Category Archives: Popular Music

A Music Review of 2018

3rd January 2019 21:36 // 1 Comment // André Savetier

2018 was a year with a lot of changes in my life. The biggest was maybe the creation of The Wave of Things show, with one or two weekly episodes, focusing on dark alternative music (featuring talks with musicians, reviews and the like, but not only). The second big change were the foundations of my bands Deus Faust (with Raymond Nelson from Maine, we released our debut album What I Saw in autumn), and Tenebris Obortis (with No-Face), a doomy neofolk-influenced darkwave project. Thirdly, I was involved in several collaborations, e.g. with Toxic Razor’s Metal Disco, and with Turkish duo Dark Lake Whispers. Therefore, I neglected this blog but I have plans to redefine it in the near future to go along with the show. Read More →

Posted in: Popular Music // Tagged: best of, coldwave, darkwave, goth, gothic, industrial, minimal synth, minimal wave, music, new wave, post-punk, synthpop, synthwave

Top 13 East-Central European Synthpop

27th January 2018 20:15 // 2 Comments // André Savetier

Synthpop was never only big in the English speaking world. Almost every European country has developed an interesting synthpop influenced scene in the 80s and 90s, some even “their own personal” Depeche Mode similes.

It’s time for a list of synthpop pearls from East-Central and Eastern Europe, focusing on songs not sung in English. The choices were very hard as the selection is vast and gorgeous. Come with me on a time travel to re-visit a music which once meant the future. Read More →

A Musical Review of 2017

31st December 2017 21:01 // Leave a Comment // André Savetier

2016

Another year has passed by and, on the verge of the next one, I reminisce and reflect. As in the previous years I have compiled a best of dark alternative music for you. As always in no particular order. Enjoy! Read More →

Posted in: Popular Music // Tagged: 2017, best of, darkwave, industrial, list, minimal wave, new wave, postpunk, shoegaze, synthpop

Familiar and Stranger Things

Where’s the Time Machine?

15th November 2017 09:19 // Leave a Comment // André Savetier

Just finished watching the recently released second season of Stranger Things on Netflix. As long as the impressions and images are still fresh in my mind I am trying to put my thoughts down here. In case you didn’t watch the series I warn you to do so before reading further, I am trying not to spoiler too much but one or the other thing might slip.

Posted in: Popular Culture, Popular Music // Tagged: alternative culture, fashion, new wave, nostalgia, retro, series, synth, synthwave

I am merely a music lover

I was interviewed by WavePress

13th September 2017 21:31 // 1 Comment // André Savetier

“Polish Coldwave Journey” has the taste of a holiday adventure, but before everything else it is an important and unique documentary film about the contemporary Polish coldwave. The premiere of this film will be very soon. For this occasion I had a talk with the father of this idea – coming from Slovenia he is a blogger, music critic, musician, cultural anthropologist, a passionate lover of Polish coldwave – the list is endless… Get to know with me André Savetier! Read More →

Posted in: Interviews, Popular Music, Travelling // Tagged: aesthetics, alternative, alternative culture, anthropology, coldwave, deathrock, goth, gothic, industrial, music, new wave, nostalgia, poland, polish, polish coldwave, post-punk, postpunk, subculture, synthwave, travelling, zimna fala

Savetier’s Coldwave Journey

Documentary on the Polish Coldwave/Post-Punk Music Scene

15th August 2017 20:43 // Leave a Comment // André Savetier

We did it again! After the great experiences we made last year while making a music-anthropological film about dark alternative music in northern Italy, where we met and hung out with ten bands in Bologna, Ravenna, Parma and Gradara, we decided to do a similar film in a different country. Since I am intrigued by Poland, her language and her music, it was not an all too hard decision to make.

Posted in: Interviews, Popular Music, The Sounds of..., Travelling // Tagged: coldwave, gothic, industrial, poland, polish, postpunk, zimna fala

The Sounds of Ukraine

27th April 2017 14:28 // 1 Comment // André Savetier

Ever since I was the first time in Ukraine in 2005, I fell in love with the country, its people and its language. It was so different to everything I knew before. The normative basis is not unity, but diversity. Add a rich history with lots of glorious, but also painful moments, add the right amount of poetry and melancholy. Add some music. While most of this music belongs to the pop and folk sector, in the recent years alternatives are on the rise.

Let me introduce to you some alternative bands from Europe’s biggest – yet to many unknown – country.

Posted in: Popular Music, The Sounds of... // Tagged: coldwave, goth, indie, minimal synth, postpunk, rock, synth, synthpop, synthwave, ukraine, ukrainian

Expression of Aesthetic Needs

Talk with Kriistal Ann (Paradox Obscur)

13th March 2017 22:42 // Leave a Comment // André Savetier

Kriistal Ann from Rhodes, Greece, became one of the figureheads of synth music in Europe. Active in the darker kind of music since 2007, Ann has a discography of which others can only dream. This busy lady persuades not only her solo career, but part-takes of several other projects and collaborations, most notably Paradox Obscur. Let us hear what Ann has to tell us. Read More →

Posted in: Interviews, Popular Music // Tagged: greece, greek, minimal synth, synth, synthpop, synthwave

A Musical Review of 2016

31st December 2016 21:35 // Leave a Comment // André Savetier

2016 was in many ways a strange year that will most likely become a marker of big changes, like 1989. We were facing severe geopolitical and sociological changes and lost a whole series of inspiring people like David Bowie, Leonard Cohen, Greg Lake and Pete Burns.

But there were also moments of light in 2016. Considering new music it was, actually, great. Like every year I compiled a list of extraordinary songs for you – in no particular order. Read More →

Posted in: Popular Music // Tagged: darkwave, list, minimal wave, music, post-punk, post-rock, synth, synthpop, wave

XV Wroclaw Industrial Festival

13th November 2016 19:22 // Leave a Comment // André Savetier

There are many reasons to visit the Polish city of Wrocław: It is incredibly beautiful, has a moving history and offers a lot of cultural places, museums, galleries, bars and coffee-houses. Furthermore, Wrocław is also the Cultural Capital of Europe 2016.
But my main reason to go there every November for a few days is a different one. The Silesian capital is the spot where one of the biggest annual festivals for industrial music is taking place. Read More →