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Post by bromleyboy on Mar 8, 2008 15:36:40 GMT -5
As most of you PILheads know, ol' Atkins threw himself into the industrial scene, joining many bands during 1989-1991; Killing Joke, Ministry, Nine Inch Nails and his own group Pigface. With that in mind I think it's fair to say that PIL was a definite influence on the genre. When you listen to Metal Box, Flowers Of Romance or This Is What You Want, the similarities are undeniable. Out of all the PIL members in the early eighties, I think Martin Atkins left the bigger stain in regards to the progression of electronic music but it is rarely acknowledged. His robotic drumming style is frequently copied and audibly evident on most industrial/electronica records today. Some examples of Atkins playing: www.youtube.com/watch?v=5s-KRqk5AvYwww.youtube.com/watch?v=6lzb-jYZrLEwww.youtube.com/watch?v=n7A7SaLwHrQMany famous drummers have praised him in documentaries and interviews. A friend of mine who DJ's in town was introduced to Flowers Of Romance by me not so long ago and when he heard Track 8, he seemed taken aback and said to me "That's a really radical style of drumming. It predates the electronic and 'out there' stuff that you hear nowadays by a good twenty years." I think he's right. |
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Post by M!$H on Mar 8, 2008 17:05:18 GMT -5
Martin Atkins has said many times that being in PiL influenced how he runs business-wise, but he considers "Flowers of Romance" to be one of "worst records [he] ever made."  So I am not sure that Martin Atkins himself would say that PiL influenced industrial music that much - certainly in some aspects and certain musicians, yes, but I think he would say on a whole that most industrial musicians are just trying to do their own thing. Certainly, Martin's style of drumming did run over from PiL to all his other groups and he has been imitated widely by many other industrial drummers, but Martin has said many times that he tries as hard as he can to move as far away from PiL-styled stuff and he encourages all people who record under his record label (Invisible Records) to do the same. I will try to dig up the Martin interviews where I read this. I also suppose I just don't see the similiarities between Metal Box, Flowers of Romance, and This is What You Want to ANYTHING Martin has been involved with since PiL but that's just my personal thinking. My whole point is that Martin himself has said once he was out of PiL he moved on and he didn't want to continually sound like PiL. |
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Post by bromleyboy on Mar 8, 2008 19:24:03 GMT -5
I also suppose I just don't see the similiarities between Metal Box, Flowers of Romance, and This is What You Want to ANYTHING Martin has been involved with since PiL but that's just my personal thinking. What I meant was the similarities between those albums and the early industrial sound in general. Granted industrial music was probably born from the likes of Depeche Mode all the way to Nitzer Ebb but the darker elements could've come from PIL (and of course many other artists who experimented with their music). I hear similarities between Flowers Of Romance with industrial albums like NIN's Pretty Hate Machine, KMFDM's Opium or Filter's Short Bus. Some of the songs have trademark PIL organ burbles, strange song structures and of course, Atkins-esque drum rattles. Why he's so upset with Flowers is beyond me? I personally think it's the best record he's ever participated on. I'm probably not the only one who thinks that either. |
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Snoogans4Jay
Bull Goose Looney 
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Post by Snoogans4Jay on Mar 8, 2008 19:47:27 GMT -5
I also suppose I just don't see the similiarities between Metal Box, Flowers of Romance, and This is What You Want to ANYTHING Martin has been involved with since PiL but that's just my personal thinking. What I meant was the similarities between those albums and the early industrial sound in general. Granted industrial music was probably born from the likes of Depeche Mode all the way to Nitzer Ebb but the darker elements could've come from PIL (and of course many other artists who experimented with their music). I hear similarities between Flowers Of Romance with industrial albums like NIN's Pretty Hate Machine, KMFDM's Opium or Filter's Short Bus. Some of the songs have trademark PIL organ burbles, strange song structures and of course, Atkins-esque drum rattles. Why he's so upset with Flowers is beyond me? I personally think it's the best record he's ever participated on. I'm probably not the only one who thinks that either. Probably upset with the work because he is upset with the man. I guess that always colors performance.   |
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Post by M!$H on Mar 9, 2008 0:18:59 GMT -5
What I meant was the similarities between those albums and the early industrial sound in general. Granted industrial music was probably born from the likes of Depeche Mode all the way to Nitzer Ebb but the darker elements could've come from PIL (and of course many other artists who experimented with their music). I hear similarities between Flowers Of Romance with industrial albums like NIN's Pretty Hate Machine, KMFDM's Opium or Filter's Short Bus. Some of the songs have trademark PIL organ burbles, strange song structures and of course, Atkins-esque drum rattles. Why he's so upset with Flowers is beyond me? I personally think it's the best record he's ever participated on. I'm probably not the only one who thinks that either. Probably upset with the work because he is upset with the man. I guess that always colors performance. Actually, he really just hates the record. He just does not feel proud of that record, like he does for his other stuff. It might be his Type A personality and his need to control everything regarding his music, but either way, I know I read in this one interview that he just thinks that "Flowers of Romance" was his least favorite and worst record he ever made. I'll try to find it, I've been searching my computer's history and I just can't. Hopefully, I will find it soon. |
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Post by M!$H on Mar 9, 2008 0:20:58 GMT -5
I also suppose I just don't see the similiarities between Metal Box, Flowers of Romance, and This is What You Want to ANYTHING Martin has been involved with since PiL but that's just my personal thinking. What I meant was the similarities between those albums and the early industrial sound in general. Granted industrial music was probably born from the likes of Depeche Mode all the way to Nitzer Ebb but the darker elements could've come from PIL (and of course many other artists who experimented with their music). I hear similarities between Flowers Of Romance with industrial albums like NIN's Pretty Hate Machine, KMFDM's Opium or Filter's Short Bus. Some of the songs have trademark PIL organ burbles, strange song structures and of course, Atkins-esque drum rattles. Why he's so upset with Flowers is beyond me? I personally think it's the best record he's ever participated on. I'm probably not the only one who thinks that either. Like I said, I personally do not see any similiarities between PiL and any early or current industrial music. But that's just my personal thinking and might not necesarily be the case. |
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Post by bromleyboy on Mar 23, 2008 10:08:42 GMT -5
I dunno, runes like Track 8 and Order Of Death sound similar to a few tracks on NIN debut. I might be wrong but...
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So I am not sure that Martin Atkins himself would say that PiL influenced industrial music that much - certainly in some aspects and certain musicians, yes, but I think he would say on a whole that most industrial musicians are just trying to do their own thing.
