Electronic body music | |
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Stylistic origins | |
Cultural origins | Early 1980s, Belgium and Germany |
Typical instruments | |
Derivative forms | |
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Fusion genres | |
Other topics | |
Industrial dance music |
Electronic body music (EBM) is a music genre that combines elements of post-industrial music and electropunk. It first came to prominence in Belgium and was considered a part of the European new wave movement.
Original, or original-styled electronic body music is sometimes referred to as old-school EBM and should not be confused with aggrotech, dark electro or industrial music.
The term electronic body music was coined by Ralf Hütter of the German electronic band Kraftwerk in 1978 to explain the more physical sound of their album The Man-Machine. In 1980/1981, DAF from Germany used the term "Körpermusik" (body music) to describe their danceable electronic punk sound. The term was later used by Belgian band Front 242 in 1984 to describe the music of their EP of that year, No Comment.
From its inception, the style has been characterized by hard and often danceable electronic beats, clear undistorted or slightly electronically distorted vocals, shouts or growls with reverberation and echo effects, and repetitive sequencer lines. At the time the genre arose, important synthesizers were the Korg MS-20, Emulator II, Oberheim Matrix and Yamaha DX7.
Typical EBM rhythms are based on 4/4 beats, mainly with some minor syncopation to suggest a rock music rhythm structure.