I think the trend of New Wave artists writing about themes of technological change and possible dystopian scenarios peaked when Giorgio Moroder added a New Wave soundtrack to the 1927 film “Metropolis”:
Moroder’s soundtrack fits the visuals so perfectly that it’s sometimes easy to forget that it wasn’t the original score of “Metropolis”! For decades, I’ve seen gothic and alternative clubs riff on this idea by showing silent films (usually German Expressionist and/or horror) while playing a combination of Dark Wave, Industrial, Punk, Post-Punk, etc music. I’ve lost track of how many times I’ve seen the various editions of “Metropolis” (including the extended version with the “lost” scenes spliced back in) and listened to the ’80s soundtrack for it!
Over all, the ’80s and ’90s a bit of a revival of the German Expressionist film style seen in “Metropolis”. It showed up countless times in music videos, cartoons, and Tim Burton films. I think there will always be a subculture of people who love the combination of dark, gothic aesthetics with Art Deco designs!
What keeps people coming back to certain visual and musical styles isn’t just the aesthetic itself, though– Goth clubs are a center of community for a certain type of person in cities worldwide. My brother once joked that, “getting into Vertex on Halloween is like trying to get into church on Christmas when you’re the person who goes every week.” Eccentric people who could never quite find a community in mainstream society basically can form a “family of choice” within the music community. Goth clubs are places that welcome a huge range of personal expression and artistic dress. No one needs to be good at dancing, and there’s no hobbies or interests that are too niche or nerdy to talk about with the other patrons.
New Wave music often reflected people’s feelings as society became more atomized in the decades following World War II. To this day, it’s relatable to people who feel more alone outside of their subculture. In the same way it explored the themes of nuclear bombs and the Cold War, it also explored a more abstract theme of isolation.
“New Europeans” used cold, mechanical sound effects on the synthesizer to support the theme of the lyrics, which describe someone living in an unfamiliar world where everyone has left him behind:
I’m not entirely clear on why New Wave music lost popularity. From what I can gather, it was always a bit avant-garde and subcultural, for the most part, with some hits breaking into the top charts during the ’80s—especially in the UK. In some subcultures, it never went out of style at all!
I think New Wave music influenced other forms of music in the decades following the ’80s. Because of the way New Wave artists explored innovative ways to use synthesizers, I think it had an impact on video game music, which had to rely on MIDI soundtracks for a long time. The use of electronic elements also changed everything from pop music to dubstep and EDM.
Many bands from the peak of the New Wave era never stopped writing and touring, and they still draw on the themes of technological changes run wild and society being only a moment away from a dystopian future.
In 2021, the Clan of Xymox released an epic concept album titled “Limbo,” which reflected upon themes specifically central to the challenges of that year. Their song “Big Brother” expresses anxiety around the “Digital Panopticon” just as much as Aaron Kheriaty MD’s writings on that subject:
The music videos for the songs on the “Limbo” generally look as though someone recorded lead singer Ronnie Moorings in front of a green screen and then superimposed the resulting videos over stock footage and computer-generated graphics to create a disorienting journey through an Orwellian nightmare.
It’s very likely that the use of green screening was the most practical or possibly only option for filming in the Netherlands in 2021. The whole country was experiencing full lockdowns for 220 days total between 2020 and 2022, and the entire first six months of 2021 were one long lockdown. Even in between lockdowns, it wouldn’t have made sense to try to arrange a conventional film shoot, since orders could go back into effect without warning at any point. There were also curfews, riots, and other “interesting times” happening there during 2021. The use of the green screen is used for a dramatic, surreal effect in the video that visually adds to the narrative and also recalls the rudimentary video editing style of many videos from the ’80s. It looks very intentional even if it was most likely done out of necessity.
I found the album “Limbo” so fascinating that I asked Ronnie Moorings if I could use it as the soundtrack for a transgressive art installation I displayed at a festival last summer. He loved my idea so much in return that he gave me permission to do that, free of charge!
I’ve recently heard this sentiment from various people: “I don’t like dystopian themes because they’re too real.” But for other people, from Fritz Lang to George Orwell to Ronnie Moorings, expressing the theme of “dystopia” through art is liberating. The creativity involved is a release that gives them and their fans a sense that they’re not alone in navigating the rapid changes around them.