{"id":15948,"date":"2019-01-20T05:30:15","date_gmt":"2019-01-20T10:30:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/?p=15948"},"modified":"2019-01-19T09:21:59","modified_gmt":"2019-01-19T14:21:59","slug":"descent-is-metal-and-darkwave-coexisting","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/2019\/01\/20\/descent-is-metal-and-darkwave-coexisting\/","title":{"rendered":"“Descent” is Metal and Darkwave Coexisting"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"In creative and entertainment media, the \u201calternative\u201d label is tossed around so freely that it risks losing its meaning. Hidden away in the basement of a building on West Asheville\u2019s main thoroughfare, a bar called The Black Cloud aims to restore that meaning. With a heavy metal\/goth vibe that sets it apart from most bars in town, The Black Cloud is now hosting Descent, a monthly DJ showcase featuring darkwave and \u201cwitch house\u201d music. The second installment of Descent \u2013 this time hosted by local DJs Fafnir and Esuna \u2013 happened last November.<\/p>\n

Laura Beach is a bartender at The Black Cloud; known by the nickname \u201cQueen of Cups,\u201d she\u2019s very much into heavy metal. \u201cDespite me being the metalhead that I am,\u201d she says, \u201cI\u2019ll always have a soft spot for electronic music.\u201d She says that many patrons of the beer bar requested a electronic music-themed night. Because of The Black Cloud\u2019s size, live music isn\u2019t often practical, but \u2013 especially when focusing on electronica \u2013 DJ sets make sense. With a name that refers both to the bar\u2019s underground location and the dark tone of the music, Descent launched in October.<\/p>\n

The first event featured local DJs Electrocute and Grimkitty. With a vaguely sinister yet sometimes downtempo aesthetic, Descent\u2019s primary musical character is described as encompassing darkwave and \u201cwitch house.\u201d Beach laughs when trying to describe the latter: \u201cImagine spooky trap music: like goth kids making hip-hop electronic beats.\u201d<\/p>\n

Such sounds might seem a departure from the metal that characterizes The Black Cloud\u2019s usual fare. But bar owner Brett Morgan sees Descent as a good fit. He says that the cold, industrial aesthetic of the bar \u2013 \u201cpretty much no warmth at all\u201d \u2013 lends itself to metal, \u201ca logical accompaniment to the overall vibe and feel of the bar. But darkwave fits in, as do goth and other forms of \u2018dark\u2019 music.\u201d Morgan expresses an affinity for music that is \u201cempowering, dark and emotionally moving. And if the bar can be a home for events that speak to those who identify with a subculture, and who might find comfort being themselves in this environment, then I\u2019m all for it.\u201d<\/p>\n

The first Descent drew a crowd \u2013 regulars and newcomers alike \u2013 packing The Black Cloud. \u201cMy regulars are into heavy metal, but there\u2019s some overlap between the metal and electronic communities,\u201d Beach says. And because that event took place the same weekend as the Medieval-themed Festival of Heroes, it drew more interested patrons. \u201cThere\u2019s crossover between the pagan and electronic music communities, too,\u201d she observes.<\/p>\n

Beach says that the DJs selected for spots at Descent spin a mix of their own tracks and those of other artists. \u201cThere\u2019s a certain art to reading a room,\u201d she says, and she seeks out DJs adept at doing so. But the process of finding those artists isn\u2019t really that complicated. \u201cMost of the time, it\u2019s just who I know,\u201d she admits. But because Beach has plans to continues the Descent series indefinitely, she encourages like-minded DJs and\/or self-contained electronic artists to get in touch. \u201cI hope to do this the second Saturday of every month, so I would love to hear from more people,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

The November Descent featured sets by local DJs Paul \u201cFafnir\u201d Lehto and Heinrich \u201cEsuna\u201d Arnold. Fafnir describes the ambience he seeks to create with his set: \u201cI aim to achieve a dark, cerebral experience by drawing from neurofunk.\u201d He quotes British music critic and author Simon Reynolds\u2019 description of the drum-n-bass subgenre as \u201cthe fun-free culmination of jungle\u2019s strategy of cultural resistance: the eroticization of anxiety.\u201d He cites artists Enei, Silent Witness and Jam Thieves as representative of the kind of music he spins.<\/p>\n

Esuna stakes out a subtly different yet complementary musical aesthetic for his set. \u201cI\u2019m interested in playing with some of the textures and qualities I typically enjoy in metal within the context of dance music,\u201d he says. Citing the work of G Jones, Bassnectar and Reso, he says, \u201cI\u2019m hoping to create a vibe that takes the listener on a journey to and from different emotional places.\u201d<\/p>\n

Consistent with The Black Cloud\u2019s be-yourself attitude, attendees at Descent events react to the DJ sets in the way that best suits them. Asked if people dance or stand with their arms folded, Beach laughs. \u201cColumn A and column B,\u201d she says. \u201cA little bit of both.\u201d<\/p>\n

Morgan wryly divides The Black Cloud\u2019s potential patrons into two categories: \u201cThose who know where the bar is located, and those who can’t find it.\u201d He acknowledges that lack of a proper storefront makes the establishment difficult to find. \u201cBut those who find us generally come back,\u201d he says. And those who enjoy a bit of the darkwave alternative with their metal now have a home, once a month.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In creative and entertainment media, the \u201calternative\u201d label is tossed around so freely that it risks losing its meaning. Hidden away in the basement of a building on West Asheville\u2019s […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":15949,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[26,41,46],"tags":[237,3710,3709],"class_list":["post-15948","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-electronica","category-interview","category-metal","tag-asheville","tag-descent","tag-the-black-cloud","cat-26-id","cat-41-id","cat-46-id","has_thumb"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15948","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15948"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15948\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":15950,"href":"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15948\/revisions\/15950"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/15949"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15948"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15948"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15948"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}