20 best: EBM & Industrial

Words: Richard Clouston

In 1975, Genesis P. Orridge, Cosey Fanni Tutti, Chris Carter and Peter ‘Sleazy’ Christopherson formed the group Throbbing Gristle and their own company, Industrial Records. The resulting work is some of the most vital and influential art and music ever made.

Together with protagonists such as Cabaret Voltaire, NON, Monte Cazzaza and SPK, TG created an energizing nexus of emancipation, confrontation and passion. The term “industrial” was adopted to embrace a wide range of experimental, predominantly electronic music. From this came the specifically dance-oriented Electronic Body Music. A brave and exotic sound, ranging from high-octane pop to raw, minimal beats, EBM is characterized by its stark, sexual aesthetic.

What follows is a selection of some of the industrial and EBM records I love.

This article was originally published in FACT:13, 2006



 

01: THROBBING GRISTLE
DISCIPLINE
(FETISH RECORDS, 1981)

A defining release, with two recordings of TG performing live in Manchester and Berlin, this immense, visceral and relentless record goes some way to capturing the originators at the height of their magick. TG also did an amazing version of ‘Discipline’ at the Astoria in 2004, which can be seen on DVD.



 

02: NITZER EBB
‘WARSAW GHETTO’
(POWER OF VOICE COMMUNICATIONS, 1985)

The ‘Ebb released this as a second single on their own label: a totally physical and severe dance record, with a brilliant vocal performance by Douglas McCarthy. Sheer genius.



 

03: PARADE GROUND
‘STRANGE WORLD’
(PLAY IT AGAIN SAM, 1987)

Mind-blowing euphoric pop made by two brothers from Brussels, with good lyrics about dying in a plane crash. Big dance track at my club, this makes your spine tingle. In a better world, it would’ve been an international #1.



 

04:  DEUTSCH AMERIKANISCHE FREUNDSCHAFT
‘GOLDENES SPIELZEUG’
(VIRGIN, 1981)

Biba Kopf wrote of DAF: “The beating heart pumps out pulses through the electronic circuits of the sex machine”, and indeed the best work of EBM innovators Robert Gorl and Gabi Delgado produces a strange kinda edge-of-orgasm sensation.

 

05: CAROL & SNOWY RED
‘BREAKDOWN’
(DIRTY DANCE RECORDS, 1982)

EBM pioneer Snow Red (aka Micky Mike) and the mysterious Carol made this melancholy and incredibly beautiful song. It eventually became a duet on Snowy’s Vision LP, but it’s this original and extremely rare seven-inch version that you need to own. The drum programming sounds like King Tubby, the synths like Joe Meek’s Telstar. One of my favourite records ever.

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This entry was posted on Wednesday, October 27th, 2010 at 2:59 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.

  • jgb

    wonderful

  • Jonny

    This is basically just a list of ‘some’ EMB records.What makes them the best? For example, why Don’t Crash by Front 242? Is this really their best ever record or is it just a record by Front 242? Funkhadafi, from the same era, is loads better. Also, no mention of Clock DVA – really????

  • LubaLoft

    I’d guess those records are the writer’s favorite ones. People’s tastes differ. Fortunately! What’s wrong with that?
    Why don’t you give us your Top20?

  • Merkin

    Re: Carol – The drum programming does not “sound like King Tubby” (wtf does that mean anyway?) And the keyboards don’t sound anything like “Telstar” either. Also, in no way could you describe this as EBM. And the record is awful. Nil points.

  • RDC

    Dear Merkin,

    Look and you will find…

    Fact has mistakenly posted the audio for the later version of the Carol and Snowy Red track. Here is the version I was writing about:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BmSbAzbesVg

    NB This article originally appeared printed in FACT 13 – 2006.

    yours

    RD Clouston

    http://www.rdc77.com

  • RDC

    see above

  • Rgrant

    you english hipsters are funny, 10 years ago everyone would have bagged this out as shite.

  • flynn

    no front line assembly? come on.

  • Bennyshambles

    Dude, I totally agree about most of these, but especially the Carol 7″. It is the best and that’s a great description. I’ve never heard Parade Ground, but will check it out. Thanks.

  • Pingback: Chris & Cosey to play first live show in 10 years; more reissues – FACT magazine: music and art

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_YSLAXLKVXRKF2S33P3ZJHXUL2Y Merwin Xalapa

    I agree it’s odd about Clock DVA/Anti-Group not being mentioned. Furthermore, another twenty songs off the top of my head to supplement the already nice list in the article.

    01 Pankow “Kunst Und Wahnsinn”
    02 Garry Bradbury (ex-Severed Heads) “The Amphetamine Song”
    03 Meat Beat Manifesto “Strap Down”
    04 Test Dept. “Compulsion”
    05 Psyche “Brain Collapse”
    06 Borghesia “Ni Upanja, Ni Strahu”
    07 Laibach “Trans National”
    08 Click Click “Yakutska”
    09 Oil In The Eye “Sex and Surgery”
    10 The Cassandra Complex “One Millionth Happy Customer”
    11 Clock DVA “Voice Recognition Test”
    12 Holger Hiller “Königinnen”
    13 Ă ;GRUMH… “Ayatollah Jackson”
    14 SPK “Slogun”
    15 PouppĂ©e Fabrikk “Summon The Spirits”
    16 Psychic TV “Ov Power”
    17 Renaldo and the Loaf “Hambu Ho Do”
    18 In The Nursery “Twins”
    19 Ike Yard “NCR”
    20 Sleeping Dogs Wake “Understanding”

    Cheers!

  • Musicka

    Nice to see Oil in the eye in there they are very underrated.

  • David

    you are an ignoramus

  • SnowyRed

    The Carol 7 inch was recently re-released together with +40 other tracks by the man behind the project SNOWY RED. It’s available as a 5xLP box set over here: http://www.onderstroomrecords.net/shop/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=89

  • SnowyRed

    The Carol 7 inch was recently re-released together with +40 other tracks by the man behind the project SNOWY RED. It’s available as a 5xLP box set over here: http://www.onderstroomrecords.net/shop/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=89

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