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Nitzer Ebb
Body of Work

Mute

Posted: Tuesday, November 21, 2006
By: Ilker Yücel
Editor

One need not wax nostalgic on scope of Nitzer Ebb's influence on modern electronic and industrial music. As one of the foremost forces in the style that became EBM, the British duo's name has been cited by an entire generation as heroes of the electronic underground. From their first demo in 1984 to their last release, 1995's Big Hit, vocalist Douglas McCarthy and programmer/percussionist Bon Harris have created some of the most memorable dance floor and electro hits in the scene. While the group dissolved after only five albums, their music has lived on, still earning regular play in today's dance clubs and being covered by a plethora of industrial and EBM acts. Now touring for the first time in over a decade, Nitzer Ebb releases Body of Work, an aptly named collection of their best known hits, along with a disc of various remixes.

Chronicling the band's evolution, from their simplistic beginnings as the forerunners of EBM to their more experimental phase in the mid '90s, Body of Work certainly presents us with the best of the best. Who can forget the stomping beats and repetitive synthesizer bass lines topped off by McCarthy's revolutionary shouts on tracks like "Warsaw Ghetto," "Murderous," and the classic "Join in the Chant," all from That Total Age? Tracks from Belief like "Control I'm Here" and "Captivate" showed a maturing of their sound to include more buildup and arrangements, but those standard EBM loops were still ever present, while 1990's Showtime showed the band continuing to experiment with synthesizer tones and alternate rhythms like those heard on "Getting Closer" and "Fun to Be Had." By their last two albums, Ebbhead and Big Hit, the band began to delve into more synthpop territory, incorporating guitar textures and more melodic touches beyond their traditional militaristic EBM. Synth lines and melodies reminiscent of Depeche Mode permeate through tracks like "Come Alive" and "I Give to You," while "Kick It" sounds almost like outright industrial rock, with little resemblance to any of their previous output.

The remixes are a decent combination of styles, ranging from pure dance floor fodder to more abstract interpretations to expand the band's sound. The Gold! remix of "Join in the Chant" is a much louder and harder version, albeit with a slower beat, while the remixes of "Control I'm Here" and "Shame" are standard dance mixes with little more than the extended length to distinguish them from the original. Especially interesting about the remix disc is the presence of tracks not present on the regular collection, making Body of Work an even more varied release. William Orbit's remix of "Backlash" presents some interesting synthesizer textures, making for a hard-hitting mix. "Lakeside Drive" is also noteworthy for its manipulations of Jimi Hendrix samples and a feel not dissimilar to industrial rockers like 16volt or Stabbing Westward.

If ever one needed proof of Nitzer Ebb's importance in the world of electronic music, look no further than Body of Work, for it presents the most complete portrait of the band's music one could possibly ask for. To listen to this is to hear the roots of today's EBM and electro scene, to hear a band that helped to define dance music as we know it. What more do you need?