Music is the lowest common denominator of the black scene. It provides the entry point and carries all the sub-scenes that have formed over the decades in black coexistence. There is no single musical style. The common ground lies in the importance of music. It is not perceived as recreational fun or background music, but as an important outlet to express thoughts and emotions. The song lyrics often play a big role. They also address dark feelings, transport social criticism or offer space for escape from reality.
The beginning of this was made by post-punk, which developed from punk. It broke with traditional musical styles not only musically. The emotions that were transported were also different from the ideal world of popular music. The punks had already broken through the harmony, but in post-punk, melancholy, fear and coldness joined the rage.
This gave rise to very different musical styles, which are still being added to today. It is in the nature of things that there is no name for a development in the course of its emergence. Classifications are made afterwards and are therefore often not very accurate. Even the bands involved do not always agree with the categorisation. Gothic icon Robert Smith of The Cure, for example, announced in an interview that he never counted himself or his band as part of the Gothic scene. Music journalists and fans disagree. You can't please everyone. But there are a few cornerstones for the music genres of the black scene. Here are some of them.