Boy Harsher . Substance is an annual Darkwave and Industrial music festival occurring in Los Angeles which began in
4025-759: The 2010s. Meanwhile, Verboden is an annual Darkwave festival in Vancouver, British Columbia. The Wave-Gotik-Treffen festival in Leipzig , Germany, established in 1992, is considered one of the world's largest festivals for "dark" music and culture , taking place at Pentecost annually throughout the city. It attracts around 20,000 visitors from all over the world. [REDACTED] Media related to Dark wave at Wikimedia Commons Bauhaus (band) Bauhaus were an English rock band formed in Northampton in 1978. Known for their dark image and gloomy sound, Bauhaus are one of
4140-736: The Beatles, the Everly Brothers and his experiences from Mass in Catholic school as highly influential to his singing. He mentioned that the first 7-inch single he ever bought was " A Hard Day's Night " by the Beatles and also listed Brian Eno's Music for Airports as one of his favorite albums. Daniel Ash was interested in music at a young age, first being impressed by the stomping of the Dave Clark Five's "Bits and Pieces" song and later going through his older brother's music collection of records from
4255-560: The Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Faces and the Kinks . The first record he bought was Dave and Ansell Collins' "Double Barrel". When Ash was asked about how he developed his playing style and guitar influences, he replied: "My style of playing comes from a mixture of extreme laziness to learn proper scales/chords and a burning desire to sound original and new. Although I am a huge fan of Hendrix and Mick Ronson , Robert Fripp on Bowie tracks
4370-797: The Cure , Siouxsie and the Banshees , the Sisters of Mercy , Anne Clark , Depeche Mode , Gary Numan and the Chameleons . The term darkwave originated in the 1980s as an indicator of the dark counterpart of new wave. Bands such as Cocteau Twins, Soft Cell , and Depeche Mode are exponents of this first generation of darkwave. Darkwave... employs relatively slower tempos, lower pitches, and more minor keys in its musical settings of melancholy texts than new wave. The movement spread internationally, developing such strands as ethereal wave , with bands such as Cocteau Twins , and neoclassical dark wave , initiated by
4485-679: The Eye ". Bauhaus went on to achieve mainstream success in the United Kingdom with their third album, The Sky's Gone Out , which peaked at No. 3 on the UK Albums Chart in 1982. That same year, they also reached No. 15 on the Singles Chart with a standalone cover of David Bowie 's " Ziggy Stardust ", earning them an appearance on Top of the Pops . During recording sessions for their next album, Murphy fell ill and spent much of his time away from
4600-572: The Far East. On the night before they were supposed to perform two shows at Hammersmith Palais in London, the group decided to disband. The band played their farewell show on 5 July 1983 at the Hammersmith Palais. Fans had been warned by the band's crew to not miss the show, without telling them it was the last. After a long encore , consisting of some of their early songs, David J left the stage with
4715-490: The Flat Field in October 1980. The album's cover image, selected by David J, is a photograph titled Homage to Purvis de Chavannes by Duane Michals , an image of a naked man blowing a horn instrument. NME reviewer Andy Gill described it as "Gothick-Romantick pseudo-decadence" and dismissed the band as "a hip Black Sabbath ". Despite negative reviews, In the Flat Field topped the indie charts and spent one week at No. 72 on
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4830-482: The Flat Field was inspired by "...the quotidian mundaneness of life in Northampton, and the desire to escape that 'flat' existence." Other songs from later albums and singles, explored subjects such as nostalgia , desire , reflection , self-realization and hope . For example, the song All We Ever Wanted Was Everything was about the "...nostalgic memories of a time of innocence and naive yearning." Also, some of
4945-533: The French Corpus Delicti also evolved from this movement and became the leading artists of the west Romanesque dark wave scene. These bands followed a path based on the new wave and post-punk music of the 1980s. In the 1990s, a second generation of darkwave bands became popular, including Diary of Dreams, Deine Lakaien, and the Frozen Autumn... The German band Deine Lakaien ... is audibly influenced by
5060-448: The Man ". The band wanted to produce their third LP, The Sky's Gone Out , themselves, but arguments ensued in the studio among the band members over creative direction. The band members realised that they needed an objective perspective on their music, and producer Derek Tompkins was hired. Tompkins commented: "I was, however, quite willing to act as an engineer provided the resident engineer
5175-402: The Pops . The Sky's Gone Out also became the band's greatest album success, peaking at No. 3. That same year, Bauhaus appeared in the horror film The Hunger , performing "Bela Lugosi's Dead" during the opening credits. The final cut of the scene focused on Murphy; this, coupled with his modelling work in a popular ad campaign for Maxell , caused resentment among his bandmates. Prior to
5290-615: The Sockets, playing cover songs by the Rolling Stones and the Beatles . Ash initially tried unsuccessfully to convince his school friend Peter Murphy to join him in a band. According to Ash: "Pete didn't think about it at all, it wasn't on his mind as such." Ash's band the Craze performed several times around Northampton in 1978. When the Craze dissolved, Ash once again tried to convince Murphy to join him, simply because Ash thought that Murphy had
5405-741: The Stooges , the Doors , Alice Cooper , MC5 , Ramones , the Sex Pistols , the Clash , the Residents , Captain Beefheart , Suicide , Kraftwerk , Neu! , Can , Faust , the Beatles , the Rolling Stones , the Who , Bob Dylan , Tom Waits , Serge Gainsbourg , Lee Scratch Perry , King Tubby , Mikey Dread , Kurt Weill , Scott Walker , and Jacques Brel . Specific recordings that were influential on
5520-548: The U.S. type of dark wave music as: ...an expansion of the rather limited gothic repertoire into electronica and, in a way, the US answer to the " ethereal " subgenre that developed in Europe (e.g. Dead Can Dance). Anchored by Sam Rosenthal's now New York-based label Projekt, dark wave music is less rock and more roll, supporting bands who tend to emphasize folk songcraft, hushed vocals, ambient experimentation, and synthesized sounds [...] Projekt bands like Love Spirals Downwards and Lycia are
5635-558: The United States in 2022. The band was due to tour the East Coast of the United States, but the tour was cancelled on 31 August as Murphy announced that he was entering rehab. On 19 April 2023, Ash confirmed that the Bauhaus reunion had ended, and the remaining remembers reformed Love and Rockets. "Our influences were many. The obvious ones were glam rock and punk rock, but when we were recording, when we finished each day, we'd usually record in
5750-486: The United States the term dark wave (as the one-word variant "darkwave") became associated with the Projekt Records label, because it was adopted by label founder Sam Rosenthal after leafing through the pages of German music magazines such as Zillo , and has been used to promote and market artists from German label Hyperium Records in the U.S., e.g. Chandeen and Love Is Colder Than Death . I first became aware of
5865-481: The actual source of the message of any religious God. God doesn't want you to be in pain and die. It wasn't anti-religious. It wasn't demonic. It was alluding to the manifestation. Is it truly a mark of the Holy Ghost or is it simply an obsession condition? That's all there is to it." Another song, Dark Entries tells the story of title character Dorian Gray from Oscar Wilde's novel The Picture of Dorian Gray , which
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#17328836091875980-637: The band include the compilation album Nuggets , Lou Reed 's albums Berlin and Transformer , the Bits and Pieces single by the Dave Clark Five and the Double Barrel single by Dave and Ansell Collins . In terms of early influences from childhood, David J said that he was interested in jazz and its musicians such as Miles Davis , Charlie Parker and Thelonious Monk . He has also listed Television 's Marquee Moon as one of his all-time favorite albums. Peter Murphy cited Doris Day , Simon and Garfunkel ,
6095-493: The band insisted on changing the video. David J explained: "So we raised the money ourselves out of our own bank balances and pooled our money and so we went in and re-edited it, trying to get it into some kind of shape. We did it. Delivered the master to Beggars Banquet. Next week–this was at the time of the video jukebox craze–we went into a pub and we see the original horrible version on the video. So we immediately rang Beggars Banquet and said; 'What's going on?' and they'd send out
6210-452: The band were "...always keen not to be a traditional 'rock' band, and we would go to great pains to avoid that well-trodden road." They experimented with various techniques and methods for song composition such as the Exquisite corpse on tracks such as "1. David Jay 2. Peter Murphy 3. Kevin Haskins 4. Daniel Ash" along with the use of Brian Eno's Oblique Strategies cards. To achieve some of
6325-431: The band's interest in reggae and dub , styles in which the bass and the drums play prominent roles. The recording was completed on the first take. It was also the first time that Murphy had sung into a studio microphone, although he was sick with a cold when he recorded the song. Kevin Haskins' drumbeat was based on a bossa nova style. Daniel Ash explained the inception of the song: "I was talking to David (J, bass) on
6440-569: The band, rather than any specific song from the record, filmed in a hazardous and abandoned Victorian shoe factory in Northampton. David J explained the techniques, effects and his reaction regarding the content of the title track: "I can still recall with crystal clarity overdubbing the echoed bass part and using a metal bottleneck to achieve the cascade effect that comes in at the point where Daniel's acoustic twelve-string part starts. Hearing these sounds in ultra-sharp coke-intensified focus through headphones produced an ecstatic heart-bursting emotion on
6555-401: The bass lines. I just got into it and found it really satisfying and saved up and bought a bass guitar." Given their mixture of reggae and punk rock , Murphy said that musically, they were "more aligned to the Clash than anything else that was going around." When asked about the influence of reggae on Bauhaus' music, Murphy stated that it was "massive. We were listening to toasting music all
6670-403: The blower one night and told him I had this riff, using these trick chords that had a very haunting quality to it. He went: 'It's so weird you should say that because I've got these lyrics about Bela Lugosi , the actor who played a vampire. ' " David J further elaborated: "There was a season of old horror films on radio, and I was telling Daniel about how much I loved them. The one that had been on
6785-417: The building to make the video: "We snuck into this place about three in the morning and the lights kept going down at crucial moments so we'd have to wait and sit around in complete darkness...the place was dripping wet although it all added to the atmosphere." The video's imagery and lighting borrowed heavily from German Expressionism . David J commented on the content of the music video: "We improvised around
6900-528: The dark synthesizer sounds of Depeche Mode. At the same time, a number of German artists, including Das Ich , Goethes Erben , Relatives Menschsein , and Endraum , developed a more theatrical style, interspersed with German poetic, metaphorical lyrics, called Neue Deutsche Todeskunst (literally New German Death Art ). Other bands, such as Silke Bischoff, In My Rosary , Engelsstaub , and Impressions of Winter combined synthesizers with elements of neofolk and neoclassical dark wave. After 1993, in
7015-422: The edge of orgasmic release." The film crew consists of Chris Collins and Ken Lawrence of Standard Pictures. The video was made with a minuscule budget; the gear used in the video were powered off car batteries and roll film, and filmed in a hazardous and abandoned Victorian shoe factory in Northampton, which was just across the road from the main police station. David J explains how the band and film crew broke into
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#17328836091877130-424: The film's intention: "Every film about a band should show the strengths of that artist. So of course "Mask" is a promo because hopefully, it's what Bauhaus are about. If you listen to their lyrics at all, if you know the way their music is structured – it's thought provoking, it evokes mood and it's very atmospheric music and that was our approach to making the film." It made only one appearance on British TV. Around
7245-454: The first music that I was seriously into." It was from this exposure from these musical styles that made David J choose a bass guitar instead of a lead guitar. David explained: "I loved [Dub]. It was so exciting because it was my first exposure to this other world really. Something subterranean, dark, sexually charged, violent and compelling. This dark music was played in these dark places and was just captivating. I realised very quickly that what
7360-451: The group was unlike any Northampton band of the time, most of whom played predominantly cover songs . Bentley videotaped a performance by the group, which was sent to several record labels, in the hope of obtaining a contract. This approach was hindered partly because many record companies did not have home-video equipment, so the group opted to record a demo. "We'd been talking about the erotic quality of vampire movies , even if they were
7475-517: The group went to another location for filming. David J explained: "Once we had filmed the scenes in the factory, we set off for a second location: the woods on the grounds of the Spencer family 's country estate – another illegal situation, and a potential threat to the monarchy. We did have fun that night! The finished film looked great: a fog-cloaked atmospheric drama that was redolent of a German Expressionist silent horror flick." David J also mentioned that
7590-482: The huge speakers while their respective 'toasters' took turns freestyling over the top. They would really go to town, painting up the entire place in the red, green, and gold of the Ethiopian flag and wearing suits and outsized hats to match, while the women would dye their hair. There were quotations from Haile Selassie all around the walls, and the air was thick with ganja smoke and the gamey aroma of goat's head soup. It
7705-657: The influence of the original Bauhaus movement on the band, Murphy stated that "Bauhaus had no influence on Bauhaus (the band) except for being the sound, shape, energetic, and sensory birth name of our group." Bauhaus combined these influences to create a gloomy, earnest and introspective version of post-punk, which appealed to many music fans who felt disillusioned in the wake of punk's collapse. Its crucial elements included Murphy's deep and sonorous voice, Ash's jagged guitar playing and David J's dub-influenced bass. Their sound and gloomy style would eventually come to be known as gothic rock or simply "goth". According to David J,
7820-414: The last, not to be tied down by a style or sound." Bauhaus released their second album, Mask , in October 1981. The band employed more keyboards, and a variety of other instruments, to add to the diversity of the record. The front and back cover of the album was an impressionistic drawing created by Ash. In an unconventional move, the group shot a video for the album's title track as a promotional tool for
7935-410: The loose idea of a ritualistic resurrection, with Peter lain out like a corpse on a wooden slab. Each of us would administer some kind of shamanistic voodoo to assist in the raising of the dead. The place was freezing cold, dank, and dripping with filthy water. The lights kept going out, and we would be plunged into complete darkness until they were restored." When the scenes of the factory were finished,
8050-655: The material finds a band fumbling for direction, even touching on ska ." Despite the success of their signature song, the band left Small Wonder Records because of its lack of support for touring stemming from budget issues. Stennet stated: "The trouble is we just can't afford to send the bands on tour or anything like that, and a group needs that sort of support." Signing with the 4AD label, Bauhaus released two more singles, " Dark Entries " in January 1980 and " Terror Couple Kill Colonel " in June 1980, before issuing their first album In
8165-411: The misconceptions of the lyrics of the song: "I don't think the other members of the band really got what I was writing about, and the collective intention suddenly became very anti-religious. And that song is not an anti-religious song at all. The message is, really, the dangers of obsession, of almost psychosomatic induction of that masochism. That alone can be an illusion. And it's way off the mark as to
8280-535: The most popular of this subgenre. Neoclassical dark wave is a subgenre of dark wave music that is characterized by incorporating elements of classical music to create an ethereal, dramatic or melancholy atmosphere. Neoclassical dark wave makes extensive use of orchestral components; many bands utilize modern production equipment (orchestra-derived synthesizer samples ), while others make use of chamber orchestras and acoustic instruments (e.g. string and brass instruments and orchestral percussion ). Vocals in
8395-472: The movement also included fans of gothic rock (so-called "trad-goths"). Since the 1980s, the term has been used in Europe to describe the gloomy and melancholy variant of new wave and post-punk music. At that time, the term "goth" was inseparably connected with gothic rock, whereas "dark wave" acquired a broader meaning, embracing music artists that were associated with gothic rock and synthesizer-based new wave music, such as Bauhaus , Joy Division ,
8510-819: The music of Dead Can Dance and In the Nursery . French cold wave groups such as Clair Obscur and Opera Multi Steel have also been associated with the dark wave scene; Rémy Lozowski, guitarist of French cold wave band Excès Nocturne, described his music as new wave noire ("dark new wave"). Simultaneously, different substyles associated with the new wave and dark wave movements started to merge and influence each other, e.g. synth-wave (a kind of new wave with synthesizers, also referred to as "electro-wave" ) with gothic rock, or began to borrow elements of post-industrial music . Attrition , Die Form (France), Pink Industry (UK), Psyche (Canada), Kirlian Camera (Italy) and Clan of Xymox (Netherlands) performed this music in
8625-464: The music video was more of an art piece than a traditional music video and commented that Chris Collins "did a brilliant job of capturing the visual essence of the band." Chris Collins commented on the motive of the video: "Foremost in our minds was to make something interesting, so somebody who'd never heard of Bauhaus before and suddenly saw that video might say, "God, that's really interesting, I want to know more about that". Ken Lawrence also explained
8740-458: The mysterious character of Mister Moonlight had a symbolic meaning, which was seen by the band "as being representative of the dreamy, poetic aspect of Bauhaus". The album's lead single " She's in Parties " reached No. 26 on the charts and earned Bauhaus their third and final Top of the Pops appearance. Bauhaus then embarked on an international promotional tour for the album, with dates in Europe and
8855-463: The new wave and post-punk movements faded in the mid-1980s, dark wave was renewed as an underground movement by German bands such as Girls Under Glass , Deine Lakaien , Love Like Blood , Love Is Colder Than Death , Diary of Dreams , the Eternal Afflict , and Wolfsheim , as well as Project Pitchfork and its offshoot Aurora Sutra . Ataraxia and the Frozen Autumn from Italy, and
8970-418: The night before was Dracula [1931]. I was saying how Bela Lugosi was the quintessential Dracula , the elegant depiction of the character." Ash elaborated about the chords: "My riff has these mutant chords – they're not even minor chords – but it's rooted in an old Gary Glitter song, slowed right down. I didn't realize that when I was doing it." Ash also explained how he was able to achieve the echo effects for
9085-577: The now demolished Cromwell pub in Wellingborough on New Year's Eve 1978. The band had chosen the name Bauhaus 1919, a reference to the German Bauhaus art movement of the 1920s, because of its "stylistic implications and associations", according to David J. The band also chose the same typeface used on the Bauhaus college building in Dessau , Germany, as well as the Bauhaus emblem, designed by Oskar Schlemmer . Bauhaus associate Graham Bentley said that
9200-445: The past behind us and it was very positive. The result was coming out really fast, so it was exciting and it was very enjoyable", but in the end, "that rocky character worked and I think it was a bit right to finish it, really". David J commented on the breakup: "You have a test tube, and you pour in one chemical, and you pour in another chemical, and something happens. It starts to bubble. Pour in another chemical, and it starts to bubble
9315-435: The pioneers of gothic rock , although they mixed many genres, including dub , glam rock , psychedelia , and funk . The group consisted of Daniel Ash (guitar, saxophone), Peter Murphy (vocals, occasional instruments), Kevin Haskins (drums) and David J (bass). The band formed under the name Bauhaus 1919 , in reference to the first operating year of the German art school Bauhaus , but they shortened this name within
9430-440: The producer than us." The song used an acoustic guitar with a bossa nova drumbeat. According to Shirley, the song was about "...a 'fifth member' of the band–a spirit they felt occupied the stage, lifting them to a higher plane when they were playing well." The music video was originally intended to show a physical representation of the spirit, including "a single dancer with a white face mask and body paint who would come onto
9545-457: The recording of their fourth album, Burning from the Inside (1983), Murphy was stricken with pneumonia, which prevented him from contributing much to the album. Ash and David assumed control of the album and performed lead vocals on several tracks. The album's song "Who Killed Mister Moonlight" was described by David J as a "surrealistic ballad inspired in part by the murder of John Lennon ". Also,
9660-435: The right look for a band. Murphy, who was working in a printing factory, agreed to try it, although he had never written any lyrics or music. During their first rehearsal, Murphy cowrote the song "In the Flat Field". Ash's old bandmate Kevin Haskins joined as the drummer. Ash intentionally avoided inviting David J, the driving force in their previous bands, because he wanted a band that he could control. Instead, Chris Barber
9775-438: The same time, "In keeping with our surrealist leaning...", the band also employed the "exquisite corpse" technique to an experimental film they made called "Consequences", where each member was given an amount of time to film whatever they wished. It was shown on tour in place of a support band. The band toured broadly to promote the album by playing a 16-date tour of England and 13 dates in Europe. In July 1982, Bauhaus released
9890-476: The same time, he was depressed as well due to feeling inadequate about his own musical abilities and never reaching the skill of Bonham. He even had thoughts of giving up music altogether. However, the nascent punk scene and seeing bands such as the Sex Pistols and the Clash gave him the confidence he needed to pursue in music. Around 1970, David J's was intrigued by the ska music , Roots reggae and dub music coming out of Jamaica. He mentioned that reggae "...was
10005-560: The same venue was confirmed for 1 December. In March 2022, Bauhaus released their first new song in 14 years with "Drink the New Wine", which was recorded separately by all four members during the COVID-19 lockdown. The recording process used the exquisite corpse method whereby each artist adds to the piece without hearing what the others have done. Bauhaus toured Europe and the West Coast of
10120-412: The single " Spirit ", produced by Hugh Jones . This was unusual for the band because they typically produced their own music and. Conflicts and compromises occurred in the studio. David J explained: "It took ages and ages. Usually we recorded very quickly–we'd do an album in three weeks from start to finish–but that took about nine days, which for us was absurd. There was so much agonising over it more from
10235-419: The song Stigmata Martyr was about (according to Shirley) "...a person whose religious obsession with Christ takes the form of a physical manifestation of the crucifixion; i.e. nail marks on the hands: "In a crucifixion, ecstacy, Lying cross checked in agony, Stigmata bleed continuously, Holes in head, hands, feet, and weep for me." When delivering these lyrics Peter became the stigmata." Murphy also commented on
10350-520: The song titles came from literary sources. For example, the song title Kick in the Eye was based on a line from the novel Satori in Paris by Jack Kerouac. The construction of their lyrics were inspired by the Cut-up technique method. An example of their approach to lyric structure is the amalgamation of individual lyrics from each member in the song Of Lillies and Remains , as Murphy explained: "I'd written
10465-461: The song was about so I knew what mood I was aiming for". Some of the lyrics reflected the band's personal feelings and experiences, such as "All We Ever Wanted Was Everything". According to David J, the song "evokes nostalgic memories of a time of innocence and naive yearning." David J praised Murphy's vocals on the song as "emoting the bittersweet sentiment so perfectly, every word ringing true." That same year, Bauhaus scored their greatest hit with
10580-464: The song: "...David had this old HH echo unit, which would crap out on you all the time. We hooked up the guitar and snare drum to this echo unit and I was just sliding the HH amp thing to trigger all these echoes as the song went through." David J explained the song's recording process: "We didn't really talk about what we were doing. Daniel started scratching away on the guitar, Kevin started his rhythm and there
10695-467: The sound effects in their songs, various instruments were implemented such as bottlenecks, echo units and a Syndrum . In their second album Mask , expanded their sound with the addition of synthesizers, electronics and a saxophone to "add color and dynamics to each song." The album was less structured and spontaneous compared to their first album. The song Of Lillies and Remains is an example of this method. According to Murphy: ""Of Lillies and Remains"
10810-703: The stage while singing "Bela Lugosi's Dead". Following Murphy's 2005 tour, Bauhaus embarked on a full tour beginning in North America in Autumn 2005 and ending in Europe in February 2006. During the tour, Bauhaus covered Joy Division 's " Transmission ". The band also mentioned that they hoped to record new music. In May, they performed as the opening act during Nine Inch Nails ' American tour. In 2008, Bauhaus released their first new studio album since 1983, Go Away White , on
10925-434: The stage whilst the band performed the song and literally 'lift' Peter and give him wings." However, the producers changed the spirit to a spectral female figure "who would walk through the theatre along with a motley crew of clowns and jugglers." When the band returned from their tour of the United States, they disliked the music video and wanted to redo it. The record label refused, unwilling to provide more money for it, but
11040-534: The studio, leaving the rest of the band to compensate for his absence. This created a rift between the singer and his bandmates, culminating in the group's dissolution on 5 July 1983, one week before Burning from the Inside was released. Featuring the Top 30 UK single " She's in Parties ", it would be their final studio album composed entirely of new material for a quarter of a century. After Bauhaus' breakup, Murphy formed Dalis Car with bassist Mick Karn before beginning
11155-456: The studio, they're from Northampton and they have a new single out called 'Bela Lugosi's Dead'. It's nine and a half minutes long and this will probably be the first and last time I'll play this.' Then we left and went down to listen to it in the car. Apparently, the BBC switchboard was jammed with listeners wanting him to play it again." Of the additional tracks, Classic Rock wrote that, "The rest of
11270-602: The subgenre can vary; female voices predominate. In the second half of the 1980s, former post-punk bands such as Dead Can Dance ( Within the Realm of a Dying Sun , 1987 ) and In the Nursery ( Stormhorse , 1987 ) released influential albums which essentially laid the foundations of the genre. Other artists include Arcana , Ataraxia , Autumn Tears , Camerata Mediolanense , Dargaard , Dark Sanctuary Impressions of Winter, Ophelia's Dream, Les Secrets de Morphée, Love Is Colder Than Death , Stoa, and WeltenBrand . In
11385-455: The surrealists came through and his teachers were Kandinsky and it was just amazing to have a friend from that time so that gave me a real insight, to actually be communicating with somebody that was there." Halkett commented on his contribution to the single: "I felt that the two poems required something more than print because they depend on things which can only be expressed in musical signs... It (the single) falls between music and poetry and
11500-408: The term "Dark Wave" back in 1992. It appeared in German magazines – such as Zillo – describing a style of European music that followed other "waves" such as New Wave ... I found those two words ("dark" and "wave") quite interesting. This was something underground, submerged, obscure... which swept over you, immersed you, surrounded you. It was a poetic phrase that could describe many different sounds. At
11615-407: The time, I was looking for a name for my little mail-order company. I wanted something that would encompass the variety of music available in my catalog. Projekt featured bands such as Lycia , Black Tape for a Blue Girl , and Love Spirals Downwards , some of these characterized by atmospheric guitar and synth-sounds and female vocals. This style took cues from 1980s bands like Cocteau Twins and
11730-580: The time, Northampton had a large Rastafarian population, centred around the Matta Fancanta Youth Movement, which had its base at the old Salvation Army Citadel on the corner of Sheep Street, just across from Derngate Bus Station. It was run by Trevor Hall, whose uncle had started the famed Count Shelly sound system, which Trevor inherited. They would hold monthly events featuring two outfits competing against each other, spinning dub plates—instrumental tracks direct from Jamaica—and blasting them over
11845-456: The time, and David brought in a lot of bass lines that were very lead riffs [...] those bass lines really formed the basis of the music" In particular, dub reggae was highly influential to the band, so far that David J mentioned that their signature song, "Bela Lugosi's Dead", was intended as dub. The band members Daniel, David and Kevin once attended a Rastafarian event that became quite influential to their music. As David explained: "At
11960-416: The words "rest in peace". Burning from the Inside was released one week later. The album received largely positive reviews and reached No. 13 on the charts. Bauhaus released the single "Sanity Assassin" in limited quantities as a farewell gift to their fan-club members. During the band's initial lifecycle, solo projects would be initiated at times. In 1981, while still a member of Bauhaus, David J started
12075-522: The wrong one and it had gone off to TV and everything." The single was intended to break into the Top 30 but only reached No. 42. The band was displeased with the single and rerecorded it in 1982 for their third album, The Sky's Gone Out . Nico made a guest appearance when the band played a gig in Salford University for a cover performance of the Velvet Underground song, " I'm Waiting for
12190-1150: Was a true 'temporary autonomous zone', to quote the anarchist writer and poet Hakim Bey , and the police would wisely keep their distance. Daniel, Kevin, and I would be the only white faces in the throng, but there was never any trouble—quite the opposite—and the amazing music that we heard in that place became a big influence on us, 'Bela Lugosi's Dead' being a good example." The band's other musical influences included various forms of rock ( garage , glam , art , electronic , prog , psychedelic , heavy metal , folk , experimental , krautrock ), as well as avant-garde music , ambient music , traditional pop , disco and funk . Outside of music, Bauhaus's influences were often artistic and literary and included William S. Burroughs , Brion Gysin , Allen Ginsberg , Jack Kerouac , Bertolt Brecht , Arthur Rimbaud , Charles Baudelaire , Comte de Lautréamont , Jean Cocteau , André Breton , Surrealism , German Expressionism , Greek Mythology , Ingmar Bergman , David Lynch , Oscar Wilde , Franz Kafka and Antonin Artaud . In regards to
12305-417: Was enjoyable to us because we didn't have any songs and we didn't feel like writing stuff and we said, "OK that's fine. If we don't have any songs we'll make the songwriting environment the studio." Although the sessions were successful, conflicts arose between the band and engineer, with Tompkins as the mediator. Although Tompkins did not understand the album's music or lyrics, he "always used to ask them what
12420-578: Was in a venue called Space Place in Chicago, Illinois in September 1980, booked by Jim Nash and Dannie Flesher, the owners of the independent record label Wax Trax! Records . The band returned to England in October 1980 for a 20-date tour in England and in Europe to promote their first album. In December 1980, Bauhaus released a cover version of " Telegram Sam ", originally a hit by glam-rock pioneers T. Rex , as
12535-444: Was initially nervous about the song's excessive length, as it had caused several record labels to decline to issue the single. Haskins explained: "Danny took an acetate around all the big companies– Virgin , EMI and the rest–and they all said similar things: 'This is the sort of thing I listen to at home, but it's not commercial.' Or: 'It's way too long. Can you edit it down to three minutes?' Even Beggars Banquet turned us down, which
12650-529: Was our interpretation of dub." David J , regarding reggae's influence on the band. According to David J, the bands Bauhaus related to in the post-punk scene were Joy Division , Pere Ubu , Devo , Gang of Four , Cabaret Voltaire , and the Pop Group . Among bands and singers who influenced Bauhaus, they cited Siouxsie and the Banshees , David Bowie, T-Rex , Roxy Music , Syd Barrett 's Pink Floyd , New York Dolls , Velvet Underground , Iggy Pop and
12765-403: Was powerful about this sound was the bass. I recalled that when we got guitars, no-one wanted to be the bass player – we had various bands just a bunch of friends who wanted to play pop music and they all wanted to play lead guitar – so I went; 'Well, I'll play the bass'. I retained my six string guitar and just played the bottom four strings and just used to play along with the records and work out
12880-407: Was recruited to play bass, and together the four musicians formed the band S.R. However, within a few weeks, Ash relented and replaced Barber with David J, who suggested the new name of Bauhaus 1919. David J had already agreed to tour American airbases with another band but decided that joining his friends' group was "the right thing to do". With their lineup complete, the band played their first gig at
12995-462: Was responsible for the engineering and I was only responsible for interpreting what they wanted to him and helping a bit creatively myself." The band were booked into Rockfield Studios in Wales for one month to record the album but had little original material written beforehand. Murphy explained: "The third LP was one of those unwritten albums that was done on the spot. An album of experimentation which
13110-527: Was then in his 70s and was an avid listener to John Peel's show. He heard this and was intrigued that this band of young upstarts had usurped the name Bauhaus and he wrote to John Peel asking for more information. Peel sent me the letter and I was just amazed to be in contact with somebody from that time, so I wrote to Rene and we struck up this correspondence and in the end would meet up and I'd go down and visit him in his little cottage in Cornwall. We ended up making
13225-465: Was this atmosphere building. I came in with those descending chords and Peter was just prowling up and down, slowly, like a big cat." Murphy explained: "We'd been talking about the erotic quality of vampire movies , even if they were the Hammer horror type. There was this conversation about the sexuality and eroticism of Dracula. Danny talked about his fascination with this and the occult connotations. So, we carried on that conversation and made it into
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