Industrial Techno

[xdementia]

Been listening to a lot of this stuff lately. Some of my favorites include

Headless Horseman
https://headlesshorsemanberlin.bandcamp.com/

Death Qualia
https://privatearchive.bandcamp.com/album/mask-surgery-ii

Hiro Kone
https://hirokone.bandcamp.com/

Alexandra Atnif
https://alexandraatnif.bandcamp.com/

Anyone else?

[C601]

This mix is excellent
https://www.residentadvisor.net/podcast-episode.aspx?id=645

[monotome]

Where is the time everybody seems to be hating on Dominick and other noise dudes for doing techno stuff? I miss that.

Anyway big fan of Aufnahme+Wiedergabe label.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KwAgAk8pnKk

But there is so much good stuff today, it's really amazing.

[theworldisawarfilm]

Off the top of my head some of the best recent fucked up dance music I've heard.
[EDIT: not all strictly 'techno' perhaps.]

Veldt https://aughtvoid.bandcamp.com/album/contingent-crown-2
Enrique https://bank.bandcamp.com/album/bnk-007-3
Nick Klein https://soundcloud.com/nick-klein/live-in-montreal-31718
Cienfuegos https://soundcloud.com/l-i-e-s/cienfuegos-the-seventh-sister-lies-108
D. Blavatsky https://soundcloud.com/d_blavatsky/drink-it-down-down
Container https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dXgX0pPX7E8PX7E8

Long time Vatican Shadow fan although a good portion of the newer material falls pretty flat for me. That being said, I am not really shocked at the direction he has chosen to take in recent years. I don't really find it to be as much of an affront to his "roots in noise" as some people seem to. Would easily take a new VS release over any Headless Horseman or Ancient Methods any day of the week.

[theworldisawarfilm]

I would also say that any of the pre-Nordic Flora era Varg, like the material on Star Alliance or his tape on Ascetic House is pretty essential.

[re:evolution]

I would also say that any of the pre-Nordic Flora era Varg, like the material on Star Alliance or his tape on Ascetic House is pretty essential.

I am astounded by how quickly this project went down the toilet. Some amazing ideas in the beginning - from what I understand was created in total isolation of the techno scene. But then when he became part of scene his sound became infected with modern production techniques, auto-tuned vocals and hip-hop collaborations. Getting a 'producer to watch' profile in Rolling Stone perhaps says it all.

But before he was really known, I asked Jonas for an interview for Noise Receptor Journal No.3. But that never happened due to inaction/ laziness on his part, which today I am mighty glad of it never eventuating!

[theworldisawarfilm]

I would also say that any of the pre-Nordic Flora era Varg, like the material on Star Alliance or his tape on Ascetic House is pretty essential.

I am astounded by how quickly this project went down the toilet. Some amazing ideas in the beginning - from what I understand was created in total isolation of the techno scene. But then when he became part of scene his sound became infected with modern production techniques, auto-tuned vocals and hip-hop collaborations. Getting a 'producer to watch' profile in Rolling Stone perhaps says it all.

But before he was really known, I asked Jonas for an interview for Noise Receptor Journal No.3. But that never happened due to inaction/ laziness on his part, which today I am mighty glad of it never eventuating!

I keep a bit of a hands-off approach as to where people choose to take things as their 'career' progresses. Yes, it may be disappointing in some regards but ultimately I can't be bothered to hold people to  certain standards. I am sure, and certainly hope, that the brilliance of some of his earlier work will find iteration in other projects (I am a huge fan of D.Å.R.F.D.H.S. for example) or that the "early" sound will resurface periodically under the Varg moniker. I had the pleasure to meet him a few years back and found him to be thoroughly affable and wish him continued success in all honesty.

Anyways, that being said I have to agree that it really has been a fall from grace where my tastes are concerned. Some of the tracks on Star Alliance are absolutely brilliant and give me that rare feeling of having somebody articulate a certain sound/atmosphere which has only lived in my head.  

[Decrepitude]

These have been on a somewhat heavy rotation in the last few months:
Credit 00 - The Metal Beat EP
https://ratliferecords.bandcamp.com/album/the-metal-beat-ep

Ueno Masaaki - Vortices
https://www.juno.co.uk/products/ueno-masaaki-vortices/545975-01/

Ryuji Takeuchi - Outbound To Innerself
https://innersurface.bandcamp.com/album/outbound-to-inner-self-ep

Teersom - Natural Dark
https://basementgrey.bandcamp.com/album/teersom-natural-dark-ep

[ConcreteMascara]

I really hate the genre tag of industrial techno. I think a lot of the artists its applied to are just techno artists with a slightly harder or rougher sound. 12"s that are labelled "industrial techno" today would've been standard techno in the mid-nineties. I think it's mostly a bunch of marketing horseshit.

as a big collector of techno and industrial music, I have to say a lot of the artists already mentioned don't appeal to me at all. Headless Horseman is a notable exception but then I just see him as a good techno producer. maybe i'm too much of a purist and I don't like my genres to touch, but I think it's that lots of "crossover" artists just make watered down versions of two genres instead of one. and I think Ancient Methods is the most overrated garbage coming out of Germany for the last 10 years.

here are a few of my recommendations:

OAKE - Auferstehung 2xLP (2014) - Downwards - infinitely better than anything tagged "industrial techno" could ever hope to be. like the bastard offspring of Dead Can Dance and JARL, this is one of my favorite albums from the last ten years. the EPs OAKE has released before and after this have all been great but this is their magnum opus.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yAqEkblmS8A
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cJZxByv8k4U

Samuel Kerridge - A Fallen Empire 2xLP (2013) - Downwards - soot-covered and murky as fuck. as much dark ambient with a pulse as it is terminator music.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QdkQ7GnBl-g
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ERtr38136BE

Samuel Kerridge - Always Offended Never Ashamed 2xLP (2015) - Contort - Converter meets Yen Pox while SPK deejay. Cleaner sounding than the first album but more abstract and cold.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_lt7ghJhqE

[A-Z]

Restive Plaggona
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IJ8AV3QlMOY

Ybrid
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZPsHNI9xxtM

[Zeno Marx]

ConcreteMascara with some descriptions I cannot refuse investigating.

[theworldisawarfilm]

I really hate the genre tag of industrial techno. I think a lot of the artists its applied to are just techno artists with a slightly harder or rougher sound. 12"s that are labelled "industrial techno" today would've been standard techno in the mid-nineties. I think it's mostly a bunch of marketing horseshit.

WELL SAID!

And yes, those Kerridge records are absolutely golden!

[online prowler]

Ancient Methods' new 20-18 album is stale and dated upon release. In the same field I think Shifted does more interesting work.

[Soloman Tump]

I really hate the genre tag of industrial techno. I think a lot of the artists its applied to are just techno artists with a slightly harder or rougher sound. 12"s that are labelled "industrial techno" today would've been standard techno in the mid-nineties. I think it's mostly a bunch of marketing horseshit.

WELL SAID!

And yes, those Kerridge records are absolutely golden!

Agreed on the labelling of such things.  At the weekend I listened back to the Jeff Mills radio 1 essential mix from 1998 and in places it is hard as fuck - a much tougher sound than a lot of the stuff being pedalled as industrial today.  Dax J seems to be grabbing a lot of the headlines as techno poster boy DJ at present, his sound is fast and aggressive but no faster than "normal" techno from the late 90s.....

Re: Shifted.  Yes, some nice interesting sounds.  Avian in general is a good label, especially the releases by SHXCXCHCXSH which are not especially industrial or techno, but well produced interesting rhythmic dubby weirdness.

[ONE]

There are a number of issues extant within this thread: the most obvious is the misuse of the prefix Industrial as noted by a previous poster.  Such a thing does exist but no examples are present here.  This is an example of Industrial Techno:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-r6TOxxtSU

I think it's clear (assuming I know what I am talking about) that this is a million miles away from the like of the work, great work, done by the likes of Headless Horseman (Bill Youngman) who in my opinion is a superb sound designer; but is his work industrial?   It's not is it?  None of his sound palette could be referred to as coming from the workplace.  Don't forget: industrial as a genre-term means something

Ancient Methods has been name checked a number of times here, and it's worth expanding upon.  AM were once a duo, these days are behind them.  The first three records were made as a duo and what followed is now the work of a guy called Michel, a musical copyright lawyer (an irony lost on those who cannot identify his EBM reinventions.  I would recommend anyone interested avert their ears from the latest product and focus w/ intent on Ancient Methods: First, Second & Third Method).  For my money, their finest work is the opening track from AM 001 (a glimpse into industrial heritage is possible here) >

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=59LJWPU7k8s

I cannot fault it, it's still my favourite piece of him or theirs.  Now, for real industrial techno, investigate Else from the Third Method >

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pnQmo_3a2qA   

Note how on close listening it repeatedly falls apart: it's running on vapours and is barely able to support and reassemble itself.  Yet it does just that.  I find it remarkable: machine music that fails to age.


Now then, Vatican Shadow, to my mind has made one great track: Cairo Is A haunted City >

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ighTUfL4KcU


In a pigs' eye is this industrial.  None of his work could or should be conceivably termed industrial techno.  Industrial trance?  You could be onto something here.  Yes, I am aware of his current status within the scene and have heard his club PA in recent months: this is John Carpenter w/ beats.


I choose to conclude this post w/ a mis-quote from the respected, lauded and ever industrious recording engineer and professional gob-shite, Steve Albini.  When I first read this quote around 16 / 17  years ago I smelled a rat: a mere hater who could accept there is beauty and genius in rock but not electronica (a word he deliberately chooses to replace in favour of that ultimate pejorative, dance music).

Dance music: the last resting-place of a dying talent.

Having immersed myself in the genre for over two decades, I can wholeheartedly concur that his statement is overwhelmingly accurate.