Gothic rock band Blood Dance is set to make their first appearance in El Paso on July 17 at Club 101, bringing with them a debut album formed across borders and cultures.
The band, led and created by Texas-born musician Asanti, was formed in Mexico City in 2020 after several years of working on the project. Their music blends gothic rock with darkwave and post-punk.
Blood Dance’s rise was unexpected according to Asanti, who uploaded their first demo to Bandcamp which drew the attention of DJs.
“They [DJs] started playing us in different goth bars… and suddenly, we were being heard in different parts of the world,” Asanti said.
This traction led Blood Dance to work with Barry Galvin, who is known in the gothic rock genre for his work with Mephisto Waltz and Christian Death. Together, they began working on singles that would go on to be part of Blood Dance’s debut album “To Walk the Night” which is set to release in July.
Blood Dance is experimental, which is why the album was produced over the span of several years and recorded in multiple studios with worldwide sound. The drums were recorded in South Africa, Nigeria and Poland. The guitars were recorded in an abandoned shoe warehouse in Houston. Bass, keys and vocals were recorded in Mexico City.
The album even landed in the hands of guitarist Franck Amendola from the French band Corpus Delicti, who helped with the production and sound engineering. The album then traveled to London as Amendola sent the album to former Corpus Delicti member, Jérôme Schmitt, for additional work.
“It was a total of like six or seven studios,” Asanti said. “The album’s just been going through a lot of hands, through a lot of creative people throughout the world, and that’s kind of the story behind it.”
Asanti said the album is both personal but also communal as it reflects the energy found in Mexico City’s thriving goth scene.
“I wanted to make something that tried to capture that magic the Mexico City goth scene has, and put it on an album. Both as a way to show people what’s down here and also as an offering to the community,” Asanti said.
The title track, “To Walk the Night,” has been a part of Blood Dance’s discography since the beginning. It was originally released as a demo that went viral in goth clubs and even inspired a meme. Perfecting the final version took some time according to Asanti.
“I had previously recorded it like four times, and I was like, ‘No, that’s trash,’” Asanti said. “But with the help of Frank [Amendola], he was able to just take it to another level.”
For Asanti, this band and album are also a way to approach emotionally charged topics.
“This band was also kind of like a way to approach the darkness without being over-consumed by it, and more like a deep approach to something somber and dark,” Asanti said. “So, it’s capturing a certain era for us as musicians.”
The upcoming El Paso performance was set up with the help of Juárez band, Alta Bar, who performed alongside Blood Dance in Mexico City.
“We haven’t gotten the opportunity to go to El Paso. We’ve heard there’s an amazing community over there that’s into local music, new music, stuff that’s a little bit more like against floorboards,” Asanti said.
Asanti hopes that Blood Dance’s show will be a way to get to know and connect with the El Paso community. As for the future of the band, Asanti hopes to integrate more Spanish lyrics and freestyle to connect with his Chicano culture.
Ximena Cordero is the web and copy editor for The Prospector and may be reached at [email protected]
