RE/Search #6/7: Industrial Culture Handbook (Halfway through)

(RE/Search #6/7: Industrial Culture Handbook by V. Vale)

I've started reading through some of the "RE/Search #6/7: Industrial Culture Handbook", and so far the images and the interviews and all the other shit is really excellent! Buuut, a lot of the interviews so far in the book, they get into a lot of violent (in a physical way) topics... and they are really descriptive about it... which makes me kind of sick to my stomach, as some of it is based in reality, and some of it is based on horror movies and such (neither of which I like, and matter of fact make me physically sick)... it is quite like watching a horror movie with the descriptions and such in the book... I love industrial music, and there are a lot of modern industrial bands that use imagery like that in their live performances and such... I will be honest, I usually skip out on a band that has quite graphic imagery... as I don't like violence, and I can't even stomach modern horror movies... I have a hard time with even some old black and white horror movies...

(Throbbing Gristle)

...I mean in a way it's not surprising that a lot of the pioneering bands used this kind of imagery in their performances and such... but also in another way, it is kind of surprising. The impression I'm getting from these interviews is that, the bands used a lot of imagery or even did physical acts to kind of shock people... to elicit certain reactions... or to really shake people out of the daily bullshit "be a drone" mentality, and to think for themselves and realize there are these control structures around us. I guess for the time, that's what it took to get people to notice and maybe think about things differently, and to really get a reaction in some way or another... or to influence people to choose a different path, or whatever...

...I'm just under halfway through the book... I pick this up in stints and read for a bit, then set it down... There is a lot of inspiration here... (other than the violent stuff)... and so far, this really does seem like an "Industrial Culture Handbook"... it kind of guides you to the ideas, visions, etc... that industrial music embodied at the time, who the pioneers of the scene are... what philosophies they follow... They even get into books, movies, discographies, and all that kind of stuff each band reads, watches, has written, etc...

(Cabaret Voltaire)

...I would call this a guidebook/handbook, if you take all the ideas, philosophies, movie suggestions, etc... it guides you to the things that influenced the various artists within the book... granted, even if you read what they read, watched what they watched, you may not come to the same conclusions as they did, but it really gives you an idea of what they were thinking, and kinda how they came to the philosophies that they did!!

As I stated in my last blog, there is a lot of inspiration right now! Lot's of inspiring music conversations about all aspects of music production, music gear, all that kind of shit! This book is definitely adding to that inspiration! I will also say on that note, I am missing the live performances and such right now, and reading this book is definitely making me miss it more... I guess hopefully we have viable vaccine option here sooner than later... cause I would like to get back to attending industrial/goth events and shows (local and not local)... I'm missing the culture, I'm missing the conversations, I'm missing the dancing, the performing in my own act... miss seeing familiar faces in the scene... miss being around my kind!

Love you folks!

Your Canadian Goth/Rivethead,
Shayne "Daemon_w60" Lawrence / Twitch / Trippingonacable Records

(SPK)

P.S.: I'll update you folks again when I've gone through the book in it's entirety! Sooo much inspiration here!!

P.P.S.: Hey! We got a new album! Sign-up to our mailing list here and get a free download of our newest album "Darkness_Rise!"!!

Inspiring Music Conversations, Winter, and Intentions for the Future!!

(System Syn "The Privileged... such a great track musically!!)

Another conversation with another musician friend and another inspiring night! There's a lot of music talk these days, and a lot of exciting and great conversations about music, gear, mixing, mastering... all that kind of stuff!! Even talk of discovery of industrial bands, EBM projects, Industrial Metal bands, all sorts of different projects and endeavours... 

... A few weeks ago, I had mentioned to a co-worker... that I have a feeling this Winter is going to be good... I don't know why I feel that way, I just have a general sense and feeling that the season, is going to be good... maybe that is just my intention moving forward, but despite the situation, I'm not letting this pandemic get the better of me, and sit in worry and despair... this Winter is going to be good, and nothing is going to get in the way of that! Life is already too short, no sense in sitting in shit, might as well make the best of the situation and enjoy life to the best that I can right now. I know some of you may not feel the same sentiment, but out of all honesty, what you put into life is what you get out! I want this Winter to be good, and productive... and inspiring... there's no reason why it can't be that!!

(A friend introduced this to me tonight! Great Power Noise artist, Imminent Starvation)

I will be honest, this has been my most productive year creatively... I have a lot of projects on the go... and so many, that I actually feel slightly overwhelmed, but... I've decided not to take anything else on creatively, until I get through a large portion of these projects! I've felt sooo inspired lately, although, I will also say... today (Dec 20/2020) I finally started to write again, it felt weird cause it had been since Halloween since I had written, and before that... it was early June the last time. I do feel a little out of practice and anxious, cause there were a lot of doubts about what I was working on Today, but... tomorrow I will take a listen to what I had, and add or tweak accordingly... maybe this project will get done sooner than later, and I'll have a couple things in the tank... and maybe, just maybe I can focus on the next endeavor... we'll see...

(Korn's song "Can You Hear Me" is really inspiring me right now... although maybe not this version, but this seems to be the only one blogspot will allow me to use...)

... it is tough during these times, to know what to do, cause... are we going to be able to do live shows in the near future, or are we gonna have to still do the live stream performances... how long is this period of self-isolation gonna last for... I know what I want, but is that gonna happen... I personally am planning for A, B, and C... maybe we'll have to do a bit of column A, and B... live shows, plus live streams... that's kinda what I'm planning for (option C)... obviously, like everyone else, I would like a workable vaccine... so we can get back to maybe not a normal, but definitely back to doing live shows... although, I will be honest... I'm, in a way, kind of thankful that all that has happened... happened. It's given me a lot of time to think about what I want, and what steps I want to take, moving forward, whatever that looks like!

(Here's your answer!)

Life is too short folks, might as well set yourself up for success whatever transpires or happens!

What do you guy's feel?

Your Canadian Goth/Rivethead,
Shayne "Daemon_w60" Lawrence / Twitch / Trippingonacable Records

P.S.: Here's another great song that came up the conversation tonight!! 

An Inspiring Music Conversation About Hardware Synthesizers!!

(My main synthesizer: Yamaha EX7)

Last night I had an excellent conversation with a longtime friend and ex-bandmate about hardware synthesizers... and all kinds of other music related shit! The conversation really got the creative juices flowing, and I was highly inspired!! That is one thing I've certainly missed during this whole period of self-isolation, and social-distancing... the conversations about music, music hardware, and all kinds of other music related shit... stuff that is really inspiring! It's sooo, refreshing to have those kind of conversations again! It got me into thinking about my own synth, and the things I want to do musically with it. There are sooo many ways I'm currently not utilizing my synths... and there are certainly ways of using it that I want to utilize in the future... just for the simple fact that it would be a great challenge to see what I can do with those features! Lot's of inpiration, and lot's of future plans and ideas!

Sign-up to Twitch's mailing list and get Twitch's latest album "Darkness_Rise!" for free!!

(Sign-up for free music)

Yes, you read that right! Sign-up to Twitch's mailing list here and receive Twitch's latest album "Darkness_Rise!" for free, as well as a bunch of other goodies!!

We don't get too annoying with this, you get our monthly newsletter as well as first to know about upcoming releases, music videos, future free music, and all kinds of other things going on in Twitchland! And hey, you get to say you are part of the exclusive Twitch community... and we might send you shit in the mail too!! 😉

Taking On A Lot Creatively... and that Pervading Feeling that I Might Be In A Downward Spiral

Well, I can now honestly say... I've taken on a lot creatively lately, and I do feel a little overwhelmed, and a little stressed, but the sooner I get these projects done and off my plate I'll feel a lot better. I had sooo much on my plate in the last couple of weeks, that there were moments that I just wanted to curl up under a blanket, but I also know if I didn't/don't get these things off my plate quickly I'll feel more stressed... I was actually ready to drop a couple projects off the list, and push them further into the year... but surprisingly I ended up finishing one of the major video projects way ahead of schedule. The evening of finishing that project, I felt it was a perfect opportunity to go and film my second video project on my list (I won't get to the editing stage for awhile yet though).

After getting the first video project off my plate, and starting the second one... I felt really good, cause I got more than what I wanted done, waaaaay ahead of schedule! Course I've got all kinds of shit going on in the background too, from episodes of "The Making of Darkness_Rise!" to filming/editing the new "Fuck Yeah, Industrial!" series... plus all the other minor shit, like our "25 Days of Twitchmas" posts and shit, this blog... plus all the Christmas preparations (which involves my other artistic endeavor)... lot's of shit going on! I'm glad I decided to take a brief hiatus of our live stream performances, cause I honestly think it just would have been waaaaay too much on my plate.

(We felt we were in a downward spiral)

This year has been productive, despite the situation... I mean, out of all the years that I've been doing Twitch... this year has probably been my most productive, at least creatively (we DID release two albums this year)! Course the stuff that I've been working on, will end up spilling into next year... maybe those two video projects will see the light of day, maybe early next year..? Buuuuuuuuut, this blog is about creatively feeling overwhelmed... So, what I was getting at was that, I have felt overwhelmed the last little while, to the point it was affecting my sleep, and I was having dreams that I was spiraling downward... and then I would wake up several times in the night... like, were talking 6 to 8, maybe more... and then I wouldn't reach REM and in the morning I would feel like absolute shit... then have to go into work and be tired all fuckin day... then that would go on for a couple of days... and then I would get some rest, then a couple of days later this whole thing repeats...

...but, as stated above, I've gotten the first major film project off my plate, and I started filming the second one, and got most, if not all the footage I need from that... I am waaaay ahead of schedule, and there's one more piece for the first film project that I've got to do, but it won't be long and that piece will be good to go! My time period for both of these projects was to be completed in 3 months time. I'm confident they will both be ready waaay ahead of schedule!!

The one thing I've found with the way my body works is, if I don't sleep... then I might as well get up and do something, cause it's just a waste of time for me to just lay in bed for hours on end, trying to sleep. My thinking is "I'm up, I might as well get shit done!", and if I'm not sleeping cause these projects are on my mind... then fuck it! There's no time to waste! Let's get shit done!!

I do feel elated that I've gotten so much done, and that I'm way ahead of schedule! I will say though, I will not likely take on so much creatively in the future, moving forward, cause the no sleep thing, even though I use that time to get stuff done, it's still taxing on your system... and eventually you'll need to sleep at some point, or you will burn out... and I don't want to do that! I think it's important to maintain mental health, and have a healthy sleep schedule... and even though this endeavor does give me energy, and I'm always being inspired in some way or another... you still shouldn't and can't take on more than your system will allow, and when things start to feel overwhelmed and stressful... it's time to push things back in your creative schedule... and maybe drop things. I love this endeavor and don't want to lose the energy to do it! If I need to drop something, or push things further back in the schedule, so I can maintain my health, mentally and physically... then that's what I'll do! 

(Photo courtesy of Eric Lemieux)

I'm in this for life!

Shayne "Daemon_W60" Lawrence / Twitch / Trippingonacable Records

.

P.S.:  Twitch is giving away our latest album "Darkness_Rise!" for free!! All you have to do is sign up to our mailing list here!

We don't get too annoying with this, you get our monthly newsletter as well as first to know about upcoming releases, music videos, future free music, and all kinds of other things going on in Twitchland! And hey, you get to say you are part of the exclusive Twitch community... and we might send you shit in the mail too!! 😉

Celebrating 25 Days of Twitchmas!!

(Christmas this year is Industrial as Fuck!!)

Twitch is taking a bit of a hiatus from live streams over the Holiday Season. However, beginning December 1st/2020 we'll be celebrating 25 Days of Twitchmas on our Instagram here! As well as on our Twitch Facebook Page here!

What will it entail..? From watching black and white horror movies, to drinking eggnog... to watching live industrial concert replays... to watching industrial music documentaries... to reading industrial history books, or scene related books, decorating the Twitchmas tree... and even some Christmas shit too!! 

...Why? Cause hey... Why the fuck not!! In the same vein as Halloween, we feel this year has gone by waaaay to quickly, and we kinda just want to slow things down, and really enjoy the holiday season, and really just enjoy life in general! This is a new tradition for us... in celebrating it for 25 days (usually it's just a day), but we've got all kinds of stuff planned!! 

We hope you join us... and there might be a surprise or two as well! 😉 

#Twitch #25days #Twitchmas #IndustrialMusic #IndustrialMusicCulture #IndustrialMetal #IndustrialHiphop #IndustrialMusicForIndustrialPeople #IndustrialRecords #Rivethead #Goth #NewAlbum #DarknessRise #Darkness #Rise #Positivity #NewTradition #Holidays #25DaysOfTwitchmas

Twitch Surprise Releases New Album "Darkness_Rise!"

 

Ye, you read that right! Twitch surprise releases new album "Darkness_Rise!"! Here's a bit about the album:

So, how did this all start..? A long time ago, while I was writing another album (5 or more years ago), I was inspired to take some photos of some of the buildings here in Calgary, Alberta, Canada at night, there were a lot of new structures going up, around that time... and I thought it would be awesome to get some nice nighttime photos! After, taking the photos and taking a look at what I got... I had an idea... I would write an album inspired by darkness, and the idea that it is time for the goth scene to rise, and be seen and grow into something larger! Course, that was 5(ish) years ago. I didn’t know what the album would sound like and what songs would be on it exactly, but that is how the name came about... and kinda what it would be about. Then as I was somewhere in the process of writing my last album, I decided that I would do a music challenge of sorts.

So what was the challenge? I wanted to take an album from concept to completion within a months time frame, and strictly utilize my hardware synthesizer, outside of the few exceptions of, guitars and drums.

You can purchase the album here!

Twitch Releases New Single "Everlasting" and Announces Live Stream

(New single "Everlasting")

First thing is first, this last Friday, we released the new single "Everlasting" during a live stream chat and listen through! What is the single about?

In the early evening, during the pandemic... we were starting to get into Spring... the sun was slowly setting, and there was a little bit of snow falling and blowing around. Looking to the West, I experienced something that has never happened before in my life. The light, the sun, the clouds... it looked gold, and I didn’t want it to end... I had never seen anything like it before. There was beauty... It kinda felt like a moment of, we will eventually get back to living our lives, even though things have changed... probably for the rest of life, I realized at some point we will get through this, we will eventually overcome these obstacles. I’m not sure what it will look like after, but we will change and adapt! I felt peace and hope. I didn’t take any pictures, but I was inspired to write “Everlasting” to capture what I was feeling... and share it with whoever wants to listen! Even when things are dark, there is still light within that.

You can purchase Twitch's new single "Everlasting" here!

We are also doing a live stream performance on our Twitch Facebook page here on Thursday, October 22nd/2020 at 7pm - 8:30pm (MST)! So be sure to join us for that! We might be playing some old, and some new... and there might be some surprises... we'll see!!

("Everlasting" A Dance Party - Live Stream)

We hope you folks are staying well!! See you in the live stream!!

Books: Industrial Revolution (25th Anniversary Edition) by Dave Thompson

Received this book in the mail not too long ago... wasn't exactly what I was expecting, but still glad to have this in my collection. This is certainly a piece of Industrial Music history! Here's what the back of the book says:

Back in print for the first time in some two decades, The Industrial Revolution - 25th Anniversary Edition includes the full text of the now collectible, and so influential encyclopedia, published at the dawn of the Industrial Music boom of the mid-1990s.

Featuring in-depth biographies and discographies of every Industrial band functioning at the time, together with historical retrospectives, features, exclusive interviews and more, "The Industrial Revolution" has long been regarded as the essential guide to a musical form that promised, at one point, to become the dominant force of the decade.

Covering the entire spectrum of industrial rock bands, The Industrial Revolution remains a spellbinding introduction to... and a reminder of... the moment when experimental left field music was poised on the very edge of mainstream superstardom. Complete and unabridged.

The description on the back kind of sums up everything about this book; basically an encyclopedia of all the bands in existence in the mid-1990s. There's also interviews with select bands and this books includes discography listings of each band at the time! There's quite a few bands included that I haven't really heard, or even knew of... so for me, even though this book wasn't what I was expecting, it is still valuable, cause at some point I'm going to want to check out some of those bands and see what they are/were all about! I think the addition of the discographies of each band is great too, cause it's easier to figure out what exactly I want to purchase or even just check out and listen to online!

Would I recommend this book? If you a serious Industrial Music collector and interested in the history, I would suggest this! There's a very interesting interview with Rozz Williams about his project Premature Ejaculation... that I think people should read. Actually, there's quite a few interesting interviews in here... so yeah... would recommend!!

PRONG: Power Of The Damager

(PRONG's "Power Of The Damager" Cover)

Yes, we received this in the mail not too long ago... popped it in and started listening...

...this is PRONG's comeback album after their "Scorpio Rising". This album is a lot heavier and it sounds like Tommy Victor is a lot more angry on these tracks.

(Inner sleeve; Part 1)

I will say this album veers more heavily in the metal direction... but still has some industrial and darker elements to it.

(Inner Sleeve; Part 2)

PRONG has always been on the edge as far as industrial goes... they are not strictly industrial... but they kind of crossover into it on various albums and songs... Personally, I think PRONG is more of a crossover band than a strictly industrial metal band.

(CD Artwork)

I would say the tracks that stand out for me are... "Looking For Them", "Pure Ether", "Power Of The Damager", "The Banishment", and "Spirit Guide"... I think "The Banishment" is probably my favorite track off the album!

(Back Cover)

If you are curious about industrial music history and in particular industrial metal... I would consider this as a part of that history, and being that the main songwriter Tommy Victor has worked with bands like Danzig during his industrial phase (Blackacidevil), as well as played and toured with Ministry...

...Prong has long crossed the line between metal and industrial I will recommend picking this up and adding it to your collection! Digging into this stuff, you realize there's all these little connections in the history of industrial music... and bands that you thought weren't related are actually related and have had members play in the various industrial bands or related bands in the scene...

...yeah, exciting stuff!!

Hope you are well!!

Mixing Tests: Ear Fatigue?

(Ear Fatigue?)

Ok, so there is definitely a debate whether ear fatigue is real or not. Quite frankly, I don't know... I listen to music everyday, there really is no quiet time for me (except for when I meditate), I pretty much have something going on in the background all day, every day... and when I'm writing, typically in the past I would write/record and constantly be listening to sections of the track and then sometimes the full track, to hear how it all fits together.

When I think about ear fatigue, quite frankly, that is the one thing that we ultimately can't get away from... sound, if there is wind, rustling leaves, cars going by, fans, buzzing of fridges or microwaves, people, sirens (depending on where you live), we can't actually turn off our ears (even meditating, there is some noise outside that ultimately our ears can't block). So do we actually experience ear fatigue? Being that we can't really turn off our ears... there is no silence (maybe unless you are in outer space, but that might be a discussion for another time). I will tell you though, during these mixing tests, I find actually stepping away and not listening to the audio for like 5 to 10 minutes, and then coming back to it, helps. Now, I wouldn't equate that to ear fatigue necessarily, I would more equate that as stepping away, and then coming back to it with a fresh mindset.

What are your thoughts? When you mix, do you feel you get ear fatigue? Or do you feel ear fatigue is not real?

I keep coming back to Wax Trax! Records!

(INVA//ID; modern dark electro-industrial reminiscent of Wax Trax! era bands)

I keep coming back to the Wax Trax! Records back-catalogue. There are modern bands that are inspired by the Wax Trax! roster of bands and ultimately hearing these bands brings me back to the record label's catalog. Once again I will say, for some reason the bands on the Wax Trax! roster, not only do I keep coming back to, but feel inspired by! Out of all honesty, I'm not really sure why, I just really enjoying stuff that has come off that roster, and once again, feeling really inspired by. I guess there is a certain sound to the bands that were on that label, like you can hear the mixing and mastering and just general sound that came off that label for the bands, and at least I find there is a similarity. It may have been the fact that Al Jourgensen played a very important role there. It could also be the fact that almost everything that came off that label, was done in an in house recording studio... and the bands and side-projects, they were all hanging around when other bands on the label were recording their music, so there would be this, cross-pollination between the bands. It's funny cause, it's actually a lot of the modern bands that I'm listening to these days that are actually drawing me back to the Wax Trax! roster. Like, the bands INVA//ID or Cocksure... the style and sound design is very reminiscent of the Wax Trax! sound (granted Cocksure is an obvious one, as Chris Connelly was in the band Revolting Cocks and that influence is definitely there), Malekko is another one (once again, fairly obvious why... Paul Barker is the main songwriter for Malekko, he also was Ministry's bassist for, well a loooong time, as well as vocalist for his other project Lead Into Gold), but I find it interesting that there are these modern bands that when they are writing their albums, the sound design is specifically and intentionally done in a way that is reminiscent of the bands that were on Wax Trax! Records... and quite frankly, I'm glad there are people/bands/artists that are doing that, cause A) I like their music, and B) It reminds me of the Wax Trax! roster and I find it highly inspiring!

(Revolting Cocks)

I just love the history, I love the stories, I love the sound, the bands... all that, and just listening to the music from that time and trying to decipher how they went about in creating those songs, and the sound design... yeah inspiring! And, when hearing modern bands do that, it's like hearing a piece of history, but a modern take on it, which is also inspiring!!

What is keeping you inspired these days?

The Magic that is Ohgr

Yeah, I remember purchasing the first Ohgr release waaay back in what I think was 2001. If I'm not mistaken an old friend introduced me to the project while I was visiting my home town for the holidays or something like that. Now if you are unfamiliar with Ohgr, Ohgr is a collaboration between Nivek Ogre (of Skinny Puppy), and Mark Walk. Here's the wiki's if you are interested on Ogre and Ohgr!

My interest in Ohgr initially was that a friend of mine thought my second release had similarities to Ohgr's album "Welt". At the time I could hear some of the similarities... and after hearing Ohgr for the first time, I thought that it was a great project! I think the one thing that attracted me to actually purchase the album, was there was a lot of pop structure in the songs, while still having a bit of the Skinny Puppy sound. It sounded "lighter" but still had that industrial stream of thought vocal play that Ogre was known for in Skinny Puppy. If you did take a look at the above wiki's you would know that Ogre structured the music around the lyrics when creating the songs on "Welt"... which I think makes Ohgr, Ohgr. There is a "magic" to it... the way the words are strung together... when listening to it, it's like opening a gift or watching a magician perform an illusion, or sleight-of-hand trick. Everything is strung together in such a way, that it is like magic. You wonder how the music fits so well with the lyrics, but they do!

I remember purchasing it and opening up to find the weird artwork... what was the inspiration for this album... there were no lyrics in the CD booklet, just artwork and credits... It's only as of recently that I've looked up some of the lyrics for the songs... is he telling a story..? are these life events..? I don't know, and can't seem to find any interpretation of what they are online! Still excellent lyrics though!

Over the years I've picked up the various albums "SunnyPsyOp", "Devils In My Details", "Undeveloped", and "Tricks"... each of them having their own characteristics, I will say as time has gone on, the albums seem to have gotten darker, and maybe more aggressive. I love each album, but if I were to pick one, I think "Welt" is probably my favorite!

So, what is it about Ohgr, what makes the project sooo captivating... is it his vocal delivery..? the pop elements..? the way the songs are structured around his lyrics..? the orchestration of the whole thing, and how each song is constructed..? the sound design and programming..? Is it the way Ogre presents the project in the live spectrum..? I will say, I was fortunate to see Ohgr perform a show here in our city, and it was an amazing show (although, I will say, it wasn't very well attended... odd being that it's fucking Ogre, as well as Lead Into Gold, and Omniflux on the bill, but maybe not enough people in our city know of Ohgr [or Ogre], or of the history of Lead Into Gold, and that whole era of industrial music). The funny thing about all of this, when Ogre was younger, he wanted to be a magician, apparently he wasn't very good at it, but he went on to create the magic that is Ohgr... with his wordplay in his lyrics and the amazing music. The one thing about magicians is, we always ask... how do they do it? Often times, we are left with no answers... all that we are left with is awe and amazement... and that my friends is magic!

So, what do you think of Ohgr? Do you think the music and lyricism are magic? Have you seen the project perform live? What were your thought's on the performance?



P.S.: ...and if you are curious what we sounded like in our early days (around the "Welt" era)... check out our second album "We Are Here To Dance!"



... maybe you hear similarities..?

Resources for Industrial Music Production, Recording, Writing!

(Trippingonacable Studios)

These days there really isn’t a lot of Industrial music production forums and blogs anymore, so I thought I would share the resources from as many sites I could find, that have been archived or are still around to help anyone who is interested in getting started in writing, producing, recording, or performing industrial music. I figured I would try and compile all the resources I could from places that I frequented on the internet, and various sites and such, from when I was younger... I hope you find these helpful!

New York Industrial Front: this site is now archived... but I found this site very helpful when I was getting started, and to kinda get perspective when doing industrial music, and performing live and all that stuff. Here is the site: https://www.oocities.org/sunsetstrip/studio/4696/

Here is a couple of resources from that site:

How to make industrial for free: https://www.oocities.org/sunsetstrip/studio/4696/howto.html

How to make industrial for next to nothing (You’re all spoiled): https://www.oocities.org/sunsetstrip/studio/4696/howto2.html

Advice for Industrial bands playing out: https://www.oocities.org/sunsetstrip/studio/4696/howto3.html

Note: I do realize the content from these links are a little dated, but the advice is still solid, so take a read and apply this to a modern industrial band.

Knobs & Sliders: This blog is/was run by Michael Arthur Holloway, you probably better know him as Dead When I Found Her. You can find tips and info regarding industrial music production, especially when creating sounds that are reminiscent of older Skinny Puppy: http://knobsandsliders.blogspot.com/

Koney-Industrial Blog: now this blog was a little more geared to industrial techno, and industrial hardcore, but they listed a lot of cool VSTs (software synthesizers for you noobs), and the odd production technique and such: http://koney-industrial.blogspot.com/

Gearslutz (Charlie Clouser forum): I’m sure some of you are aware of this but, Charlie Clouser of Nine Inch Nails fame (The Downward Spiral, and The Fragile Era’s) participated in a very long discussion regarding gear and such that was used for the various eras of Nine Inch Nails… the forum posting is quite massive, but there’s a lot of good stuff there if you are patient and curious… you can find it here: https://www.gearslutz.com/board/electronic-music-instruments-and-electronic-music-production/605445-nine-inch-nails-synths.html

WaveFormless Blog: This blog was run by Tom Shear of Assemblage 23... there's gear reviews as well as reviews of VSTs and stuff like that, all stuff pertaining to the electronic/industrial/ebm type scenes, you can find it here: http://waveformless.blogspot.com/

There are also Reddit forum topics discussing this as well, but I am not too familiar with Reddit, and have only used it a couple of times (but not for industrial music production itself)... so, I'll leave it up to you to find those specific posts!

Here are a couple of Reddit posts that I found about Industrial Music Production:
https://www.reddit.com/r/industrialmusic/comments/2eexk3/anybody_else_starting_to_make_industrial_music/

https://www.reddit.com/r/industrialmusic/comments/9wih9w/industrial_music_makers_how_do_you_make_your_music/

https://www.reddit.com/r/IndustrialMusicians/

Note: There are also a ton of resources out there on Youtube and such, when it comes to general knowledge in music production, mixing, and mastering! There are not a lot of resources for industrial music production specifically, but there are tips and tricks for general music production.

One word of caution; if you are new to industrial music writing/recording/production/etc... don't get too caught up in who used what gear to achieve what sound for what album type shit. In the end, it really doesn't matter what gear you have or don't have, be resourceful and create those sounds with what you have. I find too many people get caught up in the "What gear should I buy to achieve 'x' sound?" syndrome... nowadays it really doesn't fuckin matter (if you read through the New York Industrial Front stuff above, you will understand where I'm coming from)... get creative, and maybe you'll create a sound that sounds like you, rather than someone else!

Anyway, let me know if you find these links helpful! And, if you have any other resources that should be added to this list, please leave those sites in the comments… I would like to make an exhaustive list of all the available resources online that we have today!

Record Labels I Wish Still Existed...

There is so much good music out there these days! Some of it independent, some of it signed to labels. As in the present, the same holds true for past music releases, but some of those excellent record labels that existed in the past, don't exist today... today's blog is all about past, now defunct record labels that I wish were still around... the first one is:



Gashed! Records:

Gashed! Records started in 1998, as a way for Eric Deegan to promote quality electro-industrial bands that were often overlooked and unappreciated by larger industrial labels... some of the bands that were signed to Gashed! were: Assemblage 23, Aghast View, Negative Format, Abscess, NCC, . I really liked Gashed! They had some pretty cool bands signed to the label... and they helped in the success of some of the more well known bands in the scene now, specifically Assemblage 23. The other thing about Gashed! is that they were a local label out of Calgary, Alberta, Canada... and it was really cool having a label of their status based out of this city! I found sooo many cool bands because of them! My first purchase from the label was a budget compilation called "Virion Sequences", there were a whole shitload of cool bands on that compilation... I still have it actually... the artwork for that release was pretty cool too! I think it's amazing that the local scene here had such an amazing label, and I think it really put Calgary on the map as far as the industrial scene in Canada goes. You know, now that I think about it, I guess it's not so much that I miss the label, it's that the city had enough of a scene that it could support a label like that!


The second label I wish still existed is:

Wax Trax! Records:

We all know why I wish this label was still around, I'm sure a lot of you folks feel the same way! Wax Trax! was an iconic and pioneering label when it comes to industrial music... if it wasn't for them, EBM band Front 242 would not have made the impact it did, KMFDM wouldn't have made the impact they did, Al Jourgensen wouldn't be as successful as he was, I mean Front Line Assembly wouldn't be where they are today without Wax Trax!, fuck... VNV Nation, My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult, Meat Beat Manifesto, Revolting Cocks, Chris Connelly, sooo many bands and artists in the goth/industrial scene would not be where they are today without this label... It's really too bad the way things ended (TVT takeover)... I mean it would be awesome to see more bands pour out of this label, if it could carry on! I'm glad that Julie Nash is keeping the memory of her father Jim Nash and his partner Dannie Flesher alive with the recent documentary "Industrial Accident: The Story of Wax Trax! Records" as well as the pop-up shop she did... I'm hoping there'll be more of that kind of stuff in the near and into the far future as well!


The third label I wish still existed is:

NOTHING Records:

Now this label was Trent Reznor's (Nine Inch Nails) personal label... and there were sooo many bands that came off this, first of all Marilyn Manson was signed to it for I do think three albums ("Portrait of An American Family", "Antichrist Superstar", and "Mechanical Animals"), he is a shock rock icon now... Pop Will Eat Itself was also signed to it for their most popular release in the States "Dos Dedos Mis Amigos" (as well as several singles off the album), which was probably one of their most popular records of all time, and the track that kind of made it for them was "Ich Bin Ein Auslander". Another band signed to the label was Prick... sooo many good bands were a part of NOTHING Records... I kinda wish Trent didn't dissolve the label after he ended up suing his business partner for hoarding profits or whatever... Granted NOTHING was a vanity label, but it did very well, and broke some awesome bands... Trent started NOTHING Records so that he could keep the artistic vision of Nine Inch Nails out of the control of major labels... and he could do whatever the fuck he wanted to artistically speaking! Granted even though NOTHING Records is gone now, he still retains control of his releases, and if I'm not mistaken, he releases NIN stuff under The Null Corporation banner now... and I think it is strictly reserved for his projects and not for any other band. Although, I would say, despite the NOTHING banner being gone now, his various musical endeavors are still high-quality, and none of his artistic vision is being compromised! I guess I felt like that NOTHING Records was him, and bands he believed in and helped get them out there in the world, and I felt like it was a very strong label... and anything that was associated with it, tended to be very good... and now we don't get to see, or discover bands like the ones he supported with his label. Also, I always thought that NOTHING Records was Trent and when it came out that he was dissolving the label, I felt like we lost a major part of the whole identity of Trent and Nine Inch Nails. I mean... I run a personal underground label, currently releasing my own stuff... and a large part of the inspiration for doing that was the same reason Trent ran NOTHING... creative control.

I think these are the three top labels I wish were still around! What are your thoughts? Are there goth/industrial labels that are non-existent that you wish were still around..? Let me know in the comments!!

Twitch Announces Upcoming Single!!

Twitch announces upcoming single! Details Here!!

#Twitch #IndustrialMusic #IndustrialMetal #IndustrialHiphop #Rivethead #IndustrialMusicCulture #IndustrialSubculture #MachineHeart #NewSingle #ComingSoon #Goth #GothCulture #GothSubculture

Mix Sessions: August 28/2019

Another day in the studio mixing! This was another short session, as had to start things a little late due to the software being a little finicky, and I did a quick virus scan (you know, gotta do those things), but we still did some mixing! Only got to one song today, "DC", but things went fairly well... gotta come back to this tomorrow and mix the drums and bass synth a little better, but things are shaping up! We got another question for you folks, what are your favorite Twitch tracks?

Mix Sessions: August 27/2019

Well, another mix session in the studio! Today's session was a little shorter, but that doesn't mean we aren't productive! We mixed "R" today! Session went fairly well, but this one I'm definitely gonna have to come back to, and listen to again... there might be some tweaks I need to make here and there... will come back to this either tomorrow or the following day! I'm sooo excited!! 😁 And on that note, I wanted to ask you folks, what are some of your inspirations? What get's you energized to crush your fuckin day?

Mix Sessions: August 26/2019

Well, as the last blog mentioned, we've gotten all the guitar stems back, and now we are in the mixing process! Things seem to be going well! Got to three(ish) songs today ("STF", "WAWP", and "DB") ... I expect things will be done in quick order here... I'm setting aside most of my evenings to get this done...and, obviously after the mixing process... I'll be mastering the tracks, and then we'll set a release date, and get it out to you guys!! That's all for now!


P.S.: I'm very excited, and I can't wait to get to performing these live for all you folks!!

Fear Factory - Obsolete

Well, if you've been following this blog, you will have read about my "Industrial Music finds" which is my little adventure on picking up physical copies of albums that I love and would either like to have them in my physical collection, or am picking up older pieces that I used to have in my collection, that I'm picking up again to once again have it in my collection, as... out of all honesty, I really like having physical stuff (predominantly CD's and such). You will also have noticed that one of the recent finds was a physical copy of Fear Factory's "Obsolete" (you can find that particular blog here!). Well, I'm listening to it a lot these days and it's such a good album! I didn't really get into Fear Factory until about 7 or 8 years ago, before that time period, I found it difficult to get into them, but after purchasing their "Mechanize" album... they started to grow on me (seeing them live many years ago also helped with that too). I always thought they were too technical, too machine-like... not sure if that was intentional on their part, but after all these years I'm starting to really enjoy their stuff! And, as far as I'm concerned of all the stuff I've heard of their's, I do think "Obsolete" is probably their best album (for me)! The reason why is cause first of all, I love the song "Descent"... just the way it fuckin sounds! It's so sad and bleak sounding, and even lyrically... so sad! I will say this album kinda reminds me of Skinny Puppy's "Back and Forth: 3 & 4"... just the way it sounds... and the continuity within the album, each song is perfectly placed, and naturally flows into the other... granted Fear Factory's music has always been highly conceptual... but I feel like, out of all their albums (that I've heard), this one seems to flow and it doesn't seem disjointed in any parts... Also, I really like the production (and hey Rhys Fulber of Front Line Assembly did some of the programming on it)! If you wanted to dig deeper on this album, and have a physical CD, there's a story that's included in the liner notes with the lyrics, that basically tells the story that the lyrics are centered around! Sooo good!! I just wanted to share my thoughts and how I feel... I will recommend though, if you are into industrial metal type stuff!! What is your favorite Fear Factory album?