Originally founded as “Deathwatch Asia” in 2005 and still headquartered in Japan, DWA has subsequently become a global force in dark electronic music.
Renowned for high-end packaging, bonus content and production values, DWA has also developed a formidable reputation for identifying and nurturing emerging talent – having discovered and developed, among others, Terrolokaust, Surgyn, CygnosiC and Nitro/Noise. Always at the forefront of a rapidly changing music industry, DWA was an early adopter of emerging online platforms like Bandcamp, Facebook and Spotify.
Initially the licensee of numerous overseas acts like Grendel and FGFC820 in Japan, by 2010 DWA had instead become a source of supply for licensing by European and American labels like NoiTekk, Infacted Recordings and Vendetta Music.
Since “day one” in 2011, DWA has been the principal sponsor of the UK’s Resistanz Festival, and since 2012 has moved into organizing and sponsoring tours for its artists across both Europe and North America – alongside acts such as Combichrist, Aesthetic Perfection and Icon Of Coil.
In 2013, the label officially changed name to “Digital World Audio”, reflecting its new global positioning and distribution within the industrial music scene. DWA’s CD and vinyl products are distributed in North America via NAIL/Allegro and in the EU and on export internationally via Audioglobe. CDs and vinyl can also be bought direct from DWA’s Bandcamp-hosted webshop, where releases can also be streamed and downloaded.