calling Nine Inch Nails “industrial” is like calling Black Sabbath a “blues” band
Here’s the most insightful thing I’ve read on the internet this week: “I dunno . . . it always seemed to me that calling NIN “industrial” was like calling Black Sabbath a “blues” band.”
From this Boing Boing article:
Documentary about Nine Inch Nails and industrial music - Boing Boing
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Industrial_music
Because of its emphasis on traditional melodic patterns and dance beats, I’d call the music of Nine Inch Nails “industrial-inspired techno-pop” or maybe “industrial-inspired rock”.
Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin took the essence of American blues music and turned it into something new that appealed to a wider (largely white) audience. Nowadays we call that “heavy metal”. In the same way, Trent Reznor took a form of music with very little commercial appeal (industrial music) and made a new form of music with popular marketability.
So, “real” industrial music (such as Throbbing Gristle or Nurse with Wound) is to Nine Inch Nails what Memphis Minnie is to Black Sabbath.
Do you think Kraftwerk is a precursor to industrial music?