EBM

EBM, or electronic body music, is characterized by aggressive, danceable electronic beats, vocals often utilizing reverberation or echo effects, repetitive synthesizer sequences, and a modern rock song structure with verses, hooks and choruses. The term first appeared in the liner notes of Front 242's 1984 EP No Comment, and is also sometimes referred to as "aggrepo" or "aggressive pop."

The style is closely related to industrial dance, as both styles grew out of a combination of British industrial music and German electropunk music of the late 1970's and early 1980's. The major distinction made here is that industrial dance bands more often also use rock instruments like guitars, bass and live drums in addition to the synthesized elements, but incorporate them in a techno-oriented way that adds to the dance beat; bands that use these instruments to create more of a rock or metal sound are more likely to be classified as industrial rock. Groups such as :wumpscut: and Leæther Strip that do not use guitars, but combine harsh, distorted beats with melodic synthesizer lines may also be classified as industrial dance rather than EBM.

Along with Front 242, some of the other pioneers of the EBM sound were Nitzer Ebb, Front Line Assembly, and early-period Ministry. Sadly, many of these groups changed their sounds radically early in their careers, adopting more rock or metallic elements, leaving the true EBM sound to fade within a decade of its inception. With audiences changing to favor the more melodic aspects of futurepop and industrial dance, Neuroticfish has adopted the motto "electronic body music is dead" as its catchphrase.

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