Dark wave, or darkwave, is a music genre that emerged from 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. The genre embraces a range of styles including cold wave, ethereal wave, gothic rock, neoclassical dark wave and neofolk.
Cooking Vinyl is a British independent record label, based in Acton, London, England. It was founded in 1986 by former manager and booking agent Martin Goldschmidt and his business partner Pete Lawrence. Goldschmidt remains the current owner and chairman, while Rob Collins is managing director.
Webster Gradney Jr. who performs under the mononym Webbie, is an American rapper from Baton Rouge, Louisiana. He's been signed to the independent Trill Entertainment label since 2003. In 2005 he came into the hip hop scene with "Gimme That" featuring Bun B. His songs "Bad Bitch" and "Swerve" were featured on Gangsta Musik, his 2003 group album with Lil Boosie, and in the 2005 movie Hustle & Flow. Webbie's second album, Savage Life 2, was released in early 2008 with the hit single "Independent" featuring Lil Boosie and Lil Phat.
Dubstep is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in South London in the early 2000s. The style emerged as a UK garage offshoot that blended 2-step rhythms and sparse dub production, as well as incorporating elements of broken beat, grime, and drum and bass. In the United Kingdom, the origins of the genre can be traced back to the growth of the Jamaican sound system party scene in the early 1980s.
Mobb Deep was an American hip hop duo from Queens, New York formed in 1991. Consisting of rappers/songwriters/record producers Prodigy and Havoc, they are considered to be among the principal progenitors of hardcore East Coast hip hop. Mobb Deep became one of the most successful rap duos of all time, having sold over three million records. Their best-known albums are The Infamous (1995), Hell on Earth (1996) and Murda Muzik (1999), and their most successful singles were "Shook Ones " and "Survival of the Fittest." They were known for their dark and hardcore delivery.
Bell Records was an American record label founded in 1952 in New York City by Arthur Shimkin, the owner of the children's record label Golden Records, and initially a unit of Pocket Books, after the rights to the name were acquired from Benny Bell who used the Bell name to issue risque novelty records. A British branch was also active in the 1960s and 1970s. Bell Records was shut down in late 1974, and its assets were transferred to Columbia Pictures' new label, Arista Records.
Mizz Beats is a record producer and DJ from London. She has collaborated with Skepta, Dizzee Rascal and Roots Manuva, D Smoke, Sir (singer), Tiffany Gouché, Terrace Martin
Robert Solheim is an electronic music composer from Norway. His styles are techno and deep/tech-house, downtempo and electronica with a strong emphasis on Nordic sound. Influenced by all kinds of electronic music, he has developed his characteristic style from his first ambient and ambient-techno releases in the 1990s, through down tempo and deep/tech-house and techno for clubs and home entertainment.
Mark Pritchard is an English electronic musician, currently signed to Warp. He has produced a large discography with a constant change of styles and genres, in both solo work under various aliases, and collaborations.
Truth is the stage name of the Christchurch, New Zealand dubstep duo composed of Andre Fernandez and Tristan Roake.
Sonic Seducer is a German music magazine that covers gothic rock, new wave, EBM and other kinds of electronic music and culture. The magazine is noted for organizing the annual M'era Luna Festival. Since its inception in 1994, the Sonic Seducer has become one of the major publications of the dark culture in Germany.
Kasper Bjørke is a Danish DJ, record producer and remixer from Copenhagen.
Takeaki Maruyama, better known by his stage name Goth-Trad, is a Japanese dubstep musician. He began composing dubstep in 2005 after being inspired by Wiley's "Morgue". As of 2022, he has released 6 studio albums. His last album New Epoch was released on Mala's Deep Medi label. Goth-Trad also runs an underground music night in Shibuya, Tokyo, called "Back To Chill". He has also experimented with other genres and styles in more recent years.
Rajpal Singh Kalsi, better known as Kromestar, is a British Sikh dubstep and grime record producer from South London.
Joseph McGann, who goes under the aliases of Kahn and Gorgon Sound, is a British grime and dubstep record producer and DJ of the Bristol underground scene. Alongside frequent collaborator Neek, he founded record label Bandulu and is a member of Young Echo.
William Brown, better known as Compa, is a British electronic musician and DJ from Clitheroe, Lancashire, who began releasing music in 2011. Compa first rose to prominence following his self-released remix of Mavado's Dem A Talk in 2012, followed by his signing to Mala's label Deep Medi Musik the same year, although he did not release his debut record for the label until 2013. In a review of the record, Boomkat described Compa as "Keeper of Dubstep's Darkest Light"
Dungeon synth is a genre of electronic music that merges elements of black metal and dark ambient. The style emerged in the early 1990s, predominantly among members of the second wave black metal scene.
Shaun Lewis, better known by the stage names Stormin and Teddy Bruckshot, was a British grime and drum and bass MC and rapper from Plaistow, London.
Solomon Rose, known professionally as Silkie, is an English dubstep and UK garage producer and DJ from London. He has released several extended plays and albums with Deep Medi Musik and formed the music labels Antisocial Records in 2004 and Bedroom Rat Records in 2023.
Sicaria Sound were an electronic music duo composed of Lou Nour and Sancha Ndeko.
