Industrial techno: noise, machines and darkness

Industrial music for industrial people

In 1976 the British group Throbbing Gristle founded Industrial Records under the slogan "industrial music for industrial people". That gave a whole movement its name: noise, tapes, synthesizers and unsettling lyrics. At the same time Cabaret Voltaire were active in Sheffield, as mentioned in the UK techno lesson.

EBM: noise you can dance to

In the 1980s industrial music learned to dance. The Belgian group Front 242 called their style Electronic Body Music, or EBM. Germany's DAF and Britain's Nitzer Ebb played in a similar way: hard bass sequences, marching rhythms, shouted slogans. Front 242's "Headhunter" from 1988 is a classic that still turns up in techno sets.

From Birmingham to Berlin

In the 1990s the raw Birmingham sound of Regis and Surgeon connected industrial and techno. Regis spoke openly about being inspired by industrial music and post-punk. He and his peers showed that techno could be hypnotic and brutal at once.

The new wave of the 2010s

Around 2010 a new generation arrived. Londoner Ali Wells, as Perc, runs the Perc Trax label and plays techno full of distortion and noise. Michael Wollenhaupt from Berlin, as Ancient Methods, fused EBM with heavy techno. Blawan from Yorkshire became known for drums that sound like hammer blows on metal. In 2013 Paula Temple released "Colonized" on the Belgian label R&S, one of the most intense tracks of the decade. In 2017 Perc and vocalist Gazelle Twin made "Look What Your Love Has Done to Me", which showed this music can also be haunting and emotional.

Why it works

Industrial techno doesn't want to be pretty. Grinding noise and distortion work as catharsis: they let you release anger and tension in a safe place, together with others. Its influence can be heard today in fast hard techno, which gets its own lesson soon.