Front 242

工業(yè)舞曲的主力先鋒，比利時(shí)的Front 242，他們?cè)凇癙lay It Again Sam（再來一次，森姆）”的廠牌下發(fā)行自己的唱片。在某種意義上，他們把Cabaret Voltaire在七十年代注入“工業(yè)音樂”的旋律性東西進(jìn)一步給予最大化發(fā)揮。在他們的帶動(dòng)下，涌現(xiàn)出眾多新的電子舞曲類型、樂隊(duì)和作品。不管怎樣，刺耳的音樂結(jié)構(gòu)、扭曲的嗓音、色情的造型及音色采樣都鮮明地表示其“工業(yè)音樂”的特征。 也有人認(rèn)為Front 242是第一支真正意義上的EBM樂隊(duì)，EBM，全稱Electronic Body Music（電體音樂）。從命名上分析它本身屬于電子音樂的一支。最初評(píng)論界把70年代末80年代初一些電子樂隊(duì)所創(chuàng)作的冷酷、黑暗而又極簡化的電子音樂稱之為EBM。他們將電子色彩濃郁的冷酷聲響，單調(diào)簡化的節(jié)拍和軍國主義突擊隊(duì)造型帶進(jìn)了摩登的舞池，一場真正的音樂暴力革命。隨后而至的一系列團(tuán)體是The Klinik，Insekt，Dive，Click Click，A Split Second以及Suicide Commando。隨著此類音樂本身向著黑暗和暴力的進(jìn)化Digitalhardcore（數(shù)碼硬核）終告出現(xiàn)。 但其實(shí)，EBM本身就是個(gè)和“工業(yè)”相并列的詞，并不矛盾?？傊稽c(diǎn)，F(xiàn)ront 242是這兩種風(fēng)格的頂尖樂隊(duì)。
One of the most consistent industrial bands of the 1980s, even though they regularly pursued a more electronic variant of the sound that swept into vogue during the 90s, Front 242 were the premier exponent of European electronic body music. Initially, the group was just a duo when formed in October 1981 in Brussels; programmers Patrick Codenys and Dirk Bergen recorded Principles and released the single on New Dance Records. A year later, programmer Daniel Bressanutti (aka Daniel B. Prothese) and lead vocalist Jean-Luc de Meyer joined as well; dubbed Front 242 because of the names universal meaning and united connotations, the quartet debuted in 1982 with the single U-Men and album Geography, recorded for Red Rhino Europe Records (RRE).
Not dissimilar to Depeche Mode and other synthesizer bands at the time, Front 242 began playing live later that year, adding percussionist Geoff Bellingham but later replacing him with an ex-roadie, Richard 23 (born Richard Jonckheere). (Dirk Bergen also left the working band, but stayed on to direct management.) The groups sound began to grow more aggressive with 1984s No Comment EP, still reminiscent of synth pop but with harder-hitting rhythms and added menace from de Meyers vocals. By 1987, Front 242 had gained an American contract through Chicagos Wax Trax!, the home of a diverse group of mostly European aggressive synthesizer acts later lumped together as exponents of industrial rock. Wax Trax! reissued much of the groups recordings (including the rarities collection Back Catalogue) and released a new album, Official Version. The first Front 242 LP to coalesce as a consistent recording, the album contained several cold-wave club hits (Masterhit, Quite Unusual) and, for the time, excellent production values. Released in 1988, third LP Front by Front was undoubtedly the groups best yet, with more emphasis on song structure than loose mechanistic grooves. Besides the alternative club hits Headhunter and Never Stop, the record was Front 242s most consistent.
By the end of the decade, Front 242 had become the first Wax Trax! artist to make the jump to a mainstream label; Epic Records picked up the bands contract, reissuing each past album with new artwork and bonus tracks. The single Tragedy (For You) became another alternative club hit, and picked up rotation on MTV as well. Though the following album, Tyranny (For You), couldnt touch Front by Front in terms of quality, it made great strides for the group in the minds of audiences — by the time of its release in 1991, Front 242 was, with Ministry and Skinny Puppy, one of the most well-known industrial acts in music.
With nary a lineup change in the past ten years, however, Richard 23 finally left the group in 1993 after an American tour with the Lollapalooza festival (the trio replaced him with lyricists Jean-Marc Pauly and his brother Pierre). That same year Front 242 released two LPs, 06:21:03:11 Up Evil and 05:22:09:12 Off, the first closer to pop music than anything the group had recorded before, and the second more abrasive than previous recordings. In the wake of industrial musics unlikely mainstream success — which pushed unrestrained angst and raging guitars in the vein of Nine Inch Nails — the Front 242 LPs were not well received. Vocalist De Meyer left the group in 1995 to sing with various projects, including Cobalt 60 and Bio-Tek. Front 242 released a live LP (Live Code) and a remix album (Mut@ge.Mix@ge) but for the most part remained quiet while flocks of industrial bands invaded the mainstream charts during the mid- to late 90s. In 1997 the group again toured and issued the live album Re-Boot a year later. Pulse, a studio album of new material, was released in CD and DVD formats in 2003.