Steampunk began as contemporary science fiction that recaptured the feel of the genre's nineteenth and early twentieth century roots. It grew into an artistic movement inspired by aesthetics of steampunk literature. It is also is a subculture of style and music much like punk or goth. It has punk's anti-consumerism but is more civilized. It has goth's romanticism but balances darkness with humor and whimsy. The Internet it is full of attempts to define it but because steampunk is a creative movement, strict definitions are too limiting to be truly correct. These videos will give you a feel for the steampunk movement and the club night it inspired. At the bottom of the page are a few links for more information.

Steampunk has had a presence at Make magazine's annual Maker Fair from the beginning, as this video from techiediva.com shows. It features Eva Galperin from EFF.org, artists Suzanne Forbes Suzanneforbes.com and Richard Nagy Datamancer.net, and Nathaniel Johnstone from AbneyPark.

Jake von Slatt, of the Steampunk Workshop, is known both for his skill a maker and his articulate, well thought out, ideas about the steampunk movement. This video also features an appearance by punk cabaret artists Humanwine.

North Carolina's Clockwork Cabaret is a weekly radio show on WCOM community radio. The Clockwork Ball is one of the first steampunk club nights. Both are the creation of Kara (Klaude Davenport) and Emma (Emmett Davenport). Jay Cartwright of Lemming Malloy is also featured.

MTV News put together this playlist of videos that includes more steampunk notables than we have room to list. The musicians are: Voltaire, Abney Park and Dr Steel.

Links

Steampunk Wikipedia entry and List of steampunk works
Steampunk began as literature. The Wikipedia article provides a good discussion of this and lists many a good read.

The Brass Goggles Steampunk Forum
This forum has been around since February of 2007, so searching the archives can reveal a wealth of information. It remains a generally friendly and open platform of discussion particularly for those new to steampunk. There is a strict policy against discussing controversial topics such as politics so it is not the best place to look for the deeper meaning of the movement.

Steampunk Magazine
One of the cornerstones of the movement, Steampunk Magazine is available in both reasonably priced print, and free electronic versions. The content is as diverse as the movement but unlike Brass Goggles, Steampunk Magazine is not afraid to discuss such topics as the power relationships that lead to our society’s wasteful, and eternally obsolete approach to technology and culture.

Sepiachord
Jordn Block and company defined Sepiachord as the "genre that doesn't exist", and say that "It is to music what "steampunk" is to literature and cinema: something that looks back to the past to comment on the present while looking sideways at the future." This site of album reviews and more was, and is, a major force in establishing the steampunk music scene.