Julian Cope presents Head Heritage

I am deeply ignorant of all this - apart from the early / mid 90s Ministry, Pigface, Nitzer Ebb, Front 242, Young Gods, Cubanate, v early NIN end of the industrial street and the mid 80s Test Dept / SPK range of things. Though that may not be what you mean.

For the most part, no. What you're talking about is mostly industrial dance/EBM stuff that basically has no standing now.

Of course I'm talking about a genre that's on the fringe and probably wouldn't be popular with most people on this board, but still exists because of cult appeal (mostly...) Of course if you want to dip your foot in you can start with more-recent Whitehouse material -- their last album Racket is probably the most listenable as it has most of the African influence William Bennett has been getting into these days...

I'm with SRT & Lawrence on the PE front, there is however a lot of chaff amongst the wheat, much of it is a just noise for noise sake,folk who are listening to Whitehouse and nothing else and copying it, a noise equivalent of Motley Crue. Whitehouse are spot on, the best of Merzbow the same[though everyones idea of his best seems to be different], heard a couple of CCCC albums that are great.

Also Dog3000 is right, there is a slew of underground releases that cover a bit of everything, people who have grown up listening to Slayer,The VU,Dub,Mozart,Bubblegum,Madonna & Sonic Youth and want to play it all at the same time, sometimes it works, a lot of the time it's horrible.

I have heard the terms "chill wave" and "hypnogogic pop" used to describe the New Scene.

Both horrible! I reject!

PS - WAVVES is another artist on the Pop Crossover Hope list (stuff is out on Subpop I think?) But I am not impressed.

There will be pop-knockoffs as always. (Tiny Masters Of Today are a cute one that kinda works.)

Rock is very much alive but instead of some great hairy beasts galumphing across the plains trumpeting loudly and crushing all underfoot it's now populated by a host of small dashing and mobile in mind and style freaks.

but that what makes it good, it's not a single melange, you can throw in a pop chorus to your thrash song and no one screams sellout, throw a freejazz insert into your ambientnoodle and it sounds brilliant, no one wants to be a punkrocker anymore, a metalhead or a poptart,it may not be as much fun in one way, and it also encourages a revolting holier than thou hipster elite, but if it gives you

to quote Dog3000

As always seems to be the case, certain labels lead the way: NOT NOT FUN is the big one today in my mind. Sun Araw, Magic Lantern, Pocahaunted, High Wolf, Ducktails, Wet Hair, Peaking Lights, and lots more.

Lots of other indie labels, some of them tiny, often still putting out CASSETTES: Cabin Floor Esoterica, Night People, Earjerk, Bum Tapes, Woodsist, Siltbreeze.

The Drone Scene (the ambient end of power electronics?): Emeralds, Expo '70, Drunjus, Natural Snow Buildings.

The Noise/PE scene (it's still called "noise" where I'm from): a million angry kids blowing heads off with electronic gear in every city! Would I be wrong to say Wolf Eyes is the most mainstream artist representing this world?

"Commune bands": Sylvester Anfang II, Gnod, Second Family Band (formerly Davenport) -- probably one of these in every city.

Neo-outsider folk: this might have peaked earlier in the last decade (Devendra Whatsisname?), but it's still a big phenomenon. All those individuals & duos that draw inspiration from non-rock sources like Incredible String Band (UK) and John Fahey (USA).

MV & EE seem to work the space in between "neo-folk" and "commune style" (a commune of 2?)

The Great Pop Crossover Hope: Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti has grown from a guy with a 4-track into a real band and signed to the 4AD label.

who am I to argue