The Melody Web what each genre heard, and what it passed on

heard passed on Click or tap a node to recenter. Use a connecting line, or Influence, for the story.

Heard

Krautrock genre · 1968–1975

Industrial takes krautrock’s motorik repetition, electronics, and studio-as-instrument and recodes them as factory pulse and noise.

Influence
Musique concrète practice · 1948–

Industrial takes musique concrète’s tape-and-found-sound job — splice, loop, loudspeaker — and recodes it as a band.

Influence
Punk genre · 1975–

Industrial takes punk’s independent band-as-unit public — anyone-can-play, small labels, club and art-space rooms — and runs tape, noise, and factory timbre through it.

Influence

Industrial

genre · 1976–

Also called industrial music

Mid-1970s named practice of noise, tape, and factory timbre as a band job (Throbbing Gristle, Cabaret Voltaire, Neubauten). It hears Krautrock for motorik electronics, Punk for the independent band-as-unit public, and Musique concrète for tape-and-found-sound. It already gives Industrial metal the machine pulse and sample/noise color, and EBM the dance-floor recoding. Industrial-rock leftover as a Nine Inch Nails press tag. Noise leftover as a later experimental wing. Empty extra Received/Given is historically checked.

Listen

  1. Hot on the Heels of Love Throbbing Gristle (1979) YouTube · Spotify
  2. Discipline Throbbing Gristle (1981) YouTube
  3. Nag Nag Nag Cabaret Voltaire (1979) YouTube · Spotify · Amazon
  4. Tanz Debil Einstürzende Neubauten (1981) YouTube · Spotify · Amazon
  5. Slogun SPK (1979) YouTube

Passed on

EBM genre · 1981–

EBM takes industrial’s machine pulse, synth noise, and shouted vocal and recodes them as a four-on-the-floor club body.

Influence
Industrial metal style · 1988–

Industrial metal takes industrial’s machine pulse, tape/sample noise, and factory timbre and hangs them on a metal riff band.

Influence

Krautrock → Industrial

meter and groovetimbre and productionform and structurestrength: mediumscholarly consensus1975–1981recording

Mechanism

Industrial takes krautrock’s motorik repetition, electronics, and studio-as-instrument and recodes them as factory pulse and noise. Strength medium. krautrock post punk is the UK club-rock hop; this edge is the machine-noise band. Kraftwerk leftover as a mediator on the krautrock node, not a second parent.

Evidence

Cabaret Voltaire and Throbbing Gristle hearing Can/Neu!/Kraftwerk electronics and repetition (Grove, Starr).

Debate

Whether industrial is already krautrock with a darker ethic. Motorik-and-synth rock remains krautrock’s; the named factory-noise band is industrial’s.

Mediators

artist: Cabaret Voltaire; artist: Throbbing Gristle

Musique concrète → Industrial

timbre and productionperformance practiceform and structurestrength: highscholarly consensus1975–1981recordingpedagogy

Mechanism

Industrial takes musique concrète’s tape-and-found-sound job — splice, loop, loudspeaker — and recodes it as a band. Strength high. Elektronische Musik leftover as a Cologne oscillator sibling, not this tape parent. Punk leftover as the independent-band public (other edge).

Evidence

Throbbing Gristle and Cabaret Voltaire’s tape collages against Schaeffer/Henry studio grammar (Grove); Industrial Records as the named hinge from étude to group.

Debate

Whether industrial simply is concert tape music with a drummer. The GRM étude is musique concrète’s; the factory-noise band is the named recoding.

Mediators

artist: Throbbing Gristle; artist: Cabaret Voltaire

Punk → Industrial

performance practicefunction and contextform and structurestrength: mediumscholarly consensus1976–1981oralrecording

Mechanism

Industrial takes punk’s independent band-as-unit public — anyone-can-play, small labels, club and art-space rooms — and runs tape, noise, and factory timbre through it. Strength medium. Musique concrète supplies the tape job; krautrock supplies electronics. This hop is the rock-group vehicle. Throbbing Gristle’s anti-punk rhetoric is leftover as testimony, not a refused parent.

Evidence

Industrial Records as a 1976 independent; Cabaret Voltaire on the Sheffield club circuit beside punk; Grove on industrial as a named band practice in that public.

Debate

Whether Throbbing Gristle (1975) predates punk and so cannot hear it. The named industrial band occupies punk’s independent-label room even when it rejects punk’s three-chord song. Parallel in time; the public code is punk’s.

Mediators

artist: Throbbing Gristle; institution: Industrial Records

Industrial → EBM

meter and groovetimbre and productionfunction and contextstrength: highscholarly consensus1981–1988recordingdance

Mechanism

EBM takes industrial’s machine pulse, synth noise, and shouted vocal and recodes them as a four-on-the-floor club body. Strength high. industrial industrial metal is the guitar-factory child; this hop is the dance-floor fork. Disco is a neighboring floor hop (disco ebm), not this industrial mechanism.

Evidence

DAF and Front 242 sequencing industrial’s slogan-and-machine job for clubs (Grove, Starr).

Debate

Whether EBM is already industrial. The art-space tape/noise band is industrial’s; the named body-music club single is EBM’s.

Mediators

artist: DAF; artist: Front 242

Industrial → Industrial metal

timbre and productioninstrumentationmeter and groovestrength: highwell documented1988–1992recording

Mechanism

Industrial metal takes industrial’s machine pulse, tape/sample noise, and factory timbre and hangs them on a metal riff band. Strength high. Heavy metal supplies the guitar-unit parent. EBM leftover as a dance fork of industrial, not this metal child.

Evidence

Ministry The Land of Rape and Honey and Godflesh Streetcleaner against Throbbing Gristle/Neubauten factory grammar (Grove).

Debate

Whether this is already industrial. The art-noise/tape job is industrial’s; the named metal-guitar factory band is industrial metal’s.

Mediators

artist: Ministry; artist: Godflesh