By incorporating the sounds of homemade instruments into his brand of electronic dance music, Richard James has become the rave generation’s newest hero. The music James makes ranges from atmospheric ambient to intense hardcore techno, with the consistent thread being the unique, often eerie sounds created by his own musical gear. James stresses that he … Read more
Probably the most interesting strain of dance music to emerge in recent years has been ambient sound of The Orb. Who would have thought that long, slow tracks fusing natural sounds with classic analogue synths but virtually no drums would appeal to the club crowd? But Britain’s The Orb have proved that this can work. … Read more
As anyone who has seen them live can attest, there are few bands that can come close to matching the intensity and innovativeness of Big Catholic Guilt. The Boston-based group has often been compared to Ministry because of their combination of thrashing guitars and samplers, but that comparison is not really accurate. Big Catholic Guilt … Read more
On their latest album, “United Kingdoms,” Ultramarine truly bridges the gap between two musical generations. The group has always been known for creating a sound that combines very synthetic electronic sounds with traditional instrumentation and elements of jazz, folk and progressive rock music. But this time out, the group has collaborated with one of the … Read more
On his 1993 album “Cyberpunk” Billy Idol re-defined his approach to creating music. The album was created in Idol’s home studio, which is controlled by a Macintosh computer and makes extensive use of other electronic gear. But despite the samples, dance beats, and strange electronic noises, “Cyberpunk” is musically more in tune with Idol’s early work … Read more
With the thousands of limited-run dance singles being put out by new bands, the chances of them leading anywhere are small. But every once and a while, a band will stumble upon a hit and find themselves propelled to stardom. Then, of course, chances are they’ll never follow it up and be doomed to becoming … Read more
When an artist from a popular group comes out with a solo album, it always seem to fuel rumors of the band’s demise. Reports of the Sugarcube’s breaking up started spreading even before Bjork released her aptly (though incorrectly) titled “Debut”, but according to the singer, that’s not the case. Although they were the darlings … Read more
With a growing number of American industrial bands making guitars figure prominently in their music, Xorcist’s sound comes as a nice change. The solo project of Bat, who also runs the CyberDen BBS, Xorcist creates highly structured, entirely electronic, “cyberindustrial” dance music. The songs are highly aggressive and manage to avoid repetition without adopting traditional … Read more
To fans of electronic and experimental music, Cabaret Voltaire are truly legends. Since 1978, the Sheffield-based group has been using technology to push the boundries of music to the absolute limits. Originally a trio of Richard H. Kirk, Stephen Mallinder and Christopher Watkins, Cabaret Voltaire are right up there with Throbbing Gristle as the pioneers … Read more
With virtually every major industrial band somehow interconnected with one another through side projects, it was only natural for the burgeoning electronic scene in Boston to also take on this incestuous nature. In Boston, Elaine Walker has proven to be one of those highly prolific individuals involved in several projects at the same time. In … Read more