Of course the main topics of discussion while going over music of the 1980’s in class were rap and rock. These two genres were so influential to contemporary music today’s artists that it would be impossible to skip over them. That’s why I’m going to fill in a little spot that we neglected, and that is Steampunk. Steampunk started out in the early 80’s, Thomas Dolby being thought of as the first person to kickstart this. It is said that Thomas Dolby is to Steampunk as Iggy Pop is to punk, though I never would have made this connection. There never was an official consensus as to what the genre essentially consisted of, but is gathered that the Steampunk culture is “geared” towards 19th century United States, when steam powered machines were very popular, as well as the wild west and victorian themes. This isn’t necessarily seen in the music. Thomas Dolby’s music mixes rock, techno, new wave,folk music, and much more to form his unique sound, which is overall a new wave creation. More current Steampunk bands, such as Steam Powered Giraffe, are more on the rock side of things but could also be well described as Cabaret Punk.

All throughout his solo career, synth was essential for Dolby. It is because of this that he earned the name “Dolby” from his friends. His talents got him as far as performing with David Bowie, being featured albums from Foreigner, Def Leppard, and featuring Eddie Van Halen in a few of his works, such as ‘Close But No Cigar’. It is thought that, though Dolby’s sound isn’t quite the punk we were looking for, he was a key component in the vintage sci-fi/fantasy movement.

There later came a band in 2003 that even based its name off of the famous 19th century author, Jules Vern. The Vernian Process combines victorian clothing, steam powered mechanisms, cabaret music, and futuristic sci-fi to create a picture and genre of music that is quite different from your ordinary “punk” band. Along with the Vernian Process there then came Steam Powered Giraffe who also has a similar sound, though slightly more on the contemporary. The Vernian Process features more strings and orchestral music while Steam Powered Giraffe has more of the typical “lead guitar, rhythm guitar, bass, and drums” set-up, though some banjo and mandolin is also featured.

Steampunk is such a sensitive topic because no one could truly give a completely accurate definition of its culture; it is such a combination of genres, cultures, and time periods that it just is. It is its own entity that, because it possesses so many musical styles, it has acquired a fairly large fan base. Give it a listen; it will definitely get the cogs in your head turning!