The Dark Scene 500

Aim: The Dark Scene 500 is a book telling the story of the gothic, industrial and related styles through its most notable and influential songs.

The Dark Scene 500 is the culmination of four years work to write a book about dark scene music, from the earliest sounds of gothic and industrial, the rise and fall of its commercial appeal, it’s decades of relative obscurity, the numerous subgenres it inspired, through to its recent revival in popularity.  

The story is told through an analysis of 500 of the scenes most notable, influential and popular songs.  Many were hits in scene clubs, and some even enjoyed commercial success.  Others are relatively obscure, instead pioneering techniques that would later inspire other musicians to build on their ideas and create new styles of music.

Some songs reflect cultural phenomena of their era or reference notable world events.  Some songs are based on life-changing events experienced by the songwriters.  The one thing uniting them is how each song has a story to tell.  This book not only captures those stories, but tells them in a way that allows the evolution of scene music and the many styles within to be understood.  

The book has been drafted, edited and is currently in the proofreading stage.  These steps have already been self-funded.  This Crowdfunder is to pay for publication and the initial print run.  

Maybe you’ll discover something new about a song you’ve been listening and dancing to for years.  Maybe you’ll discover a song, a band or even a whole style of music that you’ve never previously considered listening to – or perhaps you’ll rediscover a style of music you thought had died out years ago.  Maybe you’re just looking for some suggestions for your playlists.  

Whatever your intentions, I welcome any support you can provide.

What styles are covered?

The book covers the widest scope of scene-friendly styles that's possible to fit within a single publication.  Expect chapters on....

• Post-Punk & Gothic rock
• Industrial
• Electronic body music
• Early electronics and new wave
• Darkwave
• Industrial rock and metal
• Gothic and symphonic metal
• Electro-industrial/dark electro
• Contemporary synthpop - including futurepop
• Aggrotech & Techno body music
• Rhythmic noise
• Minimal wave
• Ethereal wave
• Medieval revivalists

This is not an exhaustive list - many other stylistic variants are covered to varying extents.  If you've ever been to one of the large European scene festivals with multiple stages (i.e. Wave-Gotik-Treffen) - imagine the scope of one of their line-ups contained within a single volume.  

How long is the book?

The book will be approximately 400 pages in length.  The song-by-song nature of the text should make it easy enough to dip in and out of as required.

Do the rewards including postage/shipping?

Yes - that's why there are different rates for different parts of the world.  The book will be printed in and shipped from the UK.

Can I request a song?

The drafting and editing stages are complete.  However, if you want to make sure your personal favourites get in, there's a 'List your favourite songs' crowdfunding option.  This is limited to 20 participants, so if you're interested, grab this option whilst it's still available.

Funding method

Keep what you raise – this project will receive all pledges made by 21st July 2025 at 12:16pm