Name: Daniel Olvera
Country: Mexico
City/ Location: Mexico, DF
Website: Facebook
From Second to Third Wave.
1994: October 22, Moonlight…..
After some years in the music scene, I discovered a new sound. And also it was a new sensation. A fantastic landscape of dark sounds. When I was a teen-ager, people in Mexico used to call this style “Dark”, and some years later the term “Gothic” or “Gothic Rock” was generalized. My journey began with the most iconic sounds ,the classics. It was: The Cure, Siouxsie, Joy Division, The Sisters of Mercy,Bauhaus,Cocteau Twins, Southern Death Cult ,X Mal Deutschland and Rozz William’s Christian Death. Have to mention Love and Roquets and Peter Murphy, whose music was in the radio by that time.
The date above landmarks my first gothic gig: Absolutely unforgettable!. The night, the music, the people and the amazing athmosphere.It was quite unique. The event was called : “First Gothic Fest” (There never was a second one) .The main band was The Last Dance from L.A.,with the locals El Clan and La Concepcion de la Luna.
In Mexico City some promoters began to work with gothic bands, and it was great. The first ones: London After Midnight. In less than two months, they were followed by Rozz Williams (With Daucus Karota) , The Last Dance, Human Drama, Mephisto Walz, The Prophetess, The Wake….Almost every month we attended gigs from those wonderful artists. It was an era full of gigs, parties, radio shows, gothic magazines and fanzines, as well as specialized record labels and lots of great artists. I have to mention the very important work of Dave Roberts (founder member and bass player of Sex Gang Children) with Cleopatra Records. Together they spread the Gothic Rock in a viral way over all of the American continent. Thanks to them ,we knew some of the Goth classics: compilation albums of The March Violets, Red Lorry Yellow Lorry, Alien Sex Fiend, Play Dead, etc. Re-releases of classic Death Rock bands: Super Heroines,45 Grave, Komunitty FK, and lots of albums by Christian Death (featuring Rozz Williams) And we knew about new and exciting bands from Europe, such as: Nosferatu, Rosetta Stone, Children on Stun, Two Witches. Those brilliant new bands from U.S.A. like: The Wake, Screams for Tina ,Mephisto Walz, Switch Blade Simphony…even Big Electric Cat from Australia!
Other important labels from this side of the ocean were : Tess records, Project, Triple x and don’t forget to mention some bands releasing their own independent records. Some time later, we knew a great amount of labels and bands from Europe.It happened thanks to samplers like:”La’pelle de la Muse”, ”Dion Fortune”, ”Zwischenfall”, ”Taste this”, ”German Mystic music sampler” and many more. More new labels appeared in Europe: Apollion, Glasnost, Dion Fortune, Hyperium, Thalita, Celtic Circle, etc. We knew talented Gothic artists from Europe, like: Paralyzed Age, Ikon, Madre del Vizio, Garden of Delight, Drooning Maudland, Still Patient?, Cancer Barrack, Love Like Blood, The Merry Thoughts, Umbra et Imago, Midnight Configuration, Corpus Delicti, Suspiria, etc...It was such an outbreak of amazing music. The sound of the 90’s was black, with intensity and elegance. Even the unthinkable happened: The Sisters of Mercy and Bauhaus resurrected (and touring!) We experienced The Second Wave in all of its Splendor.
2000-20002 The Twilight
Suddenly, the easy-to find releases from your favorite record companies ,(as well as classic and very appreciated records) began to disappear from the stands of the record shops. European releases became collectors items and with the time, they were more hard to find. Later, we knew about the vanishing of those great record labels from the 90’s. People in the scene turned their preference to the electro-scene, believing that it was the “Evolution” of Goth….WRONG, ¡FUCKING WRONG!. Some magazines that used to cover info about Goth bands, began to work with Electro-industrial and EBM artists. Maybe this was the origin of such a mistaken perception (and it was spreading world-wide). By the other hand, some metal bands took some advantage of the high success of the Second Wave and began to sound more “Goth”. I respect those really talented musicians who assimilated Goth music as a great deal of influence: The likes of Paradise Lost, Sadness, Tiamat, etc. Sadly, some bands made of this just another trend and came with an awful Gothic-Symphonic Metal or whatever! Goth term was (¡badly!) distorted. Between Electro and Metal, real Goth was hard to find.
(Un) Dead Rising
Maybe as a natural defense against this distorted (and prevailing ) vision of Goth ,who was mistaken as Electro, Metal , even Nordic Folklore (¿What the?).The real Goth turned to their very roots : It was the return to the Old School Gothic, Bat Cave, Dark Post –Punk and Death Rock. In the early years of the first decade of this new millenium , we saw the Death Rock revival. This is Dark Music, with different expressions but many things in common. Those styles have its roots in the punk scene .And if we go to their origins, we will find ourselves in common places, for an example:
A great influence for Bauhaus : David Bowie.
A great influence for Rozz Williams : David Bowie.
Those bands from the 80’s learned and took inspiration and influence from the likes of The Cure, Joy Division, Siouxsie and The Banshees, The Damned, etc, etc., all of them with their origins in the first generation of Punk .We are dealing here with those scenes growing up in different places, doing things on their own way with almost the same musical influences. All of them bonded by a mesmerizing darkness. I always enjoyed both of Death Rock, Post Punk, or Gothic. In my teen-ager days, we were the same people buying stuff of those bands and attending live gigs, whatever if it was called “this or that”. ¿Why not enjoy all of this great dark music styles together?. Talking again about the new millenium, we saw amazing re-releases, and (in some cases) first time-editions in C.D. of such iconic bands like: Ausgang, Sex Gang Children, Skeletal Family, Play Dead, Theatre of Hate, Specimen, Inca Babies, UK Decay, and the totally amazing: The Danse Society. Some of those bands returned from their silence and… toured again!. In the underground scene, we found new artists like: Miguel and the Living Dead, Radio Skarlett, Pins and Needdles, Carniceros del Norte, Antiworld, Cinema Strange, Chants of Maldoror, The Last days of Jesus, Bloody Dead and Sexy , Sleeping Children. In more Gothic Rock oriented fields we have: The Ghost of Lemora, Voices of Masada, Diva Destruction, Erato, Daughters of Bristol, Doctor Arthur Krauze, etc. Now, I understand that a great Gothic Rock movement was developing in those years of apparent silence…..
The age of Computers (¡Too much info!)
Internet is here to stay….
The first net station I heard (and my favorite one) is Cathedral 13. I listened this station for the first time in 2006. It opened a window for new bands and the whole of the scene of today. In just a few years, internet became bigger than I imagine in terms of its capacity and possibilities. An enormous and totally new ground for independent artists from all over the world. Some time later, even more net stations arrived. Have to mention the good – old Myspace : It was great. Not only you can find awesome new underground bands, you can listen to their songs too instantly with just one click!.It was an easy and free way for new artists to spread their music to the entire world. You Tube is a great contribution too for the underground musical scene. The world-wide distribution of video clips and songs from musicians of any imaginable music style is such a great thing. Even I have to mention some blog spots owned by record collectors. They have shared with the world those out-of print records and singles, as well as those demo tapes , ultra-rare bootlegs, and lost records which were self-released productions. Without their contribution, some amazing underground music could be lost forever in the shadows of time. Today the bands can sell by themselves their music world wide, both in physical and downloadable versions .We can meet and talk with people from all over the world, thanks to the social networks. And we can have access to almost unlimited knowledge ….¡Quite an interesting new era!
This is Gothic Rock….
Someday, I was browsing in the internet and found an on-line radio show called “This is Gothic Rock” (Hosted by D.J. Oskar Terramortis). Later, I go to his site in order to listen more episodes. Specially, I remember The Episode 20….¡What a landmark it was! Amazing bands of real Gothic Rock and all of them are new ones!. It happened like before : Real Gothic Rock remaining underground , resurfacing again in all of its glory: Angels of Liberty, Soror Dolorosa, Merciful Nuns, Ulterior, Dreamtime, Miazma, Beauty of Gemina, Principe Valiente, etc. This is alive and the list is growing more and more almost every day. This show and its brother : Necromanteion, opened my eyes to a new era of Gothic Rock: The Third Wave. It’s happening now! And this book is a chronicle about this, with lots of talented new artists: The fresh blood for the scene. As well ,you can find here some legends who are still active and with full power. You can witness this Third Wave every week in Necromanteion, and every month in This is Gothic Rock….
It will happen when we hear to a well known voice saying : “Just play it…. LOUD”
Being a music fan since an early age, thanks to my father. I remember myself being interested in records instead of toys. But for some reason, always feel attracted by the underground scene. I attended my first gothic in the early 90's and get involved in the scene as a die hard devotee. Sometimes i have written record reviews and articles for some 90's local fanzines like "La Horda" and "Mysterium",being an special guest in radio shows, and some special sessions as D.J. in the local scene. All of this for the music I love the most. Too manny awesome records listened and great artists I have known in all of this years.If i have to make some list of my favorite ones,this come to my mind.But, there are too many more :
New Millenium
Angels of Liberty - "The Black Madonna E.P."
Soror Dolorosa -"Blind Scenes"
Ulterior - "Wild in wildlife"
Merciful Nuns - "Xibalba"
Godless Procession - "Godless Procession"
Dreamtime - "The Lost ones"
Lebanon Hanover - "The world is getting colder"
Nosferatu - "Wonderland"
Principe Valiente - "Principe Valiente"
M!R!M - "It's not Enough Anymore"
Dystopian Society - "Cages"
The SoftMoon - "The Soft Moon"
Killing Joke - "MMXII"
Come With Reverse - "Come with reverse"
Pins and Needles - "Pins and Needles"
Los Carniceros del Norte - "13 Cuchilladas"
Miguel and The Living Dead - "Alarm"
ANtiWorld - "Comedy Terrors"
Cinema Strange - "Cinema Strange"
Subtonix - "Tarantism"
Being a music fan since an early age, thanks to my father. I remember myself being interested in records instead of toys. But for some reason, always feel attracted by the underground scene. I attended my first gothic in the early 90's and get involved in the scene as a die hard devotee. Sometimes i have written record reviews and articles for some 90's local fanzines like "La Horda" and "Mysterium",being an special guest in radio shows, and some special sessions as D.J. in the local scene. All of this for the music I love the most. Too manny awesome records listened and great artists I have known in all of this years.If i have to make some list of my favorite ones,this come to my mind.But, there are too many more :
New Millenium
Angels of Liberty - "The Black Madonna E.P."
Soror Dolorosa -"Blind Scenes"
Ulterior - "Wild in wildlife"
Merciful Nuns - "Xibalba"
Godless Procession - "Godless Procession"
Dreamtime - "The Lost ones"
Lebanon Hanover - "The world is getting colder"
Nosferatu - "Wonderland"
Principe Valiente - "Principe Valiente"
M!R!M - "It's not Enough Anymore"
Dystopian Society - "Cages"
The SoftMoon - "The Soft Moon"
Killing Joke - "MMXII"
Come With Reverse - "Come with reverse"
Pins and Needles - "Pins and Needles"
Los Carniceros del Norte - "13 Cuchilladas"
Miguel and The Living Dead - "Alarm"
ANtiWorld - "Comedy Terrors"
Cinema Strange - "Cinema Strange"
Subtonix - "Tarantism"
All time (just a brief selection):
The Cure - "Staring at the Sea"
Joy Division -"Substance"
The Sisters of Mercy - "First and Last and Always"
Siuxsie and The Banshees - "Nocturne"
The Mission - "Gods own Medicine"
X mal Deutschland - "Tucsin"
Bauhaus - "In the Flatfield"
The Danse Society - "The Seduction"
Fields of The Nephillim - "Dawnrazor"
Virgin Prunes - "If I die,I die"
The Sex Gang Children - "The Hugry years"
Christian Death - "It's only Theatre of Pain"
45 Grave - "Sleep in Safety"
Skeletal Family - "Futile Combat"
Alien Sex Fiend - "Drive my Rocket"
Gene Loves Jezabel - "Promise"
The Damned - "Phantrasmagoria"
The Deep Eynde - "City Lights"
Nosferatu - "Rise"
Screams For Tina - "Screams for Tina"
Shadow Project - "Shadow Project"
Corpus Delicti - "Sylphes"
Suspiria - "Drama"
Every New Dead Ghost - "River of Souls"
Paralysed Age - "Nocturne"
Garden of Delight - "Psychonomicon 1991-2001"
Mephisto Walz - "Early singles"
Midnight Configuration - "The kissing Skull".
