So, back in the early 90s I was part of an organisation setting up tours and concerts in Italy and Rome. Some of your favourite industrial and EBM bands passed through. Place your bets, ladies and gentlemen… Which band am I speaking about today?
Their singer stayed in a hotel with one star more than the rest of the band members – as per the contract…
The rider included an ice-making machine to be available in the band’s changing rooms at all times. Failure to provide one would see the concert cancelled. It wasn’t easy but we found one – they didn’t use it. I suspect it was a “bowl of M&Ms with brown ones removed” moment. Still, it was a bit annoying.
Nothing quite like it, though back in the day I rather liked Wraith, a more industrial goth version and less punk. There were times back at the start of the 90s when Slimelight would start to get heavy at 4 in the morning and I’d be weighing up a nightbus home. Wraith on the other hand had enough to keep me interested until sun up and a bleary tube train home.
We are men of the millennium We lie and we cheat We can’t find our way So we use who we meet There’s nothing we can’t do Nothing we can’t take So we’ll eat you Steal what we can’t make
Pollute what is pure Rape all we find Taking from the poor Stealing from the blind Time has made us cruel We feel so strong Hatred is our fuel Our reason is so wrong
Nothing we can’t do No one we can’t hate We can’t turn back It’s just too late Reaching for stars Crippled by fear Falling to Earth Our time is near
I am thrilled to announce that some of my historical artist and band photographs have been included in a new book about Electronic Body Music called Elektronische Korpermusik and written by Yuma Hampejs and Marcel Schulze. This book is a comprehensive and fascinating exploration of the history, culture and aesthetics of this genre of music that emerged in the late 1970s and early 1980s. It features interviews, essays, reviews and photos of some of the most influential and innovative artists and bands in the scene. I just wish I could read German to enjoy it more!
My photos included include Clock DVA, Dive, Nitzer Ebb and Insekt: some of the pioneers and legends of electronic body music, who combined electronic and industrial sounds, electronic beats, aggressive vocals and provocative performances to create a unique and powerful musical expression. I had the privilege of capturing some of their live shows and backstage moments with my camera, and I am honoured that they are now part of this amazing book.
If you are a fan of electronic body music or curious about its origins and evolution, I highly recommend you check out Elektronische Korpermusik. It is a must-have for anyone who appreciates this genre of music and its impact on the contemporary musical landscape.
Some of my modular music to take you to the land of Hypnos.
Hypnos, Latin Somnus, Greco-Roman god of sleep. Hypnos was the son of Nyx (Night) and the twin brother of Thanatos (Death). In Greek myth he is variously described as living in the underworld or on the island of Lemnos ( according to Homer) or (according to Book XI of Ovid’s Metamorphoses) in a dark, musty cave in the land of the Cimmerians, through which flowed the waters of Lethe, the river of forgetfulness and oblivion. Hypnos lay on his soft couch, surrounded by his many sons, who were the bringers of dreams. Chief among them were Morpheus, who brought dreams of men; Icelus, who brought dreams of animals; and Phantasus, who brought dreams of inanimate things.
