neofolk

Current 93

Neofolk, also known as post-industrial or apocalyptic folk, is a form of experimental music blending elements of folk and industrial music, which emerged in punk rock circles in the 1980s. Neofolk may either be solely acoustic or combine acoustic folk instrumentation with various other sounds.

History

The term “neofolk” originates from esoteric music circles who started using the term in the late 20th century to describe music influenced by musicians such as Douglas Pearce (Death In June), Tony Wakeford (Sol Invictus) and David Tibet (Current 93).

Anglo-American folk music with similar sounds and themes to neofolk existed as far back as the 1960s. Folk musicians such as Vulcan’s Hammer, Changes, Leonard Cohen, and Comus could be considered harbingers of the sound that later influenced the neofolk artists. Also the later explorations of Velvet Underground’s band members, specifically those of Lou Reed, have been called a major influence to what later became neofolk.

Culture

A majority of artists within the neofolk genre focus on archaic, cultural and literary references. Local traditions and indigenous beliefs tend to be portrayed heavily as well as esoteric and historical topics.

Sol Invictus

Various forms of neo-paganism and occultism play a part in the themes touched upon by many modern and original neofolk artists. Runic alphabets, heathen European sites and other means of expressing an interest in the ancient and ancestral occurs often in neofolk music. Aesthetically, references to this subject occur within band names, album artwork, clothing and various other means of artistic expression. This has led to some forefathers of the genre and current artists within the genre attributing it to being an aspect of a broader neopagan revival.

Related terms and styles

Apocalyptic folk as a descriptor,

Apocalyptic folk predates neofolk and was used by David Tibet to describe the music

Death in June

of his band Current 93 during a period in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Initially, Tibet did not intend to imply connection with the folk music genre; rather, that Current 93 was made by “apocalyptic folk[s]”:

in other words, apocalyptic people.  Tibet and Current 93 did dabble in covers of traditional English folk song and Tibet himself was a great advocate for reclusive English folk singer Shirley Collins.

Folk noir
Other vague terms sometimes used to describe artists of this genre include “dark folk” and “pagan folk”. These terms are umbrella terms that also describe various other forms of unrelated music.

Artists 

Andrea Haugen
Ataraxia
Blood Axis
Camerata Mediolanense
Current 93
Death in June
Der Blutharsch
Empyrium
Fire + Ice
Harvest Rain
Havnatt
Kentin Jivek
Kirlian Camera
The Moon lay hidden beneath a Cloud
Moulettes
Naevus
Nature and Organisation
Nes
Neun Welten
Of the Wand & the Moon
Oniric
Ordo Equitum Solis
Ordo Rosarius Equilibrio
Orplid
Ostara
Rome
Romowe Rikoito
Sorrow
Sol Invictus
Sonne Hagal
Sturmpercht
Spiritual Front
Tenhi
Von Thronstahl
Werkraum

Comments are closed.