When Throbbing Gristle’s mission was first terminated in 1981, their influence on the UK underground scene was already hard to overstate. Inspired by T.G.’s confrontational D.I.Y. ethos and their fascination with esoteric subject matter, as well as their use of electronic instruments and non-musical elements, a whole bunch of artists – most of whom were too young to share T.G.’s background in the late 60s and early 70s radical art scene, and who thus rejected some of their more hippy-ish ideals – had started their own projects, encompassing musical acts as well as labels, fanzines, art collectives and publishers. While all the artists below would have a greater of lesser distaste at being compared to Throbbing Gristle – indeed, several acts were formed out of disgust with the perceived softening of their sound – the band undoubtedly paved the way for the interest this particular section of the UK underground started to receive. However, what was fascinating about this subsection of musicians was the stylistic breadth of the music they released. That initial rush of activity helped to shape genres as varied as heavy psychedelia, power electronics, harsh noise and hip-hop, not to mention its influence on the house and techno that was just a few years away. The selections have been chosen in order to give an idea of the different approaches and directions that the music from this loosely connected scene incorporated, and the effect it had on what was to come.
Since they’ve already been extensively and comprehensively covered in David Keenan’s magnificent book England’s Hidden Reverse, I’ve left Nurse With Wound, Coil and Current 93 on the bench today. Get thee to Strange Attractor books and grab yourself a copy if you haven’t already.
S.P.K. – ‘Slogun ‘
Initially released by the Australian band in 1979 before being reissued on Throbbing Gristle’s label, Industrial following their relocation to the UK, S.P.K.’s Slogun remains one of the most hysterically – occasionally hilariously – violent pieces of music from a period where hysterically violent music was at something of a premium. With it’s distorted drum machine chug pointing forward to the punchy EBM that S.P.K. would come to champion in their Metal Da…
