Coldwave
Industrial · 1982 · 100 to 130 BPM · also known as Cold Wave
France and Belgium between 1979 and 1984 answered English post-punk with poorer means and a drier kind of gloom: cheap drum machines, basslines pushed to the front, and blank, deadpan vocals sung in the artists' own languages. Long a confidential scene, cold wave has since been reassessed as a major source, and its lo-fi grain now haunts half of today's dark productions.
17 reference tracks
- KaS Product: So Young But So Cold (1982)
- Martin Dupont: Inside Out (1985)
- Clair Obscur: Santa Maria (1985)
- Opera Multi Steel: Cathedrale (1985)
- Trisomie 21: The Last Song (1984)
- Asylum Party: Julia (1989)
- Lebanon Hanover: Come Kali Come (2020)
- Xeno & Oaklander: Poison (2019)
- Caput Medusae: Deus Ex Machina (2021)
- 11Schnull Feat. Newinfluenzer: Ich Und Meine Ubahn (2023)
- TRAITRS: Thin Flesh (2025)
- Lebanon Hanover: Die World
- Boy Harsher: LA
- Trisomie 21: Breaking Down
- Trisomie 21: La fête triste
- Lebanon Hanover: A Very Good Life
- Lebanon Hanover: Saddest Smile
At a glance
- Tempo: 100 to 130 BPM
- First appeared: around 1982
- Machines: Boîte à rythmes, Basse électrique, Synthétiseur monophonique, Magnétophone quatre pistes
- The sound: Boîtes à rythmes bon marché, Basse électrique chorusée, Synthés monophoniques, Enregistrement quatre pistes
- Labels: New Rose, Dark Entries, Minimal Wave, Divine, Camisole, Les Disques du Soleil
- Key artists: Martin Dupont, Asylum Party, Trisomie 21, KaS Product, Marquis de Sade
Producing Coldwave
Work between 100 and 140 BPM, most often 120 to 130, with the flat, nuance-free energy of a cheap drum machine pushed by punk urgency and no swing. Set the project around 126 BPM, quantize the drums, but play the bass and guitar by hand, the contrast between the rigid box and the human instruments is the heart of the sound. Use a cheap preset drum machine like a CR-78, TR-606, or DR-55, barely processed beyond light downsampling and soft tape saturation, with no fills and no variation from start to finish. The electric bass is the lead instrument, played with a pick in eighth notes through a slow chorus, carrying the main melody, mixed almost as loud as the vocal with light overdrive and compression.
The full production course, in French: tempo, drums, bass, sounds, arrangement, mix, plugins and machines, and a step by step start.
Frequently asked
What is Coldwave?
France and Belgium between 1979 and 1984 answered English post-punk with poorer means and a drier kind of gloom: cheap drum machines, basslines pushed to the front, and blank, deadpan vocals sung in the artists' own languages. Long a confidential scene, cold wave has since been reassessed as a…
What tempo is Coldwave played at?
Between 100 and 130 BPM.
Who are the key Coldwave artists?
Martin Dupont, Asylum Party, Trisomie 21, KaS Product, Marquis de Sade.
