Modern Power Electronics

[StrikeFirst]

We're at replacement rates in the scene, in the last 6-8 years there hasn't been one new face that's able to live up to the standards once set by the best to do it.
Outside of the modern examples Scatmother, Pissoir Rouge (both being dormant / done), M.I.A. it has been the old faces or previous projects who set the standard carrying the flame. Everyone who's worth knowing has been in the scene for around a decade or longer. Where are the new projects that have material that would be considered "canon"?

Litmus test, for listing any projects. If the project's made a song better than the one attached, I'm all ears.

[Manhog_84]

Maybe a good forum rule would be an instant ban when someone starts "Power Electronics is dead" thread. The previous one is here:  https://special-interests.net/forum/index.php?topic=13463.0

[StrikeFirst]

Maybe a good forum rule would be an instant ban when someone starts "Power Electronics is dead" thread. The previous one is here:  https://special-interests.net/forum/index.php?topic=13463.0

Besides the point, the original thread linked has listings of people who have been around for a decade if not more (or not even really PE). Where are the new faces that have came up within the last 6-8 years. Yes someone who's been around the block can start a new project anonymous or not and we can label it "modern PE" with it still capturing a new sound but genuinely are there any newgens that are worth noting?

Considering the ceiling of what previous artist who are considered "peak" or "best in the game" have set, where's the projects that maintain a similar shape in the 2020's that haven't been around or even push the sound further? It seems like most you can find now a days are trying to sound like a replica strain of a previous artist, GO / Taint / Brethren etc. but never coming close to actually producing the levels of work that can make them sound just as good if not better. It's hard if not impossible to find a new face / project with "aura" that actually carves a lane or does something that isn't reinforcing previous tropes. How many years will we have to wait until we get another modern project that actually shapes this genre forward and could be considered up there with "the greats"?

[FreakAnimalFinland]

Perhaps one angle to look at it, would be consider who you are supposed to impress? I have mentioned before, but I don't think any Finns of 90's were there with attitude that what we do, should be something new or something unique and should impress people who listened PE for decade, going through all the classic bands. What we did, was our thing, and not meant to put things next to originators or the late 90s.

In same way, I could imagine, that new generation that is the audience of current generation of PE, may find some of the new guys and new projects way more appealing than work of some of the veterans? Not sure, but I consider possibility.

Just like people listen to new punk bands, without feeling they should be listening stuff from 80's and make systematic lists of historical greatness of each artists. Hah.

Also possibility of new innovations and new ways of doing is not endless like in the beginning.

It is a fact, that a lot of people considered things like USA true crime PE almost "joke", originators. Thinking they misunderstood whole thing. For people who were there, it was great new thing and now undisputed artistic force in genre. We may not know yet what belongs and does it happen in form of sustaining and rivitalizing the culture or shaping it to new.

[DBL]

Not sure if I misunderstood that you're looking for something that wouldn't be a replica of something done before, but also wouldn't be something that's "not even really PE". This easily becomes a search for something that would be somehow new if not revolutionary but would also still feel and sound like the old thing you already like. It is easy to set up your search towards failure. What you find will very likely end up sounding either too similar or too different from what's been done before, stuff made in the times when the "before" didn't really exist.

This thing has been discussed a few times here regarding power electronics, black metal, harsh noise etc etc. People want a new thing that makes an immediate impact that'd be on par with how they feel about some project(s) they've been into or plain worshipping for years if not decades.

As of fairly new names, at least Awenydd, Nostoväki, Commando 15, Nuori Veri, COV OPS, Truth Commission, Vigilantism and Apex Parasite come to mind. Kurluk's newer tape too, and Shitnoose's debut CD, if those are not too close to harsh noise or non-PE for your preference. Soma as well, for example on his Age Of Strife tape or split with Tube Tentacles. Or how about Himukalt? Not sure if you regard them as new enough though.

It is also good to remember that a lof of underground projects (be it labels, distros, zines, bands) have been started due to wanting or NEEDING something to exist that just isn't there, so you've had to make it yourself. I'm pretty sure that was a big reason for this forum to be made for example. If you're looking for a certain type of power electronics, it might be you'll find it the easiest by making it yourself.

Same goes for spreading the news about noteworthy noise/PE. People might not know if nobody tells them. There are lists of names, but less descriptions of exactly why these specific projects or releases are worth checking out.

[FreakAnimalFinland]

I feel a bit biased. Name dropping work by people - especially on own label, but it would be easy to say project like Himukalt, Nuori Veri, Contortus, etc etc have brough new things to expression. Also would not care if someone feels it not enough or that their impact isnt big enough yet.
Entire culture as a whole is stagnant and conditions now allow us to see past and current state in such way that often sense if movement disappears.

[StrikeFirst]

This easily becomes a search for something that would be somehow new if not revolutionary but would also still feel and sound like the old thing you already like. It is easy to set up your search towards failure. What you find will very likely end up sounding either too similar or too different from what's been done before, stuff made in the times when the "before" didn't really exist.

How bottlenecked are we as a community to dissuade the elitism that pushed this genre forward to begin with? If you reinvent the wheel or not doesn't matter, what matters is if it sounds good. The answer for most projects is no in comparison to projects who've been around. It's not about looking for "something that still feels and sound like the old thing you already like" as it can actually be put into a test, play the "new guys" and compare it to faces who've been in the scene for around a decade if not longer. What happened to the standards set by people who've excelled in the past? Is Power Electronics becoming a safe space where we're lying to ourselves about the quality produced from new artists?

[DBL]

Is Power Electronics becoming a safe space where we're lying to ourselves about the quality produced from new artists?

Well, personally I more often see complaints and woes about the state of power electronics than people discussing new and vital projects, or openly praising something that's crap heh. So my answer would be to say no.

I'm not sure how many of the projects that have by now become established and worshipped sounded fantastic right when they started. Then there are projects like Grunt or Bizarre Uproar that started their "noise career" by making something entirely different than power electronics. Then there are of course projects like S.T.A.B. Electronics and Halthan (and Nuori Veri, Contortus and many others) where the artists started with different projects in non-noise genres, so when they eventually got to making noise/industrial/PE they had a lot of transferrable know-how despite being "new" noise makers. Then there are projects by guys whose first attempt at making music is harsh noise or power electronics.

Elitism is fine but so is realism in acknowledging a learning curve. Publishing your first demo quality attempt on bandcamp as an album might not be the best thing, but then again making your material public in some way is a good way to hear direct feedback on people on how theirs perceive it, what good and bad do their ears pick up and use it to improve your craft. And of course who knows how much new great power electronics is currently being honed and sharpened in private.

Then there are projects thath have been making releases for a decade or two, but are seemingly not that discussed. Cloama could be mentioned, although not all his output is power electronics. Another FA name that comes to mind is Decondition. I was listening to his album Skin, Flesh, Bones And Marrow Of Truth, and wondering how I have not been previously aware of this project? And this is in the digital era where information is easily available. The project has been right there, but I've not heard of it. A decade can be a much shorter time than it seems. But this goes back to what I said before, and what's been talked here earlier when it comes to the function/usage of reviews and the language of noise: people might not know if nobody tells them.

I think Cloama and Decondition, as well as already mentioned Contortus and Nuori Veri, are certainly bringing something new to power electronics / related. It did however take them time to reach that point. They are not projects that made a striking debut and then started fading out, but rather projects that keep improving and becoming more unique and personal. Dismissing them as old-timers is one way, and another is to praise their vitality, dedication and enthusiasm.

But in order to not keep this discussion on a purely theoretical level: how about all the projects listed in the posts above, do any of them make the cut?

[FreakAnimalFinland]

It appears to be fact in noise, but also in PE, that there is quite clear difference of expression that exists in form of physical media, labels and distributors vs. online and "workshop" route. At least been told about the "instagram labels" or.. accounts or something. Where activity is more about posting full contrast b&w image and uploading something to youtube or bandcamp and that's that. Not necessarily bad, but way of putting things out, is the path that encourages to underachieve. No point, doesn't matter, so...

Sometimes one also wonders how much good new PE there should be? If we look entire history of genre and there is like couple projects here and there. Some which has lasting power. Started, and never stopped. Some who popped in for a while and disappeared. Still, when really putting together list of "all PE from sweden" or "all PE from Finland" and it really ain't that many projects to begin with. Not even UK or USA. Couple good creative bands who bring something new, can sustain vitality of expression over decade could be just fine. PE never been such stuff that there would be tons of new bands all the time.

[Moran]

Long-running PE artists have been developing the genre consistently, so they shouldn't be excluded from the "modern" classification. For new names, in addition to those mentioned, I listen to Parassitismo regularly—the 2022 tape is my favorite.