I don’t see why they wouldn’t be. When the genre first started it wasn’t the stamp of hard edge dance music like it is today. Take Throbbing Gristle for instance, or SPK, Suicide or Whatever. Hell, even Kraftwerk. Most of the material from the early days isn’t aggressive at all, it’s just the use of synthesizers, found material, and sampling as the basis, rather than guitars. Throw in sequencing into the mix. Most of Depeche Mode’s material is just that, but they write pop/rock songs, rather than aggressive dance floor tracks.
I would consider Depeche Mode to be more of an “industrial” band than NIN. NIN certainly uses techniques here and there, but he tends to blend natural instruments with electronic, so its more of a hybrid than anything else.
Take a look at the artists on Metropolis Records (the label that has picked up many of the surviving Wax Trax artists) and you will see what I mean. Very few cross over into the many different territories. Most are doing material similar to Depeche Mode or Skinny Puppy.
There are a huge number of bands that have willingly or unwillingly been lumped into the modern industrial genre. And a great many of these groups are definitely borrowing cues from Depeche Mode much more than they are, say, Throbbing Gristle, NON and/or Cabaret Voltaire. I’d even go as far to say that during the mid '80s Depeche Mode were far more experimental in the creation of their sounds than nearly any of Metropolis Records current roster.
Additionally - Front 242’s first major U.S. tour dates were with Depeche. Alan Wilder (of Depeche) has done extensive production and remix work for Nitzer Ebb. When Al J was searching for a producer for the Twitch album, he chose Adrian Sherwood based his work with… (anyone want to guess?).
So while I’ve never considered Depeche Mode an “industrial” band, their influence and has been pretty major on the style…
I have a book called “Tape Delay” that’s made up of interviews with musicians in the (mostly) UK underground scene in the early '80s - New Order, FCabaret Voltaire, The Fall, Coil, etc.
Whenever any of them cited a band they hated, it was invariably Depeche Mode. I think it has as much to do with the fact that they were phenomenally successful and most of the bands in the book weren’t as anything else. But we should also keep in mind that the first few Depeche Mode albums were really twee, lightweight affairs.
This morning while running a fever of 104, I chanced to hear DM’s cover of “Route 66” and I thought it was the most industrial thing I’d heard in YEARS.
Depeche Mode, like NIN is often hated by purists for having a mainstream sound, but you have to respect them, as many people discover other acts because DM and NIN were where they first heard the style.
Routte 66 isn’t necessarily a good “Industrial” example of DM, but then again, a lot of Ministry doesn’t sound industrial.
Check out songs like Rush, Stripped, Barrel of a Gun, and Master and Servant.
The genre is actually pretty vast, but it mainly focuses on sampling, synths, and sequencers. DM is just one aspect of the genre, just as is Ministry, Coil, Skinny Puppy, Kraftwerk, etc. Some define it as anything that sounds like Ministry, Thrill Kill Kult, KMFDM, etc. It doesn’t necessarily have to be dark and aggressive to be considered part of the genre.
[reply]This morning while running a fever of 104, I chanced to hear DM’s cover of “Route 66” and I thought it was the most industrial thing I’d heard in YEARS.
Just sayin’.
What is industrial about it?[/reply]
Industrial to me has always been about having a punk aesthetic/attitude with a slightly different way of expressing it (i.e. machines and synths and beating the shit outta metal). Maybe it was the temp talking, but Route 66 was friggin; industrial as HELL.
I agree with 'pick. Industrial at its roots has always been an anti-rock wall of noise. Then came industrial rock which has always been more punk rock than punk rock itself.
My original rant was so emo it has caused me to die my hair blue/black, grow a long fringe, wear a striped hoodie jacket and skin tight jeans and hang outside the front of the local shopping mall looking lonely and depressed.
I have also started listening to Bullet For My Valentine and ignoring people when they speak to me.