Electro-industrial is a music genre

Music genre

A music genre is a categorical and typological construct that identifies musical sounds as belonging to a particular category and type of music that can be distinguished from other types of music...

 drawing on EBM

Electronic body music

Electronic body music or industrial dance is a music genre that combines elements of industrial music and electronic dance music...

 and post-industrial that developed in the mid-1980s. While EBM has a minimal structure and clean production, electro-industrial has a deep, complex and layered sound. The style was pioneered by Skinny Puppy

Skinny Puppy

Skinny Puppy is a Canadian industrial musical group, formed in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada in 1982. The group is widely considered to be the founders of the electro-industrial genre....

, Front Line Assembly

Front Line Assembly

Front Line Assembly is a Canadian electro-industrial band formed by Bill Leeb in 1986 after leaving Skinny Puppy. Influenced by early Industrial acts such as Cabaret Voltaire, Portion Control, D.A.F., Test Dept, SPK, and Severed Heads, FLA has developed its own unique sound while combining...

, and other groups, either from Canada

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

 or the Benelux

Benelux

The Benelux is an economic union in Western Europe comprising three neighbouring countries, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg. These countries are located in northwestern Europe between France and Germany...

. In the mid-'90s, the style spawned the dark electro and aggrotech offshoots. The fan base for the style is linked to the rivethead

Rivethead

Rivethead can mean:* The head of a rivet* Formerly, since the 1940s, a nickname for American automotive assembly line workers* A fashion style, as described here----...

 subculture (although not everyone who primarily listens to industrial

Industrial music

Industrial music is a style of experimental music that draws on transgressive and provocative themes. The term was coined in the mid-1970s with the founding of Industrial Records by the band Throbbing Gristle, and the creation of the slogan "industrial music for industrial people". In general, the...

 is a rivethead).

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

Industrial rock is a musical genre that fuses industrial music and specific rock subgenres. Industrial rock spawned industrial metal, with which it is often confused...

, electro-industrial groups avoid guitars.

Electro-industrial was anticipated by 1980s groups such as SPK

SPK (band)

SPK, formed in 1978 in Sydney, Australia, was a 1980s and early 1990s industrial music and noise music group. One member, Graeme Revell, would later go on to become a successful Hollywood movie composer.-History:...

, Die Form

Die Form

Die Form is a French post-industrial and electronic band formed in 1977-78. The name 'Die Form' means ' form/shape' in German, like the Bauhaus diary and is a play on the English homonym 'deformed' and on the French homonym 'difforme' ....

, Klinik

Klinik

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:...

, Skinny Puppy

Skinny Puppy

Skinny Puppy is a Canadian industrial musical group, formed in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada in 1982. The group is widely considered to be the founders of the electro-industrial genre....

, and Front Line Assembly

Front Line Assembly

Front Line Assembly is a Canadian electro-industrial band formed by Bill Leeb in 1986 after leaving Skinny Puppy. Influenced by early Industrial acts such as Cabaret Voltaire, Portion Control, D.A.F., Test Dept, SPK, and Severed Heads, FLA has developed its own unique sound while combining...

. Prominent electro-industrial groups of the 1990s include Android Lust

Android Lust

Android Lust is the industrial solo project of Shikhee, that combines elements of rock, industrial, gothic and classical styles into a blend of music that she describes as "electronic and dark."-History:...

, Mentallo and the Fixer

Mentallo and the Fixer

Mentallo and the Fixer is the project name used by Texan electro-industrial musicians Gary Dassing and Dwayne Dassing from 1988 to 1999, and by Gary Dassing alone from 1999 to the present day. The band has several releases on the American record label, Metropolis Records...

, and Velvet Acid Christ

Velvet Acid Christ

Velvet Acid Christ is an electro-industrial band based in Denver, Colorado. The band was formed in 1990, gaining limited popularity in Europe's underground nightclub scene during the mid-1990s before expanding into other markets in the goth and industrial subcultures...

 (U.S.); Controlled Fusion

Controlled Fusion

Controlled Fusion is an electro-industrial act from Germany.-History:Controlled Fusion was formed in 1993 by programmer Steffan Schuhrke, with In Strict Confidence frontman Dennis Ostermann joining in 1995 in time for the project's debut album 'Unnatural Causes', which was released in 1996...

, Forma Tadre

Forma Tadre

Forma Tadre is a German musical project that can best be described as electro with a feel of soundtracks and ambient but has also been categorized as industrial or electronic body music...

, Haujobb

Haujobb

Haujobb is a German musical project whose output has ranged drastically within the electronic music spectrum, from electro-industrial to IDM and techno...

, In Strict Confidence

In Strict Confidence

In Strict Confidence is a German electro-industrial band. Formed in 1989/1990, they were known as Seal of Secrecy until 1992. In Strict Confidence has been signed to several record labels, including Metropolis Records and WTII Records.-History:...

, :wumpscut:

Wumpscut:

:Wumpscut: is an electro-industrial music project from Germany...

, and X Marks the Pedwalk

X Marks the Pedwalk

X Marks the Pedwalk ) is a German band whose styles range from post-industrial dance to electronic body music...

 (Germany); Download

Download (band)

Download is an electronic music group formed by Dwayne Goettel and cEvin Key of Skinny Puppy in 1994. The initial lineup also included Off & Gone's Phil Western and Mark Spybey of Dead Voices on Air, but has since been particularly fluid, with Key and Western being the only constant members...

, Decoded Feedback

Decoded Feedback

Decoded Feedback is a Canadian musical project which incorporates styles of electro-industrial and aggrotech. The duo currently releases music on the North American distributor Metropolis Records, and the European record label Out of Line.-History:...

, Numb

Numb (band)

Numb is an electro-industrial band that was based in Vancouver, Canada. It was founded by Don Gordon, David Hall and Sean Stubbs in 1986. Following his Suspended single, Gordon retired the project and moved to Vietnam to live with his wife.-Past members:...

 (Canada); Leæther Strip

Leæther Strip

Leæther Strip is a Danish musical project founded on January 13, 1988 by Claus Larsen. Its influence has been most felt in the electronic body music and electro-industrial genres. Perhaps to a certain extent, it may have influenced various film score productions. Leæther Strip was one of the...

 from Denmark; and early Hocico

Hocico

- History :The duo was officially formed in 1993 by Erik Garcia a.k.a Erk Aicrag and Oscar Mayorga a.k.a. Racso Agroyam , but both cousins had been experimenting with electronic music, mixing industrial and EBM, since they were fifteen years old. Their music can be described as electro-industrial...

, Cenobita

Cenobita

Cenobita is an aggrotech/cyberpunk band based in Mexico City, created in 1994 by Claus Bita and former band member Omar Flo .-History:...

 and Amduscia

Amduscia

Amduscia is an aggrotech band from Mexico consisting of Polo Amduscia and Edgar "Amduscia" Acevedo .-History and Origin of Name:Amduscia was founded in 1999 in Mexico City...

 from Mexico.

Noise rock

Noise rock

Noise rock describes a style of post-punk rock music that became prominent in the 1980s. Noise rock makes use of the traditional instrumentation and iconography of rock, but incorporates atonality and especially dissonance, and also frequently discards usual songwriting conventions.-Style:Noise...

 groups, such as Wolf Eyes

Wolf Eyes

Wolf Eyes is a post-industrial/noise band from Detroit, Michigan, United States.-History:Wolf Eyes began as a solo project of former Nautical Almanac member Nate Young, with Aaron Dilloway joining in 1998, and John Olson in 2000...

, have also been associated with the label. In the mid-'90s, some electro-industrial groups added guitars and became associated with industrial metal

Industrial metal

Industrial metal is a musical genre that draws from industrial music and many different types of heavy metal, using repeating metal guitar riffs, sampling, synthesizer or sequencer lines, and distorted vocals. Founding industrial metal acts include Ministry, Godflesh, and KMFDM.Industrial metal's...

; other groups, such as Download and Haujobb, have incorporated elements of drum and bass

Drum and bass

Drum and bass is a type of electronic music which emerged in the late 1980s. The genre is characterized by fast breakbeats , with heavy bass and sub-bass lines...

 and IDM

Intelligent dance music

Intelligent dance music is a term that describes an electronic music genre that emerged in the early 1990s. The genre is influenced by a wide range of musical styles particularly electronic dance music such as Detroit Techno...

.

Influences

Skinny Puppy took inspiration from Nocturnal Emissions

Nocturnal Emissions

Nocturnal Emissions is a sound art project that has released numerous records and CDs in music styles ranging from electro-acoustic, musique concrète, hybridised beats, sound collage, post-industrial music, ambient and noise music....

, Portion Control, and The Legendary Pink Dots

The Legendary Pink Dots

The Legendary Pink Dots are an Anglo-Dutch experimental rock band formed in London in August 1980. Although far outside the mainstream , LPD have released more than 40 albums, have a devoted worldwide following, and tour frequently.-Overview:The Legendary Pink Dots formed in August 1980 in London...

. Critic Jason Ankeny has also noted Skinny Puppy's debts to Suicide

Suicide (band)

Suicide is an American electronic protopunk musical duo, intermittently active since 1970 and composed of vocalist Alan Vega and Martin Rev on synthesizers and drum machines. They are an early synthesizer/vocal musical duo....

, Throbbing Gristle

Throbbing Gristle

Throbbing Gristle were an English industrial, avant-garde music and visual arts group that evolved from the performance art group COUM Transmissions...

, and Cabaret Voltaire

Cabaret Voltaire (band)

Cabaret Voltaire were a British music group from Sheffield, England.Initially composed of Stephen Mallinder, Richard H. Kirk and Chris Watson, the group was named after the Cabaret Voltaire, a nightclub in Zürich, Switzerland that was a centre for the early Dada movement.Their earliest performances...

.

Conceptual elements

As in most industrial music, many electro-industrial groups tend to feature themes of control, dystopia

Dystopia

A dystopia is the idea of a society in a repressive and controlled state, often under the guise of being utopian, as characterized in books like Brave New World and Nineteen Eighty-Four...

, and science fiction. Electro-industrial groups sometimes take aesthetic inspiration from horror film

Horror film

Horror films seek to elicit a negative emotional reaction from viewers by playing on the audience's most primal fears. They often feature scenes that startle the viewer through the means of macabre and the supernatural, thus frequently overlapping with the fantasy and science fiction genres...

s, including The Exorcist

The Exorcist (film)

The Exorcist is a 1973 American horror film directed by William Friedkin, adapted from the 1971 novel of the same name by William Peter Blatty and based on the exorcism case of Robbie Mannheim, dealing with the demonic possession of a young girl and her mother’s desperate attempts to win back her...

and the work of Roman Polanski

Roman Polanski

Roman Polanski is a French-Polish film director, producer, writer and actor. Having made films in Poland, Britain, France and the USA, he is considered one of the few "truly international filmmakers."...

, and the science fiction film

Science fiction film

Science fiction film is a film genre that uses science fiction: speculative, science-based depictions of phenomena that are not necessarily accepted by mainstream science, such as extraterrestrial life forms, alien worlds, extrasensory perception, and time travel, often along with futuristic...

s Blade Runner

Blade Runner

Blade Runner is a 1982 American science fiction film directed by Ridley Scott and starring Harrison Ford, Rutger Hauer, and Sean Young. The screenplay, written by Hampton Fancher and David Peoples, is loosely based on the novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K...

and Alien

Alien (franchise)

The Alien film series is a science fiction horror film franchise, focusing on Lieutenant Ellen Ripley and her battle with an extraterrestrial lifeform, commonly referred to as "the Alien"...

.

Dark electro

Dark electro is a similar style, developed in the mid-1990s in central Europe. The term describes groups such as yelworC

YelworC

yelworC is an electro band from Germany.The group was formed in 1987 by Peter Devin and Oliver Büttner . Their name is derived from the name of Aleister Crowley, and their music reflects themes of dark magic, religious rituals, death, and violence.-History:The duo put out a number of demo tapes...

 and Placebo Effect

Placebo Effect (band)

Placebo Effect was a German dark electro band.The band was formed in the late 1980s by Axel Machens, Christoph Kunze, and Achim Windel. They have an early electro-industrial sound which has been credited as the inspiration of several other industrial bands like Front Line Assembly.In 1995, Placebo...

, and was first used in December 1992 with the album announcement of Brainstorming, yelworC's debut. The style was inspired by the electro-industrial of The Klinik and Skinny Puppy

Skinny Puppy

Skinny Puppy is a Canadian industrial musical group, formed in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada in 1982. The group is widely considered to be the founders of the electro-industrial genre....

. Compositions included horror soundscapes, and grunts or distorted vocals. yelworC were a music group from Munich

Munich

Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...

, 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

Techno is a form of electronic dance music that emerged in Detroit, Michigan in the United States during the mid to late 1980s. The first recorded use of the word techno, in reference to a genre of music, was in 1988...

-influenced styles such as aggrotech and futurepop. Other groups to practice the style included Trial, Evil's Toy, GGFH

GGFH

G.G.F.H. is an industrial music band from Oakland, CA. The band’s musical inspiration derives from lyrical concepts such as death, murder, religion, drug abuse, rape, sex, and mental illness. They have received critical acclaim from Kerrang! and Terrorizer Magazine.- History :Michael Geist, also...

 (Disease

Disease (G.G.F.H. album)

Disease is the second studio album by the industrial/horror techno band G.G.F.H.. This album saw the band take a more techno approach, pushing aside the sludgier sound of their earlier material...

), Ice Ages

Ice Ages (band)

Ice Ages is an Austrian dark electro / industrial band signed to Napalm Records. The band is a one-man band consisting of Richard Lederer from Summoning and Die Verbannten Kinder Evas.-Biography:...

, The Electric Hellfire Club and Android Lust

Android Lust

Android Lust is the industrial solo project of Shikhee, that combines elements of rock, industrial, gothic and classical styles into a blend of music that she describes as "electronic and dark."-History:...

.

Aggrotech

Aggrotech (also known as Hellektro, Harsh EBM, or Terror EBM) is a variation of electro-industrial with a strong influence from the rave scene that first surfaced in the mid 1990s. Aggrotech was the name of a San Francisco club in 1990, where DJs played industrial noise. Various installations at Aggrotech events were created to encourage the few people who were creating abstract art and computer generated artwork which, at the time, was beyond the budget of most underground music fans. This club was the blueprint for many "goth-industrial" nights to come, where the focus on dancing and music was shared with art galleries and physical performances. The club only lasted about a year, after which the owners of the now defunct club put out an Aggrotech magazine for a few months in 1991. The magazine featured reporting on some of the early bands influenced by industrial music, but no one involved ever referred to the music itself as "aggrotech". Beyond the name of the club, it has very little to do with the music currently dubbed as aggrotech.

Aggrotech regularly consists of harsh song structures, aggressive beats, and explicit, pessimistic, militant lyrics. Typically the vocals are distorted and pitch-shifted to sound harsh, and synthetic. Aggrotech musicians include Philippe KireCore, Nadejda Babkina, Tesla Boy

Tesla Boy

Tesla Boy is a Russian synthpop / new wave band formed by Anton Sevidov, Dima Midborn and Poko Cox in late 2008.-History:The band's name is taken from the title of a song written by Anton and Dima during the beginning of their collaboration about a boy who could conduct electricity but could not...

, Steklovata, Areya, Aesthetic Perfection

Aesthetic Perfection

Aesthetic Perfection is an American electronic-industrial musical project created by Daniel Graves in 2000. The style is reminiscent of many aggrotech, industrial, dance music bands, while also leaning towards other styles such as alternative music....

, Suicide Commando

Suicide Commando

Suicide Commando is a Belgian electro-industrial act created by Johan van Roy in 1986.- History :Johan van Roy, Suicide Commando's only member, began experimenting with electronic music in 1986. Three years later he released his first tape under the moniker Suicide Commando, and made an appearance...

, X-Fusion

X-Fusion

X-Fusion is the name of a solo electronic music project by German Musician, Producer & DJ, Jan L. He began releasing acid house tracks in 1988, and by 2000, the project had become an aggrotech project. To this date, X-Fusion has released 14 albums....

, Tactical Sekt

Tactical Sekt

Tactical Sekt is an electro-industrial band formed in 2002. They use distorted vocals, EBM beats, and sampling. -History:Tactical Sekt was conceived by Anthony Mather in 2002 to 2003. Mather had experience with electro-industrial music in his former band, Aslan Faction...

, Amduscia

Amduscia

Amduscia is an aggrotech band from Mexico consisting of Polo Amduscia and Edgar "Amduscia" Acevedo .-History and Origin of Name:Amduscia was founded in 1999 in Mexico City...

, Agonoize

Agonoize

Agonoize is a German Aggrotech band constituted of Mike Johnson , Oliver Senger and Chris L .-History:...

, Psyclon Nine

Psyclon Nine

Psyclon Nine is a musical group formed in 2000 in the San Francisco Bay Area. While their early efforts are generally categorized as aggrotech, their more recent material has incorporated a disparate set of musical and aesthetic influences, notably industrial metal. The group took a hiatus at the...

, Combichrist

CombiChrist

Combichrist is a Norwegian Aggrotech band formed in 2003 by Norwegian Andy LaPlegua based in Atlanta.-Formation:The first material LaPlegua wrote was a few powernoise/techno crossover tracks under the moniker DRIVE...

, Virtual Embrace

Virtual Embrace

Virtual Embrace is an aggrotech band from Berlin, Germany formed by Mike Johnson and DJ CyberChrist. Their first release was Roots of Evil EP in 2004 and became successful...

, Funker Vogt

Funker Vogt

Funker Vogt is a German electronic music project with an aggressive style, formed by vocalist Jens Kästel and programmer Gerrit Thomas in 1995. Other members of the band are keyboardist/manager Bjorn Bottcher, live guitarist Frank Schweigert and lyricist Kai Schmidt...

, Unter Null

Unter null

Unter Null is an Aggrotech music project formed in 1998 by the then 17 year old Erica Dunham, in Seattle, USA. , she is based in Portland, Oregon.-Overview:...

, The Retrosic

The Retrosic

-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 Alternative Charts in 2002, and was named "Album of the Year" by the Dutch Alternative Charts.The Retrosic's third album God...

, God Module

God Module

God Module is a United States-based Dark Electronic band founded in Orlando, Florida in 1999, relocating to western Washington in 2006. The band is currently signed to Metropolis Records in the U.S. and Out of Line Music in Germany. God Module's founding members were Jasyn Bangert and Andrew Ramirez...

, Grendel

Grendel (band)

Grendel is a Dutch music group formed in 1997. Their music is in the Aggrotech genre. Their name originates from Beowulf.There also exists an unrelated Finnish powermetal band called Grendel, which released three albums so far .-History:Grendel started out with VLRK , and...

, Tamtrum

Tamtrum

Tamtrum is an Aggrotech duo from Aix-en-Provence , 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 started in a French black metal band called Mandragor...

, Feindflug

Feindflug

' , is a controversial German electro-industrial band founded in 1995. Translated, the name means "attack-raid" or literally "foe-flight" ; it corresponds in military use to the French/English word "sortie".- Style and themes :...

, Cenobita

Cenobita

Cenobita is an aggrotech/cyberpunk band based in Mexico City, created in 1994 by Claus Bita and former band member Omar Flo .-History:...

, Dawn of Ashes

Dawn Of Ashes

Dawn of Ashes is an American melodic black metal band with horror based lyrical themes. They first began in 2001 in Los Angeles, California by playing the genres of Harsh EBM/Aggrotech, and in 2005 released a demo album Sacred Fever. Soon after its release they were signed to NoiTekk and then to...

, Detroit Diesel

Detroit Diesel (band)

Detroit Diesel is a French Canadian harsh EBM duo, founded in 2006, signed on Deathwatch Asia and Infacted-Recordings.-History: Back in 2006, the EBM scene was cooling down, and it was evident that there was a need for fresh products....

, Alien Vampires

Alien Vampires

Alien Vampires is an electro-industrial band formed in 2000. The band has recorded half a dozen studio releases, and has collaborated with numerous other groups, including Suicide Commando, In Slaughter Natives, and Noisuf-X.-Biography:...

, and :wumpscut:. Out of Line is a German aggrotech label. Alfa Matrix

Alfa Matrix

Alfa Matrix is a Belgian record label. Founded in 2001, the label releases various musical styles including aggrotech, dark elektro, synthpop and electronica....

 is a Belgian aggrotech/dark electro/synthpop

Synthpop

Synthpop is a genre of popular music that first became prominent in the 1980s, in which the synthesizer is the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s and early 1970s by the use of synthesizers in progressive rock, electronic art rock, disco and particularly the "Kraut rock" of...

 label.

See also

• List of electro-industrial bands
• Cybergoth
  Cybergoth
  Cybergoth is a subculture that derives from elements of cyberpunk, goth, raver, and rivethead fashion. Unlike traditional goths, Cybergoths follow electronic dance music more often than rock.-History:...
  
  
• Rivethead
  Rivethead
  Rivethead can mean:* The head of a rivet* Formerly, since the 1940s, a nickname for American automotive assembly line workers* A fashion style, as described here----...