I love my industrial music, but its often called techno by my friends. I do listen to some techno. To me theres a difference between the two, but I just can't put it into words.

What is your definition of industrial music, and how do you get the idea across that its not techno?

I'll put that question to an Industrial DJ I know, he'll be able to explain it much better... I'll get back to you with an answer from him in a few days.

But Industrial is definitely not the same as Techno.


Lilith

Well, for the time being, here's the definition from this particular industrial DJ.


Industrial and techno, for one, have different roots. Industrial sprouted from the electronic experimentation on Moog synthesizers of the early 1970's. Techno spawned from the Leeds house scene of the early 1980's.

Industrial started off with synthesizers by looping small amounts of sampled sounds and repeating them on different wavelengths and in different order.

Techno was the product mostly of computers that produced sound waves not based on anything that could be found in the real world.

Industrial progressed through guitars, and longer more computer generated loops that eventually were combined on multi-track recorders to produce a working song that people could actually dance to.

Techno continued on it's computer course, being modified by technology alone. The tape samples remained short, and drawing from the experimentation of industrial, it began incorporating real life sounds or samples from film.

Industrial today has longer tape loops generally than techno, and the bass is far stronger with a more complex waveform. True, there is drum and bass in techno, but the wave forms are smooth as opposed to the rough wave forms and sounds produced by sampled synthesis in industrial. Not only that, but industrial moves around through more key changes like that of acoustic music (going back as far as it's acoustic synthesis roots) Techno on the other hand, remains mostly static in terms of timbre and key changes. A lot of industrial starts in a minor key, and most techno starts in a major.

Techno is able to be sped up and slowed down drastically with no loss in the clarity of sound, while industrial would sound muddled if slowed down to half speed.

So, in short, in very short actually, is the difference between industrial and techno.





~blood rose~



PS.... this arguement does not include EBM. That genre is actually techno influenced industrial so yes, there the lines are very blurred.

rec.music.industrial FAQ.

Not as current as it should be, but should be a good starting point.


Lilith

*twitch*

*twitch*

*TWITCH*

Now you've gone and done it...


What is the difference between Techno and Industrial? Ahem.

1) Experimental flavor.
Techno music (bad name for it, will now refer to it as Electronica) has very little experimental flavor. I.E., there is a very rigid way the music is written. Time signature is usually 4/4, bpm usually 110-150. The instruments used are generally considered normal. In other words, where industrial bands might use (more so in the early 80s mind you) oil drums, garbage cans, homemade synths, bits of metal etc for percussion, such a practice would be frowned upon in electronica. The exceptions to the rule are bands that fall into the IDM scene, like Aphex Twin. They tend to be more experimental than the rest of the electronica scene.

2) Scales
Electronica is usually "happier" than industrial. Like BR said, electronica is usually written in major keys, where industrial is usually written in minor keys.

3) Evolution
Industrial is like what the 60's punk music was, only with different instruments. The anti-music. Originally industrial music was very hard on the ears and threw all convention out the window (ex: Suicide, SPK, Throbbing Gristle). It grew out of many of the same areas as punk, and was very aggresive and out to shock. Bands used stage performance as well as musical performance to shock the crowd and provoke thoughts. For example, Throbbing Gristle made a sculpture out of used tampons on stage. SPK used welders on stage. KMFDM's first show featured a chorus of vacuum cleaners.

In short, electronica is created for something to listen to. Industrial is based on making statements and grabbing something that makes a noise and saying, "well, what if I do this instead of what it's normally supposed to do?"


-Vivisector, who HATES when people refer to his band as "techno".

Got a reply today from Kreestof, who is the DJ I know who runs an Industrial night here in NYC currently.



Apologies for the layout, there's no real way to do columns in this thing.


Lilith

Hmmm for me the difference is that Industrial has more of a verse/chorus/verse structure with full lyrics, has sounds that would be heard at some giant factory or chemical plant, (like all the crashes metallic plongs and plings and sound effects etc) and in genreral is very layered and complex.

Where as techno is computer generatated, repetative, music, with no real lyrics other than short samples, of course with a few exceptions. Now I dont mind techno, I even enjoy some of it, but I find it a bit to repetative for me, and too simple.

*coughLordsOfAcidcough*

When I first started listening, Industrial used a lot of industrial sounds, like grinders, chainsaws, mallets on steel, etc. Nowadays, it DOES seem to be more techno-ey.
For me the difference is this:
Techno has BOP
Industrial has BANG

I hate when people say for industrial or dark electro that it's techno. It's not techno. We all know how techno sounds.
And industrial is pretty darker, heavier and not just that "boom boom" thing

1.the bit is different.
2.techno usually has a few or no lyrics
3.Talking about music is like singing books..

Rammstein - Ashe Zu Ashe = Industrial
E-Type - Africa = Techno...

That's all the reference you need right there...

I don't think techno and industrial is the same thing.. and i don't think it will ever be. They are both electronic related, but still different. Most of the techno fans listen to trance, house and rave as well and the industrial fans to goth and synth

definitely it's not the same.

All I can really think of it Industrial involves a lot of samples usually whereas Techno doesn't...