Electronic Body Music is a physical assault of undulating bass lines, syncopated rhythms, aggressive synths, and vocals that sit somewhere in between shouting, chanting, and rap, all blended with tropes of industrial, post-punk, avant-garde and more in a melting pot of dystopian music designed to make you sweat. Let’s take a closer look at the ins-n-outs of this often overlooked genre, and the incredible mark it made on modern music...
Treat your ears to a selection of EBM's finest in chronological order...
The term “industrial” encompasses a wide range of experimental, predominantly electronic music. From this came the specifically dance-oriented Electronic Body Music, commonly known as EBM. Ranging from high-octane pop to raw, minimal beats, EBM is characterised by its distinct sexual aesthetic (Clousten, 2014).
“We have done something which we call electronic body music” - Ralf Hütter, 1978
In a radio interview promoting The Man-Machine, Kraftwerk‘s Ralf Hütter first coined the term electronic body music. At the turn of the decade in 1980, German band DAF then used the term “Körpermusik” (body music) to describe their danceable electronic punk sound. The term was later used by Belgian band Front 242 in 1985 to describe their EP No Comment (Lewis, 2008). These progenitors of EBM, along with British trailblazers Nitzer Ebb, pioneered the scene which would soon cross the Atlantic to heavily influence early House and Techno. But what were their influences...
EBM is recognized to have emerged during industrial’s second wave, circa 1982 to 1990, when industrial music transitioned from isolated pockets of artist-led avant-garde activity into a globally connected scene (Dicker, 2018). Though a sub-genre of industrial, it is generally considered a part of the European new-wave and post-punk movement. Led predominantly by artists from Belgium and Germany, the experimental style, aggressive attitude, and ideological themes could easily be linked to an area of the world that was creating music against the backdrop of the Cold War. For Belgian artists it was during the time of the CCC (Cellules Communistes Combattantes) terrorist bombings, whilst Berliners were still dealing with a society pre-fall of the Berlin Wall.
“EBM is more than just 'the sound'. It's a certain attitude and state of mind that most don't realise. EBM and industrial show the hideousness of society and culture, point out its absurdities, and laugh in its face” - Phase Fatale, 2018
Groups from this era often applied socialist realist aesthetics, with ironic intent (Raggett, 2008). Artists like DAF and Nitzer Ebb commonly borrowed totalitarian images from the recent past, where as Front 242's extremism fed directly off current affairs.
Further pivotal to the genre's growth were venues and labels accepting and promoting this new sound: Frankfurt's Technoclub was first established in 1984, and is hailed as one of the first clubs to play purely electronic music, though in its early years this was in fact EBM (Dicker, 2018).
In the same year American indie label WaxTrax! invited Front 242 for a tour of their new EP. The band's first show at Chicago's infamous club Medusa's, was instrumental in spreading EBM throughout the US.
A few years later in 1988, EBM had truly exploded onto the public consciousness, coinciding with WaxTrax! releasing Front 242's landmark album Front by Front. It's lead single Headhunter is considered to be "one of the most famous EBM tracks ever recorded" (Reed, 2013).
A year later Nine Inch Nails released their debut album Pretty Hate Machine, which quickly changed the whole scene and tipped the scales for industrial music (Dicker, 2018). Around the same time a burgeoning rave culture began to amass global followers of the acid house movement, which largely swept away EBM at the turn of the decade.
"I found that the vitality and the spirit and the energy moved away from EBM into the rave culture, and industrial morphed into this rock sub-genre" - Rhys Fulber (Front Line Assembly)
Though only around a short time, the genre made a substantial impact on the progress of music under the electronic umbrella. Though lot of this inspiration could be attributed purely to technological advancements. The 80s saw an explosion of electronic instruments from which a lot of inspiration was garnered; particularly from now-classic synthesizers such as the Korg MS-20, Emulator II, Oberheim Matrix, and the Yamaha DX7.
Alexander Reed (2013) describes an EBM bassline as "generally a two-measure synth pattern, sometimes with chromatic inflections. These timbres might be muted, emphasising low frequencies, or they might be made up of square and sawtooth waves for a bright, more in your face sound, but as a rule synth parts were undistorted and staccato, making it easy for the ear to distinguish one sound from the other". These repetitive bass sequences were based around a quarter-note kick drum which was militantly four-to-the-floor.
Above the rigidly quantised rhythm structure sat intrusive vocals, sometimes slightly electronically distorted, with heavy reverb and echo effects. These vocals were often presented as shouts or growls, lyrically reflecting the post-punk culture of a disgruntled youth. However often they were interchanged with samples including political speeches and excerpts from science fiction movies or the news. Other samples included classically industrial "factory ambiance", eg: machines, alert sounds, metal clanking.
Join In The Chant, one of the most revered EBM tracks, is perhaps also the most indicative of the genre's style. Note the heavily sequenced patterns, persistent 4/4 kick drum, 80s sounding snare drum, synthesised repetitive bassline, yelled vocals with heavy use of FX (particularly echo and reverb), and the inclusion of some 'clanging metal' subtly in the background of the mix:
By the mid-1990s the genre may have faded, but it never truly died, with artists today still trying to recreate the energising sounds of EBM. Its thumping beats and regimented synth lines were precursors to techno, so it's fitting that today's artists are looking back to the early origins of the genre for further inspiration. Similarly, the influence of techno can be heard in contemporary EBM-inspired artists like Phase Fatale; it seems the two genres have cross-pollinated to create an indistinguishable equilibrium.
One interesting derivative of EBM presented itself in the late 80s. Belgian DJ Dikke Ronny played the EBM track 'Flesh' by A Split Second at the wrong speed on the turntable. Instead of 45rpm, 33rpm was selected, which was then raised on the pitch fader to +8%. The industrial-heavy track had become more melodramatic. The idea quickly spread around Belgium inspiring infectious movement, and the major underground success known as 'new beat' music was born.
Keep an eye out for a forthcoming analysis, delving into the new beat scene and what makes it tick!
Stay Tuned
- TA
REFERENCES
Clousten, R. (2014). EBM | Industrial. Retrieved from https://www.factmag.com/2014/11/27/ebm-industrial/
Dicker, H. (2018). Join in the chant: Inside the cult of EBM. Retrieved from https://www.residentadvisor.net/features/3311
Lewis, U.D. (2008). D.A.F. Autobiography. Retrieved from https://www.allmusic.com/artist/uncle-dave-lewis-mn000156506
Raggett, N. (2008). Die Kleinen und die Bösen. Retrieved from https://www.allmusic.com/album/die-kleinen-und-die-b%C3%B6sen
Reed, A. (2013). Assimilate: A Critical History Of Industrial Music [E-Reader Version]. Retrieved from DOI:10.1093/acprof:osobl/9780199832583.001.0001
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