Clock DVA - Buried Dreams LP

Definitely the crowning achievement not only of Adi Newton working under the moniker Clock DVA (he's also had other peaks in his career such as the Psychophysicist album that is coming up next), but of whatever could be called rhythmic industrial, EBM or whatever. It is a horrifyingly dark and menacing album: no light emerges here. There is a totally perverted atmosphere, reflected also in the lyrics/liner notes which refer to De Sade (but there's also a political aspect with "The Hacker"). This was one of my earliest forays into experimental/electronic music as a teenager of 15, I was scared shitless when I first listened to it, and man, it still gives me shivers. "The Reign" is so fucking scary, I'm writing this thing listening to it right now in the dark with only a small lamp in order not to wake up my baby son and my hair is standing right up there. I've read that the cd remasters suck sound-wise, but dear readers, this rip is straight from the vinyl, so devour this album with abandon. 1989 LP on Interfisch Records/Wax Trax!

Download

Chris & Cosey ‎– Pagan Tango cd

Two days ago I got Cosey Fanni Tutti's Art Sex Music memoir in the mail and I have been devouring it with much interest. I'm about halfway through, right after the breakup of TG and just into her pregnancy and beginning of C&C. She talks extensively about pre-TG activities, COUM Transmissions, her torturous relationship with Genesis P-Orridge (who is portrayed in way less than flattering ways, abusive, physically violent, sexist...) and her youth in Hull , her loving mother, her strict father. I felt particularly sad about the cutting off of contact with her mother as a result of the infamous ICA "wreckers of civilization" exhibition, about which, however, she talks rather little given how important for TG's reputation that event was. In fact, the TG part takes up much less pages than early life/COUM. I'm looking forward to reading about the reunion and second demise of TG. As a tribute to this extraordinary woman who has been central in the shaping of my musical tastes, and with whom I was in love as a teen (there are a few striptease photos inside, too) I'm posting the ninth album of her shared music group with fellow TG-er Chris Carter (her recounting of sexual experiences as a trio with either GPO or Sleazy are fun, plus their making of snuff films), which I heard when I was about 15 from "Big Bear," a scary guy who lived close to mine but whose house I frequented a lot during my teens, because he burned me cdrs of albums by Coil, TG, Current 93, Death In June, etc. When I heard this album I was starting to discover noise and I had read about TG's abrasiveness and horror so I was kinda shocked to hear that this was electro/synth-pop stuff with a hint of dub without any terror inside. But I was especially drawn to Cosey's sensuous, erection-inducing vocals and the dark electronic sound and I now consider it a masterpiece of a music genre I'm not particularly fond of. 1991 album on Play It Again Sam Records.

Download

Front 242 ‎– 05:22:09:12 Off cd

 

I fucking love this album. It is a huge stylistic shift from the 1980s ebm style, into a vast urban electro-industrial tone with instances of acid techno, scary noise, ambient and electronic love songs. I particularly dig Christine Kowalsky's vocals which alternate from dirty and raspy to calm and loving. Get this. 1993 cd on Red Rhino Europe.

Download 

Front Line Assembly ‎– Implode cd

 

Front Line Assembly is one of the very few industrial/ebm groups I like, along with Skinny Puppy and some Front 242. I think that this sound, which was supposed to be the most modern in its heyday, is completely outdated now, in contrast to noise, drone etc. Anyway, this album came a few years after their classic Millenium, in which they heavily sampled metal bands, and is not close to the industrial metal sound of that album. There are a few anthemic electronic tracks, especially the first three ones and "Don't Trust Anyone," but quite a few instrumental tracks have a slightly more ambient sound that would fit very well in game soundtracks or would be good for driving at night. 1999 cd on Metropolis.

Download 

TGT (The Genetic Terrorists) ‎– White Stains LP (Lustmord & Throbbing Gristle)

Many years ago I shoplifted this LP along with the first Psychic TV album, thinking it was an album by the Scandinavian Satanic band White Stains which had released an album with Genesis P-Orridge. But after some search I discovered that it was in fact a side project of Chris Carter and Cosey Fanni-Tutti along with Lustmord and a guy called B. Ghod. I guess most of us would hope that such a collaboration would produce some frightening and earth-shattering industrial/ dark ambient but this is decidedly not the case as they play 1980s EBM with a minimal bend, kinda like a harder version of Chris & Cosey's late-1980s/early-1990s stuff, combined with manly group vocals, perhaps a more monotonous version of old Front 242. EBM isn't really my cup of tea, but this album is important for historical reasons so snatch it. 1990 LP on Wax Trax!

Download