Check out this new trailer for the upcoming music documentary Industrial Soundtrack for the Urban Decay. The film is directed by Amélie Ravalec and Travis Collins and is set for a release date later in the year. Read the official synopsis below and have a look at what may well be the most comprehensive insight into one of music’s most controversial and misunderstood genres.
Industrial Soundtrack For The Urban Decay traces the origins of Industrial music, taking you on a journey through the crumbling industrial cities of Europe to America’s thriving avant-garde scene.
This is the first film to document the history of industrial music, featuring interviews from the genre’s most influential bands, artists, labels and fanzines.
What is Industrial music?
Industrial music is an experimental music genre inspired by a wide spectrum of ideologies and interests. It combines improvisation and performance with avant-garde, provocative, political and taboo themes alongside harsh noise and environmental sound recordings.
“We used scrap metal, steam engines, water tanks, petrol tanks, anything we could find. We wanted to use the debris of society to create something new.” Test Dept, UK
Coined in the mid-70s, this music originated in this post industrial era as working class youth of industrial cities like Sheffield and Manchester started experimenting with sound. Unemployment, high-rise living and cultural oppression were all part of the decaying environment in which this music blossomed.
Whether factory workers, students or unemployed, these trailblazers were all educated, artistically minded and politically aware artists who started with little to no musical background. They found inspiration in the avant-garde movements from the early 20th century like the Futurists, Dadaists or Surrealists, as well as contemporary writers William Burroughs and Brion Gysin. They were also influenced by early science fiction movies, Krautrock artists Kraftwerk, Can and Faust, The Velvet Underground and the DIY ethos of punk music.
These artists rejected major labels, mass media and mainstream culture to invent a culture of their own.
This film tells their story.
Featuring Throbbing Gristle, Cabaret Voltaire, NON, SPK, Test Dept, Clock DVA, Re/Search – V Vale, Z’EV, Click Click, Sordide Sentimental, Hula, In The Nursery, Hands Production / Winterkälte, The Klinik / Dive, Ant Zen and Prima Linea.