The idea to start Unlit.net really began percolating on August 2, 2019, at Catch One Underground in Los Angeles at a truly disappointing Covenant concert. The sound was terrible, the fog machine was so out of control you couldn’t even see the band, so most of the night was spent in conversation. A few months later, thanks to being isolated by a global pandemic with way too much free time on my hands, that idea became a reality. Unlit.net launched on March 1, 2021, with a very simple mission: sharing the darker flavors with those that like them too.
As someone who loves dark wave, goth rock, dark ambient, post-punk, EBM, death rock, neofolk, synthpop, and darker shades of many other genres when they’re done well, I’d always wanted to find an online space that was devoted to all of it, rather than just focusing exclusively on some specific niche. Having also spent too many years in and out of the goth and industrial clubs since their inception, in my independent and casual random surveys over the years I’d also learned that while we may all have a musical genre drug of choice, it’s pretty rare to find someone who only listens to that 24/7. As an elder goth who hates the term cause it makes you sound old, even though they say I’ve gotten older, I’ll admit to you, dear reader, that I’ve probably gotten a little softer too. Several years of childhood trauma therapy can do that, but it didn’t change the things I love.
My name is Philo Hagen and I welcome you to Unlit. Whether you identify with any labels coming out of the scenes or not doesn’t really matter to me. You’re sure to find music reviews for all the latest mainstays, and you’ll probably find things turning up here now and then that are unexpected too. If you would like to submit something or join me in some capacity on this shadowy quest to turn out the lights drop me a line and I look forward to hearing from you.
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