Industrial techno

History and character

Techno that absorbs the aesthetic of industrial music (Throbbing Gristle, Cabaret Voltaire, Einstürzende Neubauten) and EBM (Front 242, DAF): noise, distortion, metallic percussion, hammering rhythms. It took shape in the '90s around Birmingham — Regis (Karl O'Connor), Surgeon (Anthony Child), Female, the Downwards label — with a cold, rough, minimal sound, in parallel with the hard techno of Berlin and Belgium.

In the 2010s it was reborn with Perc (and his Perc Trax), Ancient Methods, Paula Temple (Colonized, 2013), Blawan (Why They Hide Their Bodies Under My Garage?, 2012), Karenn, Ansome, Headless Horseman, Shifted, Phase Fatale, and Rrose in some works; Berghain and dark European clubs became its home. Since 2020, Beatport has placed much of this sound under “Techno (Raw / Deep / Hypnotic).”

Aesthetic: bleak, physical, abrasive, at times political; noise as musical material, repetition as mechanical trance.

Scales and keys

Convention: Roman numerals refer to the major scale on the same tonic (uppercase = major, lowercase = minor, ° diminished, ø half-diminished, + augmented; b/# = degree lowered/raised relative to major: in A minor F = bVI, G = bVII). The notes and chords below are calculated exactly from the formula.

Phrygian

• Formula: 1 b2 b3 4 5 b6 b7 — steps: S T T T S T T
• On C: C Db Eb F G Ab Bb
• Diatonic triads: Cm i · Db bII · Eb bIII · Fm iv · Gdim v° · Ab bVI · Bbm bvii
• Seventh chords: Cm7 i7 · Dbmaj7 bIImaj7 · Eb7 bIII7 · Fm7 iv7 · Gm7b5 vø7 · Abmaj7 bVImaj7 · Bbm7 bvii7
• Characteristic note: the b2 (Db): the semitone that “scratches.”
• Use: C–Db bass riffs, drones with semitone beating, distorted i–bII stabs.
• Common mistakes: being too “musical”: industrial uses the b2 as friction, not as melody.

Locrian

• Formula: 1 b2 b3 4 b5 b6 b7 — steps: S T T S T T T
• On C: C Db Eb F Gb Ab Bb
• Diatonic triads: Cdim i° · Db bII · Ebm biii · Fm iv · Gb bV · Ab bVI · Bbm bvii
• Seventh chords: Cm7b5 iø7 · Dbmaj7 bIImaj7 · Ebm7 biii7 · Fm7 iv7 · Gbmaj7 bVmaj7 · Ab7 bVI7 · Bbm7 bvii7
• Characteristic note: the b5 (Gb): a tritone on the tonic, the most unstable interval.
• Use: C+Gb drone, tritone stabs, pitched noise.
• Common mistakes: building full chords on it: it works as an interval, not as a key.

Aeolian (rare melodic moments)

• Formula: 1 2 b3 4 5 b6 b7 — steps: T S T T S T T
• On C: C D Eb F G Ab Bb
• Diatonic triads: Cm i · Ddim ii° · Eb bIII · Fm iv · Gm v · Ab bVI · Bb bVII
• Seventh chords: Cm7 i7 · Dm7b5 iiø7 · Ebmaj7 bIIImaj7 · Fm7 iv7 · Gm7 v7 · Abmaj7 bVImaj7 · Bb7 bVII7
• Characteristic note: the b6 (Ab): melancholy in the dark pads.
• Use: pads and drones in the breaks.
• Common mistakes: pads that are too bright and break the atmosphere.

Minor pentatonic

• Formula: 1 b3 4 5 b7 — steps: T+S T T T+S T
• On C: C Eb F G Bb
• Characteristic note: simplicity: 2-note riffs (C–Eb, C–Bb) that stand up to distortion.
• Use: basslines and distorted sequences.
• Common mistakes: too many notes: distortion already produces plenty of harmonics.

How to choose between scales

Often no scale at all: noise, percussion and an implied tonal center (the frequency of the kick and rumble). When you need a color: Phrygian (semitone) or Locrian (tritone) for friction, Aeolian for the rare pads. Use dissonant intervals as timbre.

Harmony

Function

Absent or reduced to drones and dissonant intervals: semitone, tritone, clusters. The “harmony” is the spectrum of the noise and distortion.

Techniques

• Tonic drone with beating (two oscillators detuned by a few cents).
• Tritone and semitone intervals as stabs.
• Distorted chords without the third (power chords).
• Filtered noise with resonance pitched to the tonic.

Harmonic rhythm

Static.

Examples

• C(no3)–Gb(no3) (i–bV) as a stab.
• Cm–Db (i–bII).

Typical progressions

Rhythm and groove

• Feel: hammering, straight, swing 0; sometimes broken EBM-style or broken-techno grooves (kicks off the quarter note).
• Polyrhythms of metallic percussion (3/16, 5/16).
• Accents: distorted kick, distorted clap/snare often displaced (steps 4, 12, 15), metallic percs on the offbeats.

Drums

Kick

Distorted, saturated, often with rumble; sometimes “broken” (pattern not on the quarter notes) in the broken strand; fundamental 45–60 Hz; dirty, noisy timbre.

Clap and snare

Distorted snare and clap, industrial reverbs (metallic spaces, convolution of warehouses), sometimes gated.

Hi-hat and metals

Distorted hats or ones replaced by filtered noise, sheet metal, chains, metallic samples; irregular sixteenth-note patterns.

Percussion

Samples of objects (metal, machinery, doors), distorted toms, EBM percs.

Dynamics and ghost notes

Little velocity dynamics; movement from distortion and filters.

Interaction with the bass

Bass and rumble often fused with the kick; bass drone.

Sections

Noise intro, kick entrance, main, noise break, re-entry.

Fills and transitions

White noise, feedback, stops.

Choosing sounds

Recorded and distorted samples, processed drum machines (909/808 through pedals), modulars.

Typical mistakes

Noise without low-end control; a “flat” mix without depth; distortion that erases the transients.

Bass

• Sound: distorted drone, rumble, saturated synth bass (saw/square into distortion), sometimes no separate bass at all.
• Register: C1–C2.
• With the kick: fused or heavily sidechained.
• Notes: one.

Harmonic instruments

Drones, noises, dark pads, dissonant stabs; modular synths.

Melody and vocals

• Melody: almost absent; fragments, 2-note sequences.
• Vocal: spoken samples, screams, political lyrics, filtered and distorted voices (EBM legacy).
• Effects: distortion, bitcrushing, metallic reverbs, delay with high feedback.

Instruments

Modulars, processed drum machines, samplers, distortion and fuzz pedals, mixers in feedback, industrial field recordings, analog synths.

Drum patterns

Synths and sounds

• Synthi V — Noise and drone: The Synthi's matrix allows feedback and controlled noise: industrial drones and textures.
• Modular V — Sequences and FX: FM VCOs, resonant filter and noise for metallic sounds.
• Korg MS-20 V — Distortion and riffs: The MS-20's filter pushed into resonance and overdrive.
• ARP 2600 V — Metals: Ring modulator for metallic timbres and dirty bells.
• Buchla Easel V — Synthetic percussion: Complex oscillator and low pass gate for metallic hits.

Song structure

5–7 minutes.

Mixing and mastering

Sonic goal

Abrasive but readable: physical, controlled kick and rumble in mono, noises and metals in a big dark space, depth (not everything up front). References: Paula Temple — Colonized, Blawan — Why They Hide..., Perc.

Kick

HP 25 Hz; +2 dB at 50–60 Hz; −4 dB at 300 Hz; serial distortion; clipper; mono.

Rumble

Kick reverb → distortion → LP 180 Hz → sidechain 10 dB; mono.

Distortion as an instrument

Use different types for different elements so the mix stays readable: kick with overdrive/clipper (controlled odd harmonics), metals with bitcrusher or sample-rate reduction (harsh aliasing above 5 kHz), drone with fuzz or waveshaper (full midrange spectrum), vocal with tape distortion or an amp simulator. After each distortion, an EQ: HP so as not to generate mud below 100 Hz, LP at 10–12 kHz to contain digital hiss. Automate the drive instead of the volume to build energy.

Balance and reference

Kick 0 dB, rumble −4/−6, snare/clap −6/−8, metals −10/−16 (highly variable), drone −10/−14. Check with an analyzer that there's no continuous “wall” between 2 and 5 kHz: make room with a sidechain from the snare on the metals.

Snare, clap, metals

HP 250–400 Hz; distortion; convolution reverb of industrial spaces (2–4 s), filtered; wide panning of the metals (L/R 40–80%).

Noises and drone

HP 100–200 Hz; LP 10–12 kHz; dynamic EQ to contain peaks; wide; sidechain 6 dB.

Vocal

HP 200 Hz; distortion; long delay/reverb; distant.

Buses and groups

Drum bus with parallel distortion; mono low-end bus; sidechained noise bus.

Sidechain

Rumble 10 dB, drone 6 dB, reverbs 6 dB.

Master

EQ → clipper → limiter. Target −7/−5 LUFS integrated, true peak −0.5 dBTP, crest factor 5–7 dB.

Common mistakes

Noise masking the kick; everything distorted the same way (no contrast); stereo low end; harshness at 3–6 kHz.

Reference tracks for the mix

• Blawan — Why They Hide Their Bodies Under My Garage? (2012)
• Paula Temple — Colonized (2013)
• Perc — Look What Your Love Has Done to Me (2013)

Reference listening

• Blawan — Why They Hide Their Bodies Under My Garage? (2012)
• Paula Temple — Colonized (2013)
• Perc — Look What Your Love Has Done to Me (2013)