Mixtape: Best of Industrial

Note: I've added that second paragraph below when someone corrected me about the term 'Industrial'. I apologise if I offended anyone, hopefully the rectification makes sense.

Hey there and welcome to another one of my Mixtapes. Now, this Mixtape was really hard to compile, that's why it's a day late. Why? Because Industrial music is really hard to tab down. There's so many influences that helped made the genre, and there are so many influences from Industrial music that helped shape music today.

The roots of Industrial music started in the seventies and with the Industrial Records company, but they weren't really successful, nor was the sound. But it inspired the "Post-Industrial" genre, what we now know as Industrial music. So if you're an Industrial purist, you could say that the list below is not Industrial music, but Post-Industrial music. I will continue to consider this Mixtape and the songs and sound as Industrial music, but let's not be ignorant to the original genre of the seventies.


So what have I defined as Industrial below? Well, after the seventies Industrial Records scene, Industrial (or Post-Industrial) roots back to the early eighties. Arguably the first Post-Industrial band was Skinny Puppy, but of course, there were bands that influenced Skinny Puppy to make the sound they made, and there were a few bands around that time that while aren't Industrial as a sole genre, they also helped to the rise. Bands like Killing Joke, Bauhaus, Ministry, KMFDM and Kraftwerk are all bands that in some way, shape or form, helped Industrial music to become what it has been in the eighties, nineties and naughties.

But, and you can argue I'm biased in saying this, but to me, the band that pioneered Industrial music is Nine Inch Nails. A lot of the 1980s Industrial lacked melody, it sounded great but it was repetitive and became almost brainless music. But Nine Inch Nails added melody, added quality vocals and also started using ground breaking electronic metal music to add to the machinery sound that was Industrial music. As I said, I could be biased, as Nine Inch Nails are my favourite band.


Not familiar with my Mixtapes? Here are the rules.

A Mixtape is a playlist of a certain genre, band or era. The list is generally 80 minutes long, the same length of a blank CD, with further recommendations if some of the songs aren't to your taste. Remember kids, downloading is wrong! 

This list you'll see below isn't just Industrial music. It's a celebration of the sound, and the sounds that have been influenced by Industrial music. Industrial music has been used in so many genres since the boring machine sound of the eighties, it's used in dance music, techno, alternative rock, indie, metal and most recently, dubstep. You name the genre, chances are Industrial had an assist in there for making the genre what it is today. So there's a lot of bands here that aren't Industrial. But I've selected certain songs by those bands, that have roots from the Industrial genre, and have them showcase how good the sound can be when done perfectly. I have some eighties industrial, nineties industrial, some electronic dance music and some heavy industrial metal. Enjoy my homage to Industrial music.

1. I'm Deranged - David Bowie
2. Parasite - How to Destroy Angels
3. Break - Saul Williams
4. Comprachicos - Pendulum
5. Pro-test - Skinny Puppy
6. Inside - Gravity Kills
7. Stinkfist - Tool
8. Jesus Built My Hotrod - Ministry
9. After the Flesh - My Life with the Thrill Kill Kult
10. More Human Than Human - White Zombie
11. The Everlasting Gaze - Smashing Pumpkins
12. Vena Cava - Angelspit
13. Tight - Mindless Self Indulgence
14. Feuer Frei! - Rammstein
15. The Biggest and the Best - Clawfinger
16. When Worlds Collide - Powerman 5000
17. Wrong - Jerk
18. Die MF Die - Dope
19. The Great Destroyer - Nine Inch Nails
20. Demonoid Phenomenon - Rob Zombie
21. Burning Flag - Marilyn Manson

Don't like some of these? Give these five a try...

1. Let's Go - KoRn
2. Break You Down - Godhead and Marilyn Manson
3. Start a War - Static-X
4. Zerospace - Kidneythieves
5. New Disease - Spineshank

So I hope you enjoy this list. As I said, some of these bands are not Industrial, but I hope you understand their inclusion in the list. They have roots from the genre, and like to implement it into their modern sounds.

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