While watching We Want the Funk!, a documentary about funk music on PBS by Stanley Nelson and Nicole London, something caught my attention and set up the perfect frame for my second literary salvo for TMRC. ("The Davids") David Bowie and David Byrne put it all in perspective for me. David Bowie talked about the evolution of the success of his song "Fame." He pointed out that the song wasn't welcomed at all on mainstream radio when it was released. It was its success in the clubs and on Black radio that brought it to the attention of pop audiences, creating the foundation for it to now be of legendary status. It was David Byrne explaining how The Talking Heads had a difficult experience in trying to get "Once in a Lifetime" on radio that drilled this all home. He said that he was told directly by rock radio DJs, "We don't play that kind of music." That song also became popular in the clubs first, which translated to its evolved acceptability on pop radio. The music they were saying that they don't play is "funky" music. Up until the mid/late 1980s, there was a firewall between music perceived as being for Black and White audiences. In the late 70s and early 80s, the music I DJed, and anything that was funky, was deemed to be "nigger music." When MTV launched, they refused to play any Black artists for years, other than those who specifically adhered to the conventions of mainstream rock. Only artists like Prince and Michael Jackson were seen as acceptable.

Why does any of this matter in an article about industrial culture? Here's why… It points out how a small group of people can, and do, decide what any regional scene is influenced by when engaging IRL. Although there is also a huge issue with painfully predictable "cyber Oompah" music being the primary music played at events branded as "industrial music nights," the larger issue [to me] is the removal of anything that can be perceived as noisy or truly industrial. Having articulated how "industrial" is defined in Vol. 1, I will simply move forward… instead of continuing to remind/inform people where this all came from. Producers, DJs, and promoters bring their personal interests to the table when producing an event. If their personal interests are littered by pop entertainment industry ideals, that impacts [y]our clubbing experience, understanding that clubs / IRL events are still where a lot of new music is brought to the public outside of the mainstream filter. Where industrial clubs used to be places where new music reigned supreme [until about 1990], now they are far too often retro places where no less than 50% of the music was written before this decade/century/millenia. Also, these purveyors of eclectic pop have taken the position of "hit machines," which is why bands often have many albums, yet they only have about 8 songs [maximum] that get played in the clubs you frequent. When I was A&R (Artist & Repertoire) for Furnace Records in the early 1990s, DJs would often be frustrated because only in specific cases would I send out a "hit list" of focus tracks. I believed that they, as I did and do, should determine which tracks are best for their application and to them. FYI - Whenever a label sends out a promo EP or album, they include a list of tracks they believe are the most suitable or "best" tracks. This is the beginning of the process of creating "hits" for the hit machine. Now, whether DJs play the hits because that is what people request, or that is what they personally like, is irrelevant to the point I am making. The overall point is that the average industrial club goer only gets to hear the hits that come through "the filter" now versus industrial clubs being places where new and "othered" music is the norm and is welcomed by the audience. There are rare situations where this isn't the case, but those occurrences are so rare they have very little impact on the tastes of a region, although the hardcore enthusiasts that engage them will have their musical pallets expanded, which should not be undervalued. Check out this evaluation of the retro art rut by someone who represents the views of someone who is the primary target of pop culture. She is spot on in her analysis, well researched, and wonderfully lacks hyperbole [despite the title of her video. LOL!], focusing in on the many valid points to be made. Even though I believe she may be less than progressive from a few of her comments, her argument is incredibly well argued.

I mentioned the tastes of those who drive scenes because they directly impact our IRL venue experience. My life as a weekly/monthly DJ [mid-1980s to mid-1990s] was incredibly dope and painfully disappointing in relation to the people who failed to support the thing they said they wanted. When one wants to go to an industrial club, we shouldn't be bombarded with pop culture [un]sensibilities. Bringing the deepest punk and industrial I could find was and is the only reason why I have done what I do since I was a teenager. When I was active in DJing industrial events, there were things called "record pools." They were basically situations where DJs would join a pool [i.e. cohort of DJs], sometimes with a fee of some sort, and then be given records to play in clubs. The more elite pools were very exclusive and were basically hit machines. This is how artists like Madonna got played on every dancefloor that was driven by record pools, which was almost every large club that existed… taking into account that she was dating one of the most popular DJs in the city at that point. Anyway, I never got down with that model. I used record stores, my colleagues, and my own continual creative exploration as my guides. In 2025, record pools are file sharing groups that have the same end result of creating hits and an overall vibe of what is to be played and what isn't based on popularity. The battle over what is played doesn't only reside in our genre spectrum. Even mainstream DJs struggle with having audience popularity dictate their playlists.

Although we had an amazingly dope industrial scene on the Jersey Shore, it never got beyond a few hundred people for big shows, and was mostly attended by dedicated small audiences for the regional events. People throughout the region complained about the mainstream dreck… but continued to support it, while always seeming to have an ongoing scheduling conflict that stopped them from supporting what we were doing. That all landed very differently on me due to my model, and previous experience with my career in punk rock more than a decade earlier. Because I had no notion of that monetarily supporting me, and only wanted to do what I did, I never changed what I did to get a larger audience. Some would say that was ignorant from a business point of view, and they would be right. For me, industrial culture is my passion, muse, and love, not my "business." It could be [and has been] said that I would have been more "known" if I would only focus more on what people want. So, even being a DJ/performer known for decades as having truly independent eclectic tastes doesn't get one beyond the bullshit "underground celebrity" factor and/or having the audience demand that they be a people-pleaser instead of being a vessel that is bringing uncommon eclectic music and culture to an equally enthusiastically-receptive eclectic audience. The hardcore members loved what we did there and for that decade their personal experiences were dope because we presented an unflinching industrial front, which near its end resulted in me producing the very first industrial DJ night and performance EVER at the legendary Stone Pony nightclub, which featured Virus 23 [NYC] and Abstinence [founded in Belmar, NJ]. Although no one in that region knew who they were, out of respect I wanted Virus 23 to "headline." The cool byproduct of that was Abstinence was the first industrial band to actually perform at the Stone Pony. Even though sektor 6 kommunikations has grown and evolved to include education, all types of productions, and community development work, it is still our model and mission to this day.

As a teen, I used to say that "If you don't act like a rockstar, you won't be treated like one." The 50+ years that would follow proved that to be a truism. I have always found the socially acceptable behavior of acting like a rockstar or being a "celebrity" to be, politely stated, abhorrent. In relation to doing something that was business ignorant and taking pride in it, the same rules apply. I know that sentence probably sounded crazy to many. However, my goal was never to have large crowds and/or be popular at all costs. My only objective has been, and will always be, bringing deep eclecticism to whomever would be interested. I am not an "expand the tent" person. It is cool when new people show up, but we shouldn't have to change our artform to bring them in the door. And simply put, don't put "industrial" on the [proverbial] flyer if only electro dance music will be played. I believe that there are enough hardcore industrialists to keep something going, which would bring others who would also be interested who have been previously dissuaded by the aforementioned vibe. The issue is defining or redefining the "something." In Vol. 3, I address the addition of alternative, goth, and fetish culture into what is now considered "industrial culture."

Like jazz that has long-since gone through the transition of having its mainstream popularity dwindle, forcing it to once again rely on its hardcore members for its existence, industrial nights need to be on a small regional scale for the culture / scene and then utilize larger venues to bring in national and international touring bands. That was really the model of punk rock. Dedicated small shows in basements/backyards/garages/living rooms, rehearsal spaces, and VFW halls [and similar entities] that were the feeder audiences for large-scale regional productions in formal venues of whatever size. This model is even easier now to initiate because the overwhelming majority of national and international bands you see now are presented to you by Live Nation or a like [s]c[u]mpany. Industrial bands used to be brought in almost exclusively by local / regional event producers at the large risk of them financially losing their shirt[s], even if there is a seemingly sizable audience. Now, those local producers only have the power to be on the guest list at worst, and to suggest to a venue that they take a Live Nation offering at best.

So, having dedicated IRL gatherings scaled to fit the host audience may be the best way to maintain a scene versus only demanding that our IRL gatherings be of a certain size or not happen at all. There are many people doing this all over. However, it isn't pushed as a model as it was in punk rock. We were 100% determined to have IRL punk rock events of whatever scale and LOVED IT. Whether it was a gathering of a few people to a dozen or so people, or even a few hundred, it was the fact that members of the tribe were gathering that supercharged the situation. We always had the feeling that others were missing out. The "this party is lame because there aren't enough people here" vibe was almost fully absent. That was the strength brought to bear from loving it enough to do whatever it takes to produce, attend, and support. It has been 30 years since we ended our production of "Tronik," the last 100% industrial night in NYC, and people are still being told to do things to make the nights "more accessible."

So, for those who speak of the incremental change model where one plays new music alongside predictable tracks to get audiences to expand their sonic pallets, I have been told this since the late 1980s and the average sonic pallet of the average industrial event attendee is more limited than ever, even at a time when one has access to so much new and old music of whatever genre one would choose to investigate/delve into. If someone starts to give you the "make things more accessible" line, tell them to explain how much more money is possible if you do, and to explain why our song selection should be driven by the concern of entertaining people who are not enthusiasts of industrial. If they tell you, to make it "more sexy" [a statement told directly to one of my sonic comrades], tell them you are promoting/producing/DJing industrial music and culture… not sex/fetish culture with industrial as a possible soundtrack. Tell any or all of them to show you their own budgets, which will clearly show there is no demonstrable profit motive to pushing pop eclecticism with an underground frame in the name of chasing furthered profits. And directly to the point… tell them to kiss your fucking ass and to propagate their pop sensibilities to someone who is trying to create a pop production, reminding them you are dedicated to putting industrial music wherever people can engage it… in whatever configuration applicable. Period.

I hope this inspires you to take an effort to support the entities that engage industrial culture meaningfully. This was literally the definition of having a DIY spirit. Only a couple of dozen people control what [y]our industrial community engages when we go out. They all need to be held to account and charged with supporting industrial culture and music, which is not the same as being into producing/promoting/DJing eclectic dance music of various types. I remind you that original industrial culture was a refuge for those of us who didn't fit into and/or care about the mainstream. To keep our culture growing, we must seek out new forms of industrial music, and not just those forms that "DJs" are playing to attract crossover pop audiences to stay on the dancefloor. Either we will do this work to sure-up our community… or… in 10 years there will be no culture to speak of. It has already become somehow alien to those of us who were here in the beginning. But, always remember that there are wonderfully dope pockets of cultural and sonic resistance, small and large scale, that keeps the original vibe alive, while taking it to interesting new places, making it their own. Find one near you and support it.

I am by no means bitter or beaten, nor is this a negative rant about the death of the artform. Industrial music culture lives and I hope that reading this inspires you to innovate on the form in ways that honor why we are here and take us forward into the future. In jazz, the pop vibe of Kenny G will never be more important than Miles Davis, even though he has sold more records, made more money, and played to more people than Miles and 8 other jazz greats combined. The resonance of the original vibe and essence of jazz lives in many young musicians engaging that artform. I am currently writing my 40th anniversary industrial work, and I am as inspired to use whatever new and old technology we have access to, and any ideas we could harness as when I was in 1985, writing my first industrial works at 21 years old. Not a personal plug, but an example of four decades of industrial sonic and cultural resistance, which I would love to see other creative industrialists experience.

Don't wait for someone else to provide you with something. Get inspired to freak out the freaks. Push the artform to wherever you want without worrying about how "accessible" it is. Go to an event and ask the DJ to play something dope you have never heard before. Challenge us to play something that we found in a deep diving session of finding "othered" music versus playing the hit we know that you will respond to. You are in charge of what you engage. I have had, and been part of, notable disagreements with venues and promoters over the years in the name of demanding genre specificity and/or accountability for shitty behavior. Decades of threats and character assassination against me did nothing to stop me. I am not telling you this to prompt you to start fights with everyone, because that was never my intention. My sole [soul… LOL] objective here is to inspire you to actively engage with your local venue or Twitch/virtual DJ [to support and/or hold them accountable], and to do so completely without the "celebrity" vibe if you appreciate their contribution to the artform and/or the fear of retaliation or whatever if they are problematic in some way… because those people have no real power anyway. The other primary component is getting together outside of formal venues. Have three people over to listen to something cool that you have never heard in a club, or where all of you bring something you know/believe the others haven't heard before. Have a Zoom call with some of your friends where you all bring something to listen to/watch together and discuss them like a book club. Build your own micro-scene in whatever way possible that fits your community/region/vibe.

An excellent personal / cultural development strategy that one of my high school students deploys is every weekend he watches an old movie [1960s and back], one from the 70s to the 90s, and something that is new. Using that strategy for industrial culture, or anything really, would give you a well rounded understanding that will supersede what is being pushed for the personal gain of a few at the expense of our culture. Be sure to seek out industrial music that is unknown to you that's on non-vulturistic music platforms like Bandcamp.

Here's a way to have a well-rounded understanding of industrial: Try seeking out industrial culture from before 1984, between 1985 to 1994, and from 1995 to now. Be sure to seek out industrial with and without dancefloor rhythms, which represents the full breadth of the artform, and will expand your own sonic pallet.

Let me leave you with this. I know that was a lot. But I hope this is your primary takeaway. There are villions of ways to make our community stronger, and there are some that are unique to you. [Y]our unique being brings ideas no one else has or will have, but as I heard elders say years ago, "the graveyard is filled with good ideas." So… In true DIY industrial spirit, if there isn't a "scene" near you, remember that you have the power to make one… without a drop of input from "the experts." And a word to the wise… when I produce events, I do so without consulting anyone other than those 100% dedicated to the artform I have dedicated the majority of my life to. You know the people around you who really love the artform, so use that as your filter of who you will even mention your prospective production to. There is no real benefit in talking to someone who has no real interest in the thing you are producing. They will only try to guide you toward the trappings of their own creative gilded cage[s]. Fannie Lou Hamer's famous quote applies here. "There is something you need to know about our movement. Three people are better than no people." Hack every digital and analog tool to make your personal role in the overall development of the evolution of industrial culture meaningful.

Let's do this.

Peaceness and Sledgehammers,

dh