Old vs New PE

[AVFN]

I've made an observation that I'd like to share here, to see what the general response might be. Essentially, it seems to me that early PE had a wildness to it that is almost entirely lacking from modern PE. Correct me if I'm wrong, but there doesn't seem to be anyone in contemporary PE even attempting to mimic the chaos of early projects like Mauthausen Orchestra, Swastika Kommando, Kleistwahr and so forth. Even with early projects such as Ramleh, Whitehouse, and Con-Dom, all of whom had more fixed tracks, with titles and lyrics, there was a looseness in execution that is never replicated today. By contrast, all the big names in contemporary PE (that I'm aware of) seem to be quite rigid in their composition and execution. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, but it does mean that, for me at least, they have two very different natures, and I have to say I prefer the former over the latter.

A final thought: to a certain degree this reminds me a bit of the distinction between modern and old school metal, particularly black metal, where the old school stuff is sloppy and raw. The difference there is that certain modern bm bands try really hard to replicate the old school approach. Is it time for a proper old school approach to PE? Or does it already exist and I'm not really aware of it? Certainly a project like Xenophobic Ejaculation goes some way towards achieving that goal.

[XXX]

one could also point out that back in the 80s the best pe acts were still practically children. no money for nice synths etc. just access to maybe an old shortwave radio & a low watt amp or similar. seems like there was still a spirit of innovation back then that is perhaps not as present today. not to say that there is no innovation but the genre is no longer young & malleable like it was back then. now people are more likely to follow in the troupes of the past. the older the genre gets the more troupes that are adopted. of course i would love to hear more acts that could match the unbridled frenzy of early MO or Right to Kill era WHiTEHOUSE but at the same time one must acknowledge that the genre has evolved over 40 years now.

[Balor/SS1535]

I think that, to some extent at least, this is the result of an increasing "genrefication" of power electronics.  I think as time goes on, expectations begin to be made for what a release must be/sound like, and there is then a consequent lack of experimentation---or desire to sound too individual.  The same could definitely be said for the accompanying aesthetics.

[StrikeFirst]

Approach to modern PE should always be back to the basics. I do think that wildness that you're referring to is still alive and well in modern PE it's just different, look at projects like Pubic Eminence, Red Light, Menacing 84, Snuff, Dreamcatcher (on Dunkelheit Produktionen not yet on discogs), Mania, Caligula031, Cervical Smear, Pissoir Rouge ect. it all depends on where you look / how much you dig. Also consider what you mean by contemporary, projects after Broken Flag early era of PE from the 90's are still active today and continue to lay the foundation of modern PE. PE has evolved & in my eyes there will never be another era like early-mid 80's PE because as XXX mentioned, practically children with shortwave radio & low watt amp but that doesn't mean the innovation is not young and malleable like it was 40 years ago.

This genre has grown quite a lot even in the last few years so it can muddy the water with new artists attempting to sound like copycats or fitting into the "troupes of the past" but really good newer PE is still as underground (and almost as hard to find) as it was 10 years ago with about a handful of labels putting out what is considered modern PE. Material on album also could have been recorded around 20 years ago, for example some Sadio while still holding up to the sound of modern PE.

I think that, to some extent at least, this is the result of an increasing "genrefication" of power electronics. I think as time goes on, expectations begin to be made for what a release must be/sound like, and there is then a consequent lack of experimentation---or desire to sound too individual.

Agreed, but the best of the best in this scene are that for a reason and one should not try to mimic or copy expectations of what they have done because it is simply not possible you will end up sounding like a "dollar store" comparison to the project you were trying to sound like. By default you have to be innovative if you want to make at least good contemporary PE.

[Andrew McIntosh]

I get what you mean. I've often thought the same myself. Early PE was, as I hear it, more in common with Noise in general than a specific genre in itself. Recent PE does also sound to me very rigid and controlled.

But I have no real preference in this. Often I think I prefer earlier stuff, until I get reminded how great a lot of recent material has been. Even though I don't listen to PE much these days I think the best examples that I know of, no matter how they've constructed their work, have been pretty great over the years. It's natural this type of thing develops and changes of course, but new doesn't discount the old and the old doesn't win over the new.

[FreakAnimalFinland]

I think this may be less about if chaotic PE exists, and more about what we tend to call "power electronics". Perhaps even more, that there is a lot of stuff that may be called "heavy electronics", rather than power electronics. The type of stuff what might be dominating the scene. You can easily lump it into tradition born from SPK and going through Genocide Organ, far more rooted to industrial. Not the power electronics of Whitehouse/Ramleh/SJ type of path.

It could be that we might (that includes often myself) call "power electronics" something that could be actually better to refer as industrial, but as we all know what "industrial" might mean for some people, term might be avoided?
Still we are in situation where material reminding SPK gets called "power electronics", and stuff that sounds like power electronics may be called... noise?

Contemporary example bands like Heydrich. He has two full length CD's, couple tapes. One being:
https://youtu.be/9A9U4PQPtPs?si=umPkwWxJVAh84diS

So.. here we have something that is instrumental broken electronics, perhaps radio static and how many would call it "power electronics", even if it is pretty much as power electronics as it can get. Just somewhere in lines of early Consumer Electronics, SJ, Victor/Victim,...

I don't think there is shortage of free form fierce and dark electronic noise, but very much possible we do not call it "power electronics". Even something such as HÖH. Superorganism LP has couple of those tracks that have eerie flanger vocals and utterly broken pause-button tape hiss noise. Could be in perfect line with being called power electronics, yet it is not what it is called.

I would think this is more about how it changes how music is being "categorized". It happens in the other genres too. If someone tells me there is this dark and grim crush band, I make expect DISFEAR or DISCLOSE, but what is called "crust" can be anything Iron Maiden sounding melodic D-beat with synths. Or hearing death metal that is barely metal. Some sort of radio friendly melodic rock. Or Black Metal that has no metal and nothing in common with what was formerly associated with genre.

Like Strikefirst mentions, no shortage of quite free form nasty and noisy power electronics. Just got to look where to get it, if the more structured heavy electronics / industrial doesn't appeal to tastes.

[AVFN]

Interesting responses - thanks everyone! Aye, I think generification is the thing here. It does seem to me that Noise has inherited the chaotic and wild side of the 80s progenitors, whereas PE has left that behind. Certainly 90s projects like Macronympha, to take one example, took the chaotic PE of someone like Mauthausen Orchestra and amplified the instrumental noise elements.

[W.K.]

Why not make it yourself if you miss it?

[AVFN]

Why not make it yourself if you miss it?

I have been. Or attempting to, anyway.