Electro-Industrial

tagStarted c. 1983Peak 1988-1997Last big hit active through dark electro and industrial revival

Located in 1 route

Electro-Industrial is post-industrial electronic music that uses sequencers, samplers, processed vocals, mechanical drums, noise textures, and dark synth architecture. It is less rock-oriented than industrial metal and often more atmospheric or complex than EBM. The style can be cold, cinematic, noisy, clubby, or paranoid, but it is always machine-centered.

History

Electro-industrial emerged from early industrial music, EBM, tape/sampling experimentation, and European/North American post-industrial scenes. Skinny Puppy, Front Line Assembly, Klinik, Numb, Cabaret Voltaire, SPK, Die Form, Borghesia, Mentallo & The Fixer, Project Pitchfork, Wumpscut, and Velvet Acid Christ shaped the classic language. Later dark electro and aggrotech simplified and intensified parts of the style for club use, while experimental industrial artists kept the atmospheric side alive.

Defining artists

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Essential listening

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← Explore Electronic / Dance

Sources

  • Darkwaveradio electro-industrial guide
  • electro-industrial histories
  • Discogs release listings
  • industrial music retrospectives