Where is the "real" industrial?!?!?

[pleasurekatzen]

Another rant from the mind of Matt Fanale. He says a lot of what I'm thinking, just a hell of a lot more elegantly. As always, I encourage you to share your thoughts.

WHERE IS THE REAL INDUSTRIAL!?!?!? (And can you please stop asking the question?)

By: Matt Fanale

"A note to all "industrial" elitists out there sucking the dicks of past artists: Stop.

By whining & bitching and/or hemmin' & hawin' about how today's industrial isn't REAL industrial you've missed the point of industrial in a major way. Industrial was MEANT to evolve. Industrial was MEANT to embrace new technology and expand in focus and incorporate new elements. It was MEANT to be limitless. In the late 70s all there WAS were analogue equipment and oscillators and tubes and hammers and metal. There wasn't Logic or ProTools or sound libraries and everything HAD to be analogue and computers were still fairly hard to come by-- data was stored on freakin' CASSETTE tapes at that point.

They embraced the technology they HAD and pushed it to the limits. And they had to scrimp and save (or grab scrap metal and disassemble refrigerators) to get the tools to make the sounds they envisioned. That was the ONLY WAY THEY COULD DO IT. And it doesn't necessarily sound "better" than anything today-- it sounds like it sounds. It sounds like what they had to make it sound like 30 years ago.

These artists were pioneers and deserve and incredible amount of respect for that. But I mainly respect them for one big reason: They wanted to do their own thing. They WANTED to be unique. They WANTED to stand out and be progressive on what is or isn't music or, more simply, accepted AS music.

In other words, if "industrial" as an artform was still sounding like Throbbing Gristle then Genesis P-Orridge would probably be clawing his tranny eyes out right now. The reason they did WHAT they did was because they explored sound and pitted their creativity against uncommon noisemakers and new technology. We don't need another Throbbing fucking Gristle. What we NEED is more innovation, even if it's just baby steps, and there's plenty of it out there IMHO. You just need to know where to look.

We now have virtually limitless potential using software and hardware to make whatever we want. And sure, that means most of what's popular isn't mentally challenging and may be boring as shit creatively (industrial music in the clubs is our "mainstream" when it comes down to it; our "top 40 radio"), but separating the wheat from the chaff is how any area works once the means are in place to do things cheaply and without much skill or experience. But remember that Kraftwerk makes dance music too-- there's nothing inherently wrong with dance music, only the originality of the artists behind it.

But the stupid thing here is currently there are actually a TON of artists out there making what elitists refer to as "real industrial music"-- that is, if the elitists can expand their myopic visions of the genre and possibly accept that anything not actually ON Industrial Records could even fathom having the honor bestowed upon it to be called "industrial".

And really? Do you think those pioneering bands took themselves THAT fucking seriously?

But these current "real industrial" artists aren't the ones being played in clubs most of the time. Hell, they rarely tour. Why? Not many people like "real industrial music", or moreso "real industrial music that's not late 70s-early 80s pioneers". Why? Maybe they just can't be bothered to look and/or don't care because it's easier to dismiss current innovation than admit you're lazy and ignorant of it.

I realize that the main point of most elitists who nibble at the teats of our scene's sacred cows is that there's too much uniformity and monotony in the current popular scene, and while that too could be debated by those of us who work harder to seek out artists who are more original, there's obviously something to agree with there.

But there's also something to be said for industrial as evolution, or better yet mutation. You may not like where the mutation has taken the genre ("OH NOES, THEY'RE INCORPORATING TRANCE!!" "NOT DRUM N BASS!!!!"), but the roots of many artists are still firmly planted in the original punk (and yes, TG is/was a punk band, as was Suicide and most of the others) aesthetic of Our Creators. Not all by any means-- many are planted in the much more profitable world of pop, but not all of them by a longshot.

But mutation takes time, and can't necessarily be forced. Sometimes it takes years for someone to innovate, so we hear the same thing over and over again until something fresh is discovered (and generally then overdone to death). But the fish didn't crawl out of the primordial ooze overnight, y'know?

And some may ask "Would Our Creators love where we've taken things?" Personally, I don't give a fuck. I don't make the music I make for them. Their opinions on what I or any other artist's do is irrelevant. And I think they'd be cool with that, because I think most of them had the same fucking opinion when they made their music in the first place. If they worried about someone else's opinions so much they never would have made the music they did. They were, when it comes down to it, just enjoying the creation of their own music.

So if you're whining about "WHERE IZ ALL THE REEL INDUSTRAIL?!?!" my answer is simply this: Open your fucking eyes. It's everywhere. And if you aren't hearing what you want to hear look harder. Or dust off your old vinyl and STFU. Some of us are having fun creating, and even more are enjoying WHAT we create."

[Raev]

<3

[the_fairy_gothmother]

LOVE IT!!!!!! I am all about evolution and creativity and paying respect to the founders and pioneers of music. As the Beatles are respected in early rock and Black Sabbath to metal! I dont even care if something becomes really mainstream or pop culture. so what they (once underground industrial bands) might have shirts selling at Hot topic. These musicians work their fuckin asses off and do what they love! I personally dont love music cause everyone else does. I love whatever music makes me feel good and I can connect with. If it sparks inside me inspiration, creative and emotional responses I will latch on and tell the world its AWESOME! Call me or them sell outs but man people need to pay for their shit and put food on the table so going commercial is sometimes necessity as with embracing new technology and sounds.

[st_masey]

Sign me up as cocksucker number one then. I'm probably the archetype of the kind of guy he finds annoying. To be honest though, I've never claimed that contemporary music in this scene isn't REAL industrial music, simply that most of it isn't very good. Industrial music is free to evolve, but I would never say that going from a band for Homo Sapiens (Einsturzende Neubauten) to music for Neanderthals (Combichrist) would be evolution.

Certainly there is a difference in technology available, but no matter the state of technology, artists are limited by their imaginations. Most industrial artists to emerge in the last 15 years have very, very limited imaginations. They have all the technology at their disposal, but all seem to follow narrow formulas. I remember attending a show of a local synthpop act with a friend of mine and after thirty minutes he turned to me and asked, "when does their second song start?" It was paint-by-numbers futurepop and the paint had smeared so that you couldn't tell one shade from another.

If industrial music is evolution then it is survival of the fittest.

And cocksuckers like me are doing the best we can to cull the weak.

One thing he did have right is that he gives honor to Suicide. Damn, their first record was amazing. I want to play it right now actually. And yes, writer, I would totally suck Alan Vega's dick.

Edited August 4, 2010 by st_masey

[Simon Bar Sinister]

"And if you aren't hearing what you want to hear, look harder. Or dust off your old vinyl and STFU."

or you could make it yourself.

just a thought.

[pleasurekatzen]

"And if you aren't hearing what you want to hear, look harder. Or dust off your old vinyl and STFU."

or you could make it yourself.

just a thought.

WORD.

[Mean Salley]

I'm going to support Matt's blurb in typical sarcastic and biting fashion. I agree 100% with Matt's statements.

Seriously, keep cementing your head into the ground and let the world pass you by. Do everything you can to get the cool kids (well, mid life crisis kids now) in your scene to like you. Disregard the fact that music is moving on and you are not. You are your dad bawling because music is no good anymore. Music has moved on and a lot of dimwits in the scene have not. There never was any damned glory days of industrial, and there won't ever be. You never got to be the popular kid in your scene, everyone else moved on and dammit, you'll stay set in your ways until you do become the popular kid or death. Until people are willing to quit letting which kind of people they hate the most determine what they listen to, the scene will be full of uninspired, unoriginal sheeps clawing their way to the top of a steaming pile of shit. Great, you can be an elitist up there all you want. THE REST OF THE MUSIC WORLD IS MOVING ON!!!!

As much as I hate to sound like my dad, get with the program. Keep rehashing and regurgitating the same shit, your elitist friends will love you. All 20 of them world wide will buy your cd, and another 30 people will download it illegally. In the meantime STFU and let real artists and aspirants get on with the real world while you spank your uber pipe in your private 1982 delusional industrial dreamland.

Things are stale? Like hell they are, everyone's been moving along quite nicely, and the scenesters are waiting for their favorite band to do a completely original album that sounds exactly like their 15 year old release.

BTW, youngsters who are just sort of learning about a lot of this music; DON'T BE LIKE THE BITCHY UBER SCENESTERS. I promise they will rob you of a lot of great music as they try to brainwash you into only ever listening to their favorite 10 bands. They don't know what they're talking about and they hate their lives.

A lot of the REAL artists are not catering to this scene anymore, because some of you live in abject horror of being caught listening to something less than uber so they'd be shot down promptly. Why bother?

Some artists still cater to this stuff do because they cannot fathom the terror of being completely rejected for trying something new and original, so you'll always have your 00ntz, you'll always have that same sound, because it's so easy to do.

However, some of us are moving on, we're branching out, and finding new fans, who pretty much laugh at what used to be the industrial scene. They all say "I used to listen to industrial, but I couldn't take the people in the scene". That is an insult. I couldn't care less. I've continuously had Servitor shot down by some of the industrial uber lords, only to find that Servitor is becoming VERY popular with the belly dance, circus, burner, sca, renny crowd. Why? because it's different, and they love the drums. I love Servitor, I think the music and the entire theme and atmosphere of what I do is awesome. This is also what I've been told by a lot of the fans. If the industrial geezers and uber pretenders don't like it, I promise to not lose sleep. Things are only getting better musically, so go ahead sit home and complain, pretend that you're better than us and let everything pass you by. More pie for us, but YOU are NOT supporting the arts, YOU are supporting mediocrity and apathy.

To everyone who has been supportive of Servitor and the artists who really bust ass and ARE evolving, endless thanks and appreciation. You are the whole point to doing this. You are the greatest encouragement we could ever receive.

the end.

[Pulse State]

I usually give the standard disclaimer that I enjoy what I do, even if it is "oontz" and "easy to do." However, what I do changes every so often. It must; otherwise I would get bored and not want to do music anymore, and it is nearly a necessity in my life.

Having said that, I see quite often that there are those who are simply stuck in the past. 1985 was a good year for music and all, but please do try to move it along a bit. Fresh meat occasionally does catch on and those in the know have noticed. Even if it doesn't, the specter and supposed allure of pop music should not be the sole thing driving anyone to create. Artists should accept new influences, and walking the line between the expected and the experimental can yield exciting new results.

[Darkmatter]

:clap: :clap:

About time someone said it! Hey I'm old school as well. But you wont hear me whining about change. Why? It's simple.

1. I really do love alot of new stuff that has been coming out. Even the new stuff that old bands are doing. Like Assemblage 23's new album.

2. I really don't want to be the old fart saying "HEY YOU DAMN KIDS TURN THAT CRAP DOWN!" or "YOU CALL THAT REAL MUSIC?"

3. I have felt that "real" Rock and Metal is dead for quite some time. I just can't afford to think the same about my beloved industrial.

Edited August 4, 2010 by Darkmatter

[phee]

Real/Unreal... Old/Vs new....

Here is me: If I think it's good, I will like it.

[Rev.Reverence]

And really? Do you think those pioneering bands took themselves THAT fucking seriously?

Out of the recording artists I KNOW PERSONALLY, mostly through ma' funk teacher: Maruga Booker don't take anything ALL THAT seriously...there is a time for serious, (like when you are paying $150+ an hour to use a studio & the crew), & there is a time to remember THE MOTTO, "Have Fun." (about all the other times)...

[st_masey]

The music of the past that we idolize was once the music of the future that an even more distant past loathed.

[Mean Salley]

I usually give the standard disclaimer that I enjoy what I do, even if it is "oontz" and "easy to do." However, what I do changes every so often. It must; otherwise I would get bored and not want to do music anymore, and it is nearly a necessity in my life.

Having said that, I see quite often that there are those who are simply stuck in the past. 1985 was a good year for music and all, but please do try to move it along a bit. Fresh meat occasionally does catch on and those in the know have noticed. Even if it doesn't, the specter and supposed allure of pop music should not be the sole thing driving anyone to create. Artists should accept new influences, and walking the line between the expected and the experimental can yield exciting new results.

I prolly should have phrased things better. Some stuff has been around for a long time because people like it. Some cultures have been playing the same music for over a thousand years, that's because there is a demand for it, and people still want to hear it. That's why there will always be 00ntz, people like it and it will still be done for a long time that's great, it's part of our tradition now. If you go to Japan and look around a little, Europe, (as in The Final Countdown and Carrie) is still popular after all of these years. However Japan has a lot of awesome VERY experimental and original ideas in their music. In light of that, it's frustrating to see people to turn their noses up at anything new, because it doesn't sound like the old timey stuff. Some people genuinely don't want to hear anything new, I can understand that. However to get set in ones ways and ALWAYS be a nay-sayer for anything new, is to stifle the arts and the whole point of what Industrial is. I can understand people only liking old timey industrial stuff, however, they shouldn't ruin new stuff for other people and just quit complaining.

It's amazing what you can learn from Sesame Street that still applies today. In the words of the ill tempered Fred Johnson.

You like what you like, and I'll like what I like.

That being said, 2 of the local setups who have ALWAYS been supportive of Servitor, are Pulse State and D:Konstruct. I should have been more careful so as not to soud like I'm shotting down all of the 00ntzes :/