Minimal Wave Records

Alright, if my old brain still serves me well that term got invented by Front 242. Of course their first album Geography shouldn’t be missing in any collection out there and there are a number of other bands who already laid the roots in the early eighties for 1986’s next big thing: Electronic Body Music.

Still, personally I think not all of the stuff has aged well so when I think of essential EBM from 1986 onwards the very same Front 242, Nitzer Ebb, Click Click, The Klinik and A Split Second spring to mind. Adding up to a whopping give or take 15 records in my collection.

Hence, Aircrashbureau, I’d indeed call myself an EBM friend, but not a fiend.

Any fiendish perspective on this?  :wink:

I’ve never been a bona-fide fanboy of the genre, but there is the occasional Klinik/Blok 57 record i dig, not to mention early efforts by Neon Judgement, Attrition, and Nitzer Ebb.

...and yes, that first Front 242 record is a classic.

I can’t get down with a lot of the “newer” artists, though, but i was once dragged to a Covenant show…

Where shall I start… I’ve have quite a few EBM records, more than Italo , more than 15. Some 150 or so, so I am not the biggest EBM collector in the world, but surely but slowly my collection is still growing, so I guess I could be considered a friend.
Some acts that I really think were great back then, besides The Klinik, Front and The Neon Judgement: Vomito Negro, Electro Assassin, DRP, Portion Control ( although one might argue that they weren’t “EBM”), X Marks The Pedwalk, Tommi Stumpff ( who did great pioneering work in the early 80’s with regards to what would later be known as EBM) and Image Transmission. And what about 80’s Cabaret Voltaire…
There seems to be renewed interest in EBM these last couple of years with acts like Spetsnaz, Ionic Vision ( they go back a long way, but seem more “popular” nowadays than they ever were), Schwefelgelb and Agent Side Grinder.

The day an EBM record enters my collection is the day I loose my self respect.

OK, speaking about EBM, on a sunny morning.
Well, I acutally own a lot EBM, but I rarely listen to the records/tapes.

However, quite a few tracks made it on my mp3 player and remain there.

I start with the Belium section

Vomito Negro had quite a few masterieces:
Brainwashing, Melodie Massacre, Land of Confusion, Where’s Palmer, Yellow Fever, The Man Factory

The Klinik as well:
Face to Face, Sick in your Mind, Moving Hands, Lies, Drowning in your Sleep, Pain and Pleasure, Colour of your Heart, Power of Passion

Neon Judgment, Front 242 were also brilliant. I was never into a;grumh, but their sound is original as well,check also side projects like Polar Praxis. A Split Second never really touched me.

Liquid G, Suicide Commando, Dive - hm that was too harsh for me.  I really don’t have any particular faves here. Maybe Dive’s Ghostcity
Among the less known check out White House White, Schicksal, and that’s it for me (Poesie Noire is not EBM for me)

Germany:
The whole Forms of EBM compilation is brilliant, besides Dillema there are Formal Defect and Incubated Sounds as highlights. However, they released only tapes, no records. I recently noticed that one of the guys from Dilemma is living next to me and met him. A nice chap and Dilemma recorded some excellent tracks (Shocked in the Glasshouse).Their best tracks are now rereleased via Anna Logue. Has Marc ever released bad stuff?

Glatze des Willens and Calva Y Nada made some really nice trakcs (I love “Kein Abschied”) - I also met this guy - Brenal - because he was living close to me at that time (Bochum).

The Dance Macabre empire was really trash with the Neue Deutsche Todeskünstler. Hard to take serious. But I really love Relatives Menschsein - Verflucht. Would compare it to the best moments of Joy Division crossed with Tokio Hotel (of course on a different level). Yelworc and Placebo Effect made quite a few good tracks as well.

Besides this more mass than class in Germany.
I would only mention Plastic Noise Experience, La Morte de la Maison and of course The Fair Sex (Their LP Demented Forms has some timeless tracks on it, excellent, check it out)

And is Lassigue Bendthaus counted as EBM - well if so, I really love some of their stuff.

Scandinavia, Canada/US and UK to follow.

For those interested in new EBM/NDW:

There is an item on ARTE’s program Tracks about Schwefelgelb this evening.  8)

[quote author=“AirCrashBureau”]For those interested in new EBM/NDW:

There is an item on ARTE’s program Tracks about Schwefelgelb this evening.  8)

Schwefelgelb = EBM? You serious, man? I saw the guys in Bochum and I’d rather call it a variation of early DAF. Well, in my head EBM only really starts in 1986, but if you say old DAF is EBM than Schwefelgelb indeed are EBM.

Ah, and please remind me to turn red with shame and put on a dunce cap when I have a moment, as I forgot to mention Tommi Stumpff in my post….  8)

Hey Spart,

Don’t want to sound too patronizing but might be an age thing? I grew up on horrible mainstream italo and when pop music had started going seriously shit in 1986, very much welcomed EBM as something fresh and interesting.

In 1986, even the question whether there might be a choice between EBM and Italo would have meant instant social suicide for the person so reckless as to ask that question.  :wink:

well i grew up with late 80s synthpop that still sends shivers down my spine. EBM I wasnt really exposed to but i would classify it as a degenerate product as well. Early EBMish work from 81 - 82 like geography LP is still ok but already in 83 (think portion control) things turn sour for me.

Although I do like some EBM, I think as a genre it got very formulaic very fast. Even more so than Italo

I think technology is to blame! MIDI in particular, a lot of the early EBM suffers badly from these 64-step sequencers and programmed synth-stabs; all sounding the same, none sounding very good.

But of course, the growling, the distortion-treated screaming, sometimes conveying despair or aggression, more often implying that the lyrics are so bad the vocalist doesn’t want you to hear them.

It is typical that in the EBM genre everyone agrees the big bands were the best - I mean, if we’re talking about 1982 on this forum, most seem to prefer the underground to the mainstream, but underground EBM is generally like the most bamous bands, only worse…

It would be great if someone could point me in the direction of the great but unknonwn bands?
I’m not an expert, I know my F242, Click Click, FLA, Leæther Strip and so on, but there’s bound to be some hidden gems here as well?

I have but one lone track by Stumpff, and I love it so and have been seeking out so more.  Glad he’s got the nod around here.

Im Namen Des Volkes springs to mind as a very early hint of what would come over half a decade later…I mean 1980 (whoa, brilliant material.)

As for 1986 EBM variety, the Force Dimension track - “So Dom” (split with Die Fabriek) stands out.

What about Advanced Art?

“No answers no solutions” is a fantastic track!

But….is Advanced Art a “proper” EBM band? As in “don’t they sound too melodic”?

You can decide for yourself here:

www.myspace.com/thisisadvancedart

I’m also struggling with Velodrome, released in 1988, ok, released on Animilized, alright, but….is that proper EBM?

By the way, if someone needs an address where to send a copy of that one, I know a guy who can help you…. :wink:

@Falck

Schwefelgelb. Hmm, maybe you are right. The bass lines are not EBM, but then I know a lot who dig EBM and Schwefelgelb, which is probably the reason why I mentioned them in this thread. Still they are brilliant.

EBM has its roots partially in NDW acts like DAF, The Tanzdiele and Liaisons Dangereuses.

[quote author=“reactorlgtn”]Although I do like some EBM, I think as a genre it got very formulaic very fast. Even more so than Italo

I think technology is to blame! MIDI in particular, a lot of the early EBM suffers badly from these 64-step sequencers and programmed synth-stabs; all sounding the same, none sounding very good.

It would be great if someone could point me in the direction of the great but unknonwn bands?
I’m not an expert, I know my F242, Click Click, FLA, Leæther Strip and so on, but there’s bound to be some hidden gems here as well?

Very formulaic? Doesn’t this happen within almost every genre? Synthpop was quite diverse with Depeche Mode, Soft Cell, OMD, Landscape, Hard Corps, The Human League etc. DM had the most succesfull formula and since then most synthpop acts copy DM. Sad really :-(.

[quote author=“AirCrashBureau”]@Falck

EBM found it roots partially in NDW acts like DAF, The Tanzdiele and Liaisons Dangereuses.

The Tanzdiele? Interesting….I happen to own The Tanzdiele/Tanzdiebe LPs but right now only have a rather diffuse idea what they sound like and how that relates to EBM. If it was any earlier, I’d light a torch and enter the vaults to locate them… 8)

P.S. You are aware of the Krishna Goineau connection between Liasons D. and Velodrome? Still I don’t quite manage to call any of the two “EBM”...

P.P.S. I tuned in too late for Schwefelgelb but really liked the lady who calls herself “Little Boops” or something similar :wink: