Neofolk is a form of folk music-inspired experimental music that emerged from post-industrial music circles. Neofolk can either be solely acoustic folk music or a blend of acoustic folk instrumentation aided by varieties of accompanying sounds such as pianos, strings and elements of industrial music and experimental music. The genre encompasses a wide assortment of themes. Neofolk musicians often have ties to other genres such as neoclassical and martial industrial.
History
in live concert]]
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) who had collaborated heavily for a period of time. These musicians were part of a post-industrial music circle who later on incorporated folk music based upon traditional and European elements into their sound. Folk musicians such as
Vulcan's Hammer,
Changes,
Leonard Cohen, and
Comus had created music with similar sounds and themes to neofolk as far back as the 1960s. These musicians could be considered harbingers of the sound that later influenced the neofolk artists. However, the distinction must be made that it was the aforementioned artists who were involved in the
dark music scene throughout the 1980s and
1990s that contributed specifically to the emergence of neofolk. Neofolk is seen by many as an extension of post-industrial music into the folk music genre which did not occur until the late 20th century.
Culture
The spirit of neofolk contains parallels to the ideals of American and British folk movements of the 1960s. The basis of this music is built upon principles against commercialization and popular culture. However the themes of neofolk and folk music are drastically different. 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.
Heathenry and Occultism
Various forms of
neopaganism 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 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, or guys."
The term was applied to most artists on the now-defunct World Serpent Distribution company and music influenced directly by C93's Thunder Perfect Mind era. Gnostic and Thelemic themes are often featured in the works of these artists, as well as influences from 1960s psychedelic rock and psych folk. It is also sometimes used to describe those of similar musical distinction but not directly influenced or associated, such as Michael Gira. The project Ordo Rosarius Equilibrio are one of the only currently active bands that describes their music as apocalyptic folk.
Folk noir
Folk noir was a term originally coined by photographer David Mearns in the 1980s to describe the music of mid-period
Sol Invictus. It is generally related to Tursa Records-related bands. It is sometimes found on
webzines as a more neutral term, without the specific connotations of "neofolk", but the meaning is largely the same though the usage of the term noir hints at an overall dark subject matter.
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.
Martial industrial
Martial industrial or
military pop is a genre that shares a lot in common with neofolk and developed very close to it. A number of artists that could be classified as neofolk also regularly work with and play shows with martial industrial acts or produce martial industrial.
Other related styles include dark ambient, neoclassical music, dark cabaret, industrial and post-industrial or a mixture of all these, such as music created that fits under the heading of martial industrial.
Notable artists
Agalloch
Angels of Light
Ataraxia
Belborn
Blood Axis
Camerata Mediolanense
Changes
Current 93
Darkwood
Death in June
Empyrium
Faun
Fire + Ice
Forseti
Harvest Rain
H.E.R.R.
Horse Feathers
In Gowan Ring
Kentin Jivek
Love Is Colder Than Death
Luftwaffe
Mizar
The Moon lay hidden beneath a Cloud
Murzik
Nature and Organisation
Narsilion
Nest
Neun Welten
Of the Wand & the Moon
Omnia
Ordo Rosarius Equilibrio
Orplid
Rome
Sol Invictus
Sonne Hagal
Spiritual Front
Sturmpercht
Tenhi
Unto Ashes
Von Thronstahl
Werkraum
Emily Jane White
The Winding Stair
Wovenhand
Events
Flammenzauber
Mėnuo Juodaragis
References
http://iconoclastmovie.com - THE BOYD RICE DOCUMENTARY - Now available.
Further reading
Anton Shekhovtsov, 'Apoliteic music: Neo-Folk, Martial Industrial and "metapolitical fascism"', Patterns of Prejudice, Vol. 43, No. 5 (December 2009), pp. 431-457.
Peter Webb, Exploring the Networked Worlds of Popular Music: Milieu Cultures (New York: Routledge, 2007), ISBN 0-415956-58-7.
Andreas Diesel und Dieter Gerten, Looking for Europe - Neofolk und Hintergründe (Zeltingen-Rachtig: Index-Verlag, 2005), ISBN 3-936878-02-1.
Category:Contemporary folk subgenres
Category:Experimental music genres
![Eurovision 2004 * Semi-Final * Estonia * Neiokoso -Tii [HQ]](http://web.archive.org./web/20110904002358im_/http://i.ytimg.com/vi/RF8HpgDf1Lk/0.jpg "Eurovision 2004 * Semi-Final * Estonia * Neiokoso -Tii [HQ]")
