8 Things To Avoid in Industrial Today

[Originally blogged 2/3/09]

8 things to avoid in industrial music today (and yesterday, but especially tomorrow):….

1) Being the most “extreme”….

Seriously?  You think mentioning rape and child abuse makes you scary or “edgy”?  I think it makes you sound like Korn without any record sales…..

2) Being “heavily influenced by black metal” as if that adds any more validity to your music than being “heavily influenced by polka”.

We get it, it’s evil and they all look like KISS threw up on themselves.  You’ve heard of Mayhem and Emperor, and even have a Varg Vikernes autographed dragon’s fang.  You’re still a pussy making computer music like the rest of us and worrying about your copy of Reason eating too much processor…..

3) Pretending that creating a new sub-sub-subgenre helps you stand out in any way.

See “This is Jizzcore”…..

4) Whining about people using presets.  ….

The only people who whine about people using presets are people who make music and don’t use them yet nobody’s sucking their sonic cock telling them how amazing they are that they put together the noises themselves.  Please.  99% of people don’t know the difference between a 303 versus a tin can getting kicked down an alley.  Why?  They don’t care give half a shit, so put a sock in it and make music people actually want to hear (or just what YOU want to hear, but be happy that YOU’RE happy with it) and not music you think is “original” because you designed a wacky new frequency out of an old Casio keyboard you circuitbent to hell.  Sure, that’s cool, but it’s not like the dancefloor is going to stop when anyone hears it because “OMG IT’S A NEW SOUND!!!!”  If it works and you like it, great, but it’s like a magic trick– the audience just wants to go “ooh, aah” and clap– they don’t give a shit how long you had to practice it or put it together…..

5) “Breaking out” to the mainstream….

Sure, it’s fine if it happens.  Hell, everyone would like to make money doing what they love, but guess what– it probably won’t happen.  Even if you got 400 hits on your new MySpace demo.  Even if you got a new interview up on randombarelyhitmusicfanzine.com.   Even if you got a hummer from some drunk girl in a bathroom because your new song “really spoke to her vagina”…..

Besides, did you start making this shit to get “accepted”?  Backasswards way to do it, sparky.:)….

6) Acting like an asshole online when nobody’s ever heard of your band or music…..

It makes you look petty, foolish, and like you won’t get many good opening gigs if the band you’re slagging comes to town…because it’s always funny how they remember you being a prick and STILL you beg to open for them (funny how that works).  Sure, some bands may be forgiving, but most will write you off faster than you can say “PWNED”…..

7) Looking like a copy of a copy of a copy….

“Evil kids” yelling about individuality yet all wearing the same Hot Topic clothing gets made fun of more than people joining an anarchy club.  If you’re in a band could you PLEASE try and go a step further?  It doesn’t need to be a lot, but if you look exactly like your fans and every other kid on Vampirefreaks.com don’t pretend you’re offering up some great new palette for us to be inspired by.  If you’re not into fashion and “that’s just how I’ve always dressed” then fine, but if that’s the case stop looking like you’re trying so hard to be bad-ass if that’s what you wear when you’re at the local grocery store buying toilet paper…..

8) Thinking sales mean quality….

Sure, there’s a lot of shitty bands out there who are on labels and who are what many consider “safe bets”, but they’re also the same artists that nobody will remember outside of that one good track you heard in the club for the last few years that someone’ll put on a mix CD and you’ll have to ask who it is.  Just because someone’s on a label and selling CDs (never as much as you’d think, btw) doesn’t mean they’re any good.  It just means they played the game well and got lucky…..

I’d rather be a small artist that is truly appreciated by people who know my shit than a big waste of sound.  Sure, a little production flourish can help you, but if your music isn’t YOUR music just stop now.  Don’t change what or who you are to get on a fucking label where honestly you aren’t going to get rich anyway– be innovative, flip off everything you’ve heard like a petulant teen flipping off his mom for no good reason, and do something that comes from YOU…..

Just do it sincerely.