Electro-industrial is a
music genre
A music genre is a conventional category that identifies some pieces of music as belonging to a shared tradition or set of conventions. It is to be distinguished from ''musical form'' and musical style, although in practice these terms are some ...
that emerged from
industrial music
Industrial music is a genre of music that draws on harsh, mechanical, transgressive or provocative sounds and themes. AllMusic defines industrial music as the "most abrasive and aggressive fusion of rock and electronic music" that was "initiall ...
in the early 1980s. While
EBM (electronic body music) has a minimal structure and clean production, electro-industrial tends to have a grittier, complex and layered sound with a more experimental
[Explore Music]
Pop/Rock » Alternative/Indie Rock » Electro-Industrial
@ AllMusic. ''RhythmOne Group''. Retrieved 8 February 2021. approach. The style was pioneered by
Skinny Puppy
Skinny Puppy is a Canadian industrial music group formed in Vancouver in 1982. The group is among the founders of the industrial rock and electro-industrial genres. Initially envisioned as an experimental side-project by cEvin Key (Kevin Crompton ...
,
Front Line Assembly
Front Line Assembly (FLA) is a Canadian electro-industrial band formed by Bill Leeb in 1986 after leaving Skinny Puppy. FLA has developed its own sound incorporating elements of electronic body music and electro-industrial. The band's members ...
,
Numb, and other groups, either from Canada or the
Benelux
The Benelux Union ( nl, Benelux Unie; french: Union Benelux; lb, Benelux-Unioun), also known as simply Benelux, is a politico-economic union and formal international intergovernmental cooperation of three neighboring states in western Europe: B ...
. In the early 1990s, the style spawned the ''dark electro'' genre, and in the mid-/late-1990s, the ''aggrotech'' offshoot.
[Interview with Axel Machens, Vendetta Music, 23 April 2007]
Access date: 23 December 2008. The fan base for the style is linked to the
rivethead
A rivethead or rivet head is a person associated with the industrial dance music scene. In stark contrast to the original industrial culture, whose performers and heterogeneous audience were sometimes referred to as "industrialists", the rivethe ...
subculture.
Characteristics
After the EBM movement faded in the early 1990s, electro-industrial increasingly attained popularity in the international club scene. In contrast to the straight EBM style, electro-industrial groups use harsher beats and raspy, distorted, or digitized vocals. In contrast to
industrial rock
Industrial rock is a fusion genre that fuses industrial music and rock music. It initially originated in the 1970s, and drew influence from early experimental and industrial acts such as Cromagnon, Throbbing Gristle, Einstürzende Neubauten a ...
, electro-industrial groups mostly avoided guitars, other than Skinny Puppy, who used electric guitar elements since the mid-'80s in songs like "
Testure
"Testure" is a song by Canadian electro-industrial band Skinny Puppy, taken from its 1988 album '' VIVIsectVI'' and released as a single in 1989. "Testure" was the group's first and last song to chart on '' Billboards's'' Dance Club Songs, an ...
" or "
Dig It", and
Numb on songs like "God Is Dead".
Electro-industrial was anticipated by 1980s groups such as
SPK,
Die Form
Die Form is a French post-industrial and electronic band formed in 1977-78. The name 'Die Form' means '(the) form/shape' in German, like the Bauhaus diary, and is a play on the English homonym 'deform' and on the French homonym 'difforme' (defo ...
,
Borghesia,
Klinik,
Skinny Puppy
Skinny Puppy is a Canadian industrial music group formed in Vancouver in 1982. The group is among the founders of the industrial rock and electro-industrial genres. Initially envisioned as an experimental side-project by cEvin Key (Kevin Crompton ...
,
[Manny Theiner, "Local Electro-industrial duo Prometheus Burning turns up the heat", ''Pittsburgh City Paper'', 29 November 2007]
Access date: 24 October 2008. Numb,
and
Front Line Assembly
Front Line Assembly (FLA) is a Canadian electro-industrial band formed by Bill Leeb in 1986 after leaving Skinny Puppy. FLA has developed its own sound incorporating elements of electronic body music and electro-industrial. The band's members ...
.
Prominent electro-industrial groups of the 1990s include
Mentallo and the Fixer,
Yeht Mae
Yeht Mae was an electro-industrial band from California which began in 1988 by vocalist and keyboard programmer Jeremy Daw. Daw was later joined by vocalist Lynda Sterling and released two self-distributed cassette demos. Their first CD "1000 Vei ...
,
Velvet Acid Christ
Velvet Acid Christ (VAC) is an electro-industrial band based in Denver, Colorado. The band was formed in 1990 by lead vocalist, musician, and producer Bryan Erickson (aka Disease Factory), and later featured various ex-members of Toxic Coma. The ...
, and Pulse Legion (U.S.);
Numb and
Decoded Feedback (Canada);
X Marks the Pedwalk
X Marks the Pedwalk (sometimes written as X-Marks the Pedwalk) is a German band whose styles range from post-industrial dance to electronic body music. X Marks the Pedwalk’s influence in the industrial and electronic music scenes was consid ...
, Plastic Noise Experience,
Wumpscut
Wumpscut (stylised as :wumpscut:) is a gothic influenced electro-industrial music project from Germany. It was founded in May 1991 by Bavarian disc jockey Rudolf "Rudy" Ratzinger (born 3 June 1966).
History
Rudy Ratzinger is the creative force ...
,
Haujobb
Haujobb is a German electronic musical project whose output has ranged drastically within the electronic music spectrum, from electro-industrial to ambient and techno. They have become a staple crossover act, bringing several forms of electro ...
,
Forma Tadre,
KMFDM
KMFDM (originally Kein Mehrheit Für Die Mitleid, loosely translated by the band as "no pity for the majority") is a multinational industrial band from Hamburg led by Sascha Konietzko, who founded the band in 1984 as a performance art project.
...
, Putrefy Factor 7, and Abortive Gasp (Germany);
Leæther Strip
Leæther Strip is a Danish musical project founded on 13 January 1988 by Claus Larsen. Its influence has been most felt in the electronic body music and electro-industrial genres. Leæther Strip was one of the earliest and most prominent acts ...
(Denmark); and early
Hocico
Hocico () is a Mexican electro-industrial duo that was formed in 1993 in Mexico City.
History
Hocico was officially formed in 1993 by cousins Erik Garcia (aka Erk Aicrag) and Oscar Mayorga (aka Racso Agroyam), with Erik writing lyrics and perfo ...
,
Cenobita
Cenobita is an aggrotech/cyberpunk band based in Mexico City, created in 1994 by Claus Bita (programming, vocals and production) and former band member Omar Flo (vocals).
History
Cenobita formed as a duo of Claus Bita and Omar Flo in August of 1 ...
, and
Amduscia (Mexico).
Since the mid-1990s, some electro-industrial groups added guitars and became associated with
industrial metal
Industrial metal is the fusion of heavy metal and industrial music, typically employing repeating metal guitar riffs, sampling, synthesizer or sequencer lines, and distorted vocals. Prominent industrial metal acts include Ministry, Nine In ...
; other groups, e. g.
Skinny Puppy
Skinny Puppy is a Canadian industrial music group formed in Vancouver in 1982. The group is among the founders of the industrial rock and electro-industrial genres. Initially envisioned as an experimental side-project by cEvin Key (Kevin Crompton ...
,
Download
In computer networks, download means to ''receive'' data from a remote system, typically a server such as a web server, an FTP server, an email server, or other similar system. This contrasts with uploading, where data is ''sent to'' a remote s ...
,
Gridlock
Gridlock is a form of traffic congestion where "continuous queues of vehicles block an entire network of intersecting streets, bringing traffic in all directions to a complete standstill". The term originates from a situation possible in a grid ...
, and Haujobb, have incorporated elements of experimental electronic music styles like
drum and bass
Drum and bass (also written as drum & bass or drum'n'bass and commonly abbreviated as D&B, DnB, or D'n'B) is a genre of electronic dance music characterized by fast breakbeats (typically 165–185 beats per minute) with heavy bass and sub-ba ...
,
IDM,
glitch
A glitch is a short-lived fault in a system, such as a transient fault that corrects itself, making it difficult to troubleshoot. The term is particularly common in the computing and electronics industries, in circuit bending, as well as among ...
, and other electronica genres.
Conceptual elements
Electro-industrial groups tend to feature themes of control,
dystopia
A dystopia (from Ancient Greek δυσ- "bad, hard" and τόπος "place"; alternatively cacotopiaCacotopia (from κακός ''kakos'' "bad") was the term used by Jeremy Bentham in his 1818 Plan of Parliamentary Reform (Works, vol. 3, p. 493). ...
, and
science fiction
Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel unive ...
. Electro-industrial groups sometimes take aesthetic inspiration from
horror film
Horror is a film genre that seeks to elicit fear or disgust in its audience for entertainment purposes.
Horror films often explore dark subject matter and may deal with transgressive topics or themes. Broad elements include monsters, apoca ...
s, including ''
The Exorcist
''The Exorcist'' is a 1973 American supernatural horror film directed by William Friedkin and written for the screen by William Peter Blatty, based on his 1971 novel of the same name. It stars Ellen Burstyn, Max von Sydow, Lee J. Cobb, Kitty W ...
'' and the work of
Roman Polanski
Raymond Roman Thierry Polański , group=lower-alpha, name=note_a (né Liebling; 18 August 1933) is a French-Polish film director, producer, screenwriter, and actor. He is the recipient of numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, two ...
,
[Tim DiGravina, Bites review, Allmusic. [] Access date: 23 December 2008.] and the science fiction films ''Blade Runner'' and ''Alien (franchise), Alien''.
Derivatives
Dark electro
Dark electro is a similar style, developed in the early 1990s in central Europe. The term describes groups such as
yelworC and
Placebo Effect
A placebo ( ) is a substance or treatment which is designed to have no therapeutic value. Common placebos include inert tablets (like sugar pills), inert injections (like Saline (medicine), saline), sham surgery, and other procedures.
In general ...
,
and was first used in December 1992 with the album announcement of ''Brainstorming'', yelworC's debut.
[Zillo Music Magazine · Issue No. 12/92 · Album announcement of "Brainstorming" · Pages 43 · Germany · December 1992. The term was repeated in a review of the same album in Zillo Music Magazine · Issue No. 2/93 · Review of the album "Brainstorming" · Pages 49 · Germany · February 1993.] The style was inspired by the music of
The Klinik
Klinik, (sometimes called The Klinik), is an industrial music band from Belgium, originally formed around 1982 by electro-synthpop practitioner Marc Verhaeghen, who is the only constant member.
History
Marc Verhaeghen originally formed Klinik ...
and
Skinny Puppy
Skinny Puppy is a Canadian industrial music group formed in Vancouver in 1982. The group is among the founders of the industrial rock and electro-industrial genres. Initially envisioned as an experimental side-project by cEvin Key (Kevin Crompton ...
. Compositions included gothic horror soundscapes, occult themes, and grunts or distorted vocals. yelworC were a music group from
Munich
Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the States of Germany, German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the List of cities in Germany by popu ...
, formed in 1988. They laid the foundations of the dark electro movement in the early 1990s, and were the first artist on the German label
Celtic Circle Productions. In subsequent years, dark electro was displaced by
techno
Techno is a genre of electronic dance music (EDM) which is generally produced for use in a continuous DJ set, with tempo often varying between 120 and 150 beats per minute (bpm). The central rhythm is typically in common time (4/4) and often ch ...
-influenced styles such as aggrotech and
futurepop
Futurepop is an electronic music genre that has been characterized as a blend of synthpop, EBM and dance beats, based on trance and techno.Peter Matzke, Tobias Seeliger: ''Das Gothic- und Dark-Wave-Lexikon.'' Schwarzkopf und Schwarzkopf, Berlin ...
.
Other groups to practice the style included amGod, Trial, early
Evil's Toy, Mortal Constraint, Arcana Obscura, Splatter Squall, Seven Trees, Tri-State, and
Ice Ages
An ice age is a long period of reduction in the temperature of Earth's surface and atmosphere, resulting in the presence or expansion of continental and polar ice sheets and alpine glaciers. Earth's climate alternates between ice ages and gree ...
.
Aggrotech
![13-03-23 e-tropolis Centhron 01](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/51/13-03-23_e-tropolis_Centhron_01.jpg)
Aggrotech (also known as Terror EBM and hellektro)
is a derivative form of dark-electro with a strong influence from
industrial hardcore
Industrial may refer to:
Industry
* Industrial archaeology, the study of the history of the industry
* Industrial engineering, engineering dealing with the optimization of complex industrial processes or systems
* Industrial city, a city dominate ...
(straight
techno
Techno is a genre of electronic dance music (EDM) which is generally produced for use in a continuous DJ set, with tempo often varying between 120 and 150 beats per minute (bpm). The central rhythm is typically in common time (4/4) and often ch ...
bassdrum from
Roland TR-909
The Roland TR-909 Rhythm Composer is a drum machine introduced by Roland Corporation in 1983, succeeding the TR-808. It was the first Roland drum machine to use samples for some sounds, and the first with MIDI functionality, allowing it to sy ...
and oscillator sounds, especially
Supersaw leads from
Roland JP-8000
The Roland JP-8000 is an analog modeling synthesizer released by the Roland Corporation in 1996.
Overview
The Roland JP-8000 was released in early 1997 as part of the first wave of virtual analog modeling synthesizers (VA synths). Others from ...
) that first surfaced in the mid-late-1990s.
Aggrotech typically employs aggressive beats, prominent lead synth lines, and lyrics of a dark nature. Often, vocals are distorted and pitch-shifted to sound harsh and synthetic; static and glitching effects are also added. Aggrotech musicians include
Agonoize, Alien Vampires,
Amduscia,
Bestias De Asalto,
Cenobita
Cenobita is an aggrotech/cyberpunk band based in Mexico City, created in 1994 by Claus Bita (programming, vocals and production) and former band member Omar Flo (vocals).
History
Cenobita formed as a duo of Claus Bita and Omar Flo in August of 1 ...
,
Chiasm, Die Sektor,
Combichrist,
Dawn of Ashes,
Detroit Diesel
Detroit Diesel Corporation (DDC) is an American diesel engine manufacturer headquartered in Detroit, Michigan, United States. It is a subsidiary of Daimler Truck North America, which is itself a wholly owned subsidiary of the mulitinational Da ...
, Dulce Liquido, DYM,
Feindflug,
God Module
God Module is an American dark electronic band founded in 1999 from Orlando, Florida. Since 2006 they have been based out of Washington state. God Module is currently signed to Metropolis Records.
History
God Module was formed in 1999 by Jasy ...
,
Grendel
Grendel is a character in the Anglo-Saxon epic poem '' Beowulf'' (700–1000). He is one of the poem's three antagonists (along with his mother and the dragon), all aligned in opposition against the protagonist Beowulf. Grendel is feared by a ...
,
Hocico
Hocico () is a Mexican electro-industrial duo that was formed in 1993 in Mexico City.
History
Hocico was officially formed in 1993 by cousins Erik Garcia (aka Erk Aicrag) and Oscar Mayorga (aka Racso Agroyam), with Erik writing lyrics and perfo ...
,
iVardensphere,
Nachtmahr, Machine Sonata,
Panic Lift,
Psyclon Nine
Psyclon Nine is an American band formed in 2000 in San Francisco, CA, known for their unique blend of electronic, industrial metal. Originally, Psyclon Nine's music was Terror EBM with melancholic atmospheres and black metal style vocals. Howe ...
,
Reaper
A reaper is a agricultural machinery, farm implement or person that wikt:reap#Verb, reaps (cuts and often also gathers) crops at harvest when they are ripe. Usually the crop involved is a cereal grass. The first documented reaping machines were ...
,
Suicide Commando
Suicide Commando is a Belgian electro-industrial music act formed by Johan Van Roy in 1986. For live shows, it consists of Van Roy himself on vocals, Torben Schmidt on keyboards, and Mario Vaerewijck on drums.
History
Van Roy began experime ...
, Tactical Sekt,
Tamtrum
Tamtrum was an Aggrotech duo from Aix-en-Provence (France), composed of artists Benoit XVI and Sylvicious. They released many singles on many different compilation albums such as ''Cyberlab Volume 5.0''. The friendship of Benoit and Sylvicious ...
,
The Retrosic
The Retrosic is a German electro-industrial project.
History
The Retrosic project was born in April 2001 with the release of the debut ''Prophecy''. The Retrosic's second release, ''Messa da Requiem'', reached the top of the Deutsche Alternativ ...
,
Ritual Aesthetic,
Unter Null
Erica Dunham, better known by her stage name Unter Null, founded the solo aggrotech music project in 1998 at the age of 17, while living in Seattle, United States. , she is based in Portland, Oregon. Dunham is trained in Classical Piano, Cello an ...
,
Virtual Embrace, and
X-Fusion, among many.
See also
*
List of industrial music festivals
*
List of electro-industrial bands
References
{{Electronica
Industrial music
Electronic music genres
de:Electro (Sammelbezeichnung)#Electro-Industrial