The Top Five Most Influential Experimental Industrial Music Artists

The waters of Industrial music can be a bit murky because there are a lot of sub genres that fall under the Industrial music umbrella. like the Experimental, EBM, Industrial Rock, Martial Industrial, Synthpop, Aggro, and Noize, genres Industrial music nerds like myself have labored for years to appropriately classify Industrial artists. My classification is by no means comprehensive, but gives a decent overview for those needing a quick refresher or for those new to the Industrial genre who are trying to find out what artists best represent the genre.

The origins of Industrial music are in the Futurist philosophical movement that started in the early 1900's. The first "Industrial" music concert was actually given in the early 1900's. More on the history of Industrial music is covered in some of my other articles, so I won't rehash it here. Before any of the other sub genres of Industrial music popped up there was Experimental Industrial music. Experimental Industrial music was created by artists who experimented with different tones, musical arrangements and sounds to create their own soundscapes. Often Experimental Industrial music involved using normal machine noise to create music, such as using the rhythmic beat of a factory machine instead of percussion in a song. There are several Experimental Industrial artists who really set the standard of what Industrial music was in the late 70's and into the 80's and 90's. Some of these artists are still making Experimental Industrial music today, and their contributions to the Industrial music genre were crucial to the development of Industrial music.

1. Throbbing Gristle
Throbbing Gristle first came together in 1975 from the remnants of a performance art group called COUM Transmissions. Chris Carter, Genesis P-Orridge, Cosey Fanni Tutti and Peter Christopherson used a mixture of confrontation and often shocking imagery that intrigued and repulsed audiences in their performance art group. Often accused of using violent and dark imagery just for shock value the members of the group always insisted that they wanted to challenge mainstream thought, and to explore the darker side of human nature rather than just to shock or titillate. Throbbing Gristle was the first act to use pre-recorded samples in a live show and the group often used samples and special effects created by early computers and machines to punctuate and enhance their spoken word performances. The group's first actual recorded album, The Second Annual Report, was released in 1977 and the group's performances and recordings influenced and inspired almost all of the Industrial artists who came after them. The group disbanded in 1981 when Genesis P-Orridge and Peter Christopherson formed Psychic TV and Cosey Fanni Tutti and Christ Carter became Chris and Cosey. Throbbing Gristle also created their own record label, Industrial Records, which was the first Industrial music record label and went on to create the genre by signing other experimental artists and later some of the new EBM and Industrial Rock bands. The group reformed again recently and has been putting out new releases.

Essential Throbbing Gristle Albums: The Second Annual Report, D.o.A., 20 Jazz Funk Greats, Heathen Earth, In the Shadow of the Sun, Part Two

2. Laibach
Laibach formed in 1980 in a coal mining town in Slovenia by Dejan Knez and Miran Mohar. The use of Communist and Fascist imagery was common in early Experimental Industrial music as was the use of other military language and imagery. Laibach's first projects a multi-media piece entitled "Red Districts" that was created to challenge the political contradictions of Communism as it existed in their small coal mining town. Laibach gave their first live show in 1982. While they didn't play live very often they remained very politically controversial for their outspoken political views and they continued to produce strikingly political music. After their first TV appearance in 1983 they were banned from the air for their political views. The first Laibach album, self-titled, was released in 1985 after a successful although short European concert tour. Laibach incorporates elements of Futurist theory and Dadaist art and their music has been wildly misinterpreted as being both far right and far left politically. This was part of the design, and accomplishes the original intention of challenging listeners to interpret the music and the social commentary the band makes through their music. Laibach often is credited as an early forerunner of Martial Industrial music, or music that incorporates heavily military imagery and language. The band is also well known for doing striking covers of popular songs.

Essential Laibach Albums: Laibach, Let it Be, Sympathy for the Devil, NATO, Volk

3.Einsturzende Neubaten
Einstruzende Neubaten is often cited as one of the most influential Industrial bands. The band's name roughly translated means "collapsing new buildings" and they use deconstruction as a repeating theme throughout their music. The band is known for creating their own instruments from things like scrap metal, building tools and machinery to create music that combines classical arrangement techniques with unusual instruments. The band formed in West Berlin in 1980. Blixa Bargeld and N.U. Unruh are commonly accepted as the core members of the band although Alexander Hacke (von Borsig) joined the band at 15 and also was an influential member of the band. It's impossible to accurately describe the Einsturzende Neubaten sound because it is unique to the band.

Essential Ensturzende Neubaten Albums: Kollaps, Halber Mensch, Tabula Rasa, Silence is Sexy

4. Cabaret Voltaire
Cabaret Voltaire formed in Sheffield, England in 1973 and experimented more with sound than with structured music. Original members Stephen Mallinder, Richard Kirk and Chris Watson named the band after an icon of Dadaist art and theory, the Cabaret Voltaire nightclub in Switzerland that was the heart of the Dadaist movement. In 1978 the band began to work Rough Trade Records and their sounds began to take musical shape and structure to become music instead of just a random collection of sounds. In 1983 the band made a conscious decision to make more commercial music and adjusted their collections of sounds to include more musical structure and lyrics. The early underground electronic music scene was just emerging in Europe and in the US and the band went on to achieve some commercial success and legendary status among electronica fans.

Essential Cabaret Voltaire Albums: Cabaret Voltaire, Live at the Y.M.C.A., Red Mecca, Hai!, Code, Plasticity, The Conversation

5. Coil
Coil was formed in 1982 by Jhonn Balance and former Throbbing Gristle member Peter Chistopherson. Coil was the first Industrial band to successfully blend experimental elements along with elements from mainstream rock and what would later become acid house music. Coil is often referred to as the one band that no music lover's collection should be without because the band's unique signature style influenced not only Industrial music but also Rock and Electronica. Jhonn Balance died in 2004, signifying the official end of Coil. Coil members worked on many side projects including work with artists on the innovative Chicago Wax Trax! record label in the mid 80s and into the early 90's developing and defining the Industrial /Electronic sound that is still heard in Industrial music clubs around the world. Coil members were famous for using unusual methods like the cut-up technique, drug use, sleep deprivation, SETI synchronization and chaos theory in their music.

Essential Coil Albums: How to Destroy Angels, Horse Rotovator, Love's Secret Domain, Musick to Play in the Dark Vol 2