David Novak, in his book Japanoise: Music at the Edge of Circulation, argues that documenting noise music is an impossible task. Noise, according to him, arises from cultural exchange, the meaningless remnants of communication. Think of vinyl crackles becoming noise when you crave the pure recording. Artists intentionally activate this noise, drawing from infinite contexts, making a complete history or even a snapshot of the current scene perpetually incomplete. This article serves as a beginner’s guide to endings soundtrack exploring different facets of noise music.
Despite agreeing with Novak, I’ll attempt to map the contemporary noise landscape, connecting it to key historical moments. This overview, inevitably biased by my preferences (towards aggressive, loud noise) and location (Milwaukee, U.S.), aims to be a starting point for newcomers curious about noise music.
I’ll begin with historical roots, then delve into recognized subgenres, and conclude with some personal favorites that defy easy categorization.
Consider this an invitation to explore this fascinating scene, and feel free to disagree in the comments!
Japanoise
While the term “Japanoise” has waned in popularity, understanding it is crucial to understanding noise music. The Japanese noise scene of the late 80s and early 90s shared a common ground: dissonance, extreme volume shifts, electronics, and an embrace of the extreme. Though initially isolated, the scene coalesced with releases on Release Entertainment (a Relapse Records sub-label), sparking interest in the U.S. At the forefront stands Merzbow, Masami Akita’s stage name. While choosing a definitive track is difficult given his extensive discography, the Artificial Invagination EP showcases his early chaotic dynamics. The music is relentlessly aggressive, constantly shifting, morphing, and fluctuating in volume, abruptly ending after approximately 20 minutes.
Merzbow Artificial Invagination EP cover, exemplifying the chaotic dynamics of early Japanoise.
Beyond Merzbow, a plethora of distortion-obsessed artists await, including CCCC, The Incapacitants, K2, Government Alpha, and Killer Bug. Each artist brings unique idiosyncrasies, pushing the music towards extreme loudness and incorporating overwhelming visual aesthetics. Performances often mirrored this extremity, such as Hanatarash demolishing a venue with a bulldozer or the Gerogerigegege’s infamous vacuum cleaner antics. However, extremity can also mean brevity, as exemplified by Masonna’s sets where he thrashes on stage for under a minute, creating ear-splitting feedback.
Power Electronics
Simultaneously with the rise of Japanoise, artists in England and Europe were also pushing musical boundaries. Following the decline of industrial music’s first wave (e.g., Throbbing Gristle and SPK), power electronics emerged, amplifying the confrontational aspects of the genre. Sharing Japanoise’s fascination with extremity, power electronics channeled it through a more minimalist sound and direct exploration of violence, perversion, oppression, and victimization. Whitehouse, the genre’s pioneers, exemplifies this. Gone are Merzbow’s dynamic shifts and layers; instead, a stark, unchanging synth line dominates the track, overlaid with William Bennett’s howling insults and threats. It’s an unrelenting aesthetic, distinct from Japanoise’s approach.
Groups like The Grey Wolves, Con-Dom, and Sutcliffe Jugend defined the early movement. While musical approaches varied, they were united by a fascination with serial killers, genocide, racism, sexual assault, and state violence, often employing fascist or oppressive imagery, reflecting an ambiguous stance on these themes. Over time, the thematic scope broadened to encompass various perspectives on violence. Straight Panic’s God is the Giver of the Gift (about the myth of bug chasing) and Interracial Sex’s Forced Busing (addressing systemic racism through education) illustrate this shift. More recently, female artists such as Pharmakon and Puce Mary have utilized power electronics for introspective exploration, redirecting the violence inward to examine mental health, addiction, and self-destruction. The focus remains on power, but the question of its source is now being investigated.
American Harsh Noise
The European and Japanese noise movements eventually reached the US, leading to a fusion of styles. Power electronics’ pointedness combined with Japanoise’s distorted wails, creating a middle ground. Artists like The Haters, Daniel Menche, and Richard Ramirez often employed minimal instrumentation: distortion pedals, contact mics, and amplified objects, resulting in a sound reminiscent of power electronics but delivered through the white static blasts of the Japanese scene. Macronympha’s Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania epitomizes this approach, offering 44 minutes of amplified scrap metal designed to overwhelm the listener.
As with any musical tradition, some prefer to maintain the original formula. Skin Graft, for instance, remains firmly rooted in this definition. However, others have pushed the genre forward with new techniques and sounds. Dromez, for example, combines static blasts with alien synthesizers, howled vocals, guitar passages, field recordings, and other indefinable elements, yet her work remains undeniably harsh and connected to its predecessors.
Cut Up
The history of noise music is far from linear; influences are diverse and multifaceted. “Cut up” harsh noise is one example of these subgenres/approaches. Sounds enter and exit the mix abruptly and rapidly. For example, a synth sound might blast for 1/4th of a second, then be muted, followed by white noise for half that time, then muted, then replaced by clanking metal for 1/3rd of a second, and so on. Sickness excels in this style, creating an aural archaeology dig due to the sheer amount of activity and incredible tones.
Developer’s work builds on this style by incorporating musique concrete techniques, a form of experimental music from the 1940s that relied on found-sound collage created through tape splicing. Instead of physically cutting and reassembling tapes, Developer initially mixed pre-recorded sounds (primarily on micro-cassette players) by muting and unmuting channels on a large mixer. While the project has since incorporated other sound sources, the cut-up aesthetic remains central.
Harsh Noise Wall
The antithesis of cut up is Harsh Noise Wall, a subgenre (and meme source) that constructs music from unchanging static drones. The abrupt shifts of cut up are gone, replaced by endless, crushing white heat. While many artists have expanded on the conceptual underpinnings of the genre, Sam McKinlay of The Rita established the aesthetic and philosophical foundation. Obsessive attention to thematic elements (sharks, ballerinas, feet, and horror films recur) and musical qualities (entire albums constructed around the DOD Thrashmaster distortion pedal) creates a framework for meditation and fixation. The craft of harsh noise wall shines through the minute changes within the static, with subtle shifts morphing over time as certain crackles or frequencies emerge and fade.
Taking the conceptual nature of this genre to its extreme, Vomir has created a persona and discography dedicated to the void. Album covers are uniformly black squares, and during live performances, audience members are given plastic bags to place over their heads, blocking all sensory input beyond the wall of noise.
Drone
Drone represents another convergence, blending the ambient work of artists like Brian Eno and the experimental compositions of La Monte Young with the noise underground. This approach shares harsh noise wall’s focus on slowly evolving sound but achieves it through lush melodies, quiet textures, and subtle dynamics. While some drone artists draw from traditional musical forms (e.g., Tim Hecker’s subtle rhythms), others push the boundaries in more disruptive ways. Kevin Drumm’s slowly morphing synth work allows the textures of each instrument to tell the story, prioritizing them over rhythm, melody, or recognizable structure.
Lea Bertucci blends minimalism and free improvisation, placing her saxophone work firmly within the drone world. Artists in this subgenre face the critical decision of when to disrupt the drone and when to let it flow uninterrupted, to achieve maximum impact.
Noise Rock
Noise kids also listened to punk and metal, leading to a distinct brand of noise rock, separate from The Jesus Lizard and Braniac (though some overlap exists). Load Records was a key meeting ground for this subgenre in the early 2000s. While Lightning Bolt gained prominence for their virtuosic musicianship, others crafted pummeling rhythmic work from homemade drum sets, broken guitars, and circuit-bent keyboards. The Coughs and Noxagt are two contenders for doing it best. The Coughs perfectly captured the ferocious, ramshackle energy of the scene, while Noxagt’s uncompromising wall of sound heightened the impact through subtle polish.
Death Industrial
For those overwhelmed by the constant influx of new influences, some noise artists revert to their industrial forefathers, replicating their sounds. While some remain faithful to the original tenets of power electronics, death industrial artists reference the dronier aspects of industrial acts like Throbbing Gristle. The distinction between death industrial and power electronics can be subtle, but death industrial tends to focus more on synths and less on vocal tirades. Perhaps it’s drone, sped up slightly and made more foreboding. Brighter Death Now is a frequently cited example.
Control’s work offers a clearer distinction, eschewing power electronics’ overt aggression in favor of a spookier atmosphere. Vocals are present but buried in the mix, often spoken. Industrial percussion (hammers, machines, etc.) and distorted walls occasionally emerge. It’s a more subtle take on power.
“Old School” Industrial
What if artists simply continued making industrial music, not the kind that evolved into Foetus and Nine Inch Nails, but the angry kind pioneered by Einsturzende Neubauten and Boy Dirt Car? For artists like Sewer Goddess, that seems to be the goal. Simple rhythmic structures and melodic lines lie beneath dissonant synths and howled vocals. If it wasn’t for the recording quality, it could be mistaken for first-wave industrial.
However, not all original industrial recordings had rhythms or melodies. Climax Denial fits within this dissonant and droney form, opting for an aesthetic that evokes seasickness. The vocals lack power electronics’ ferocity, instead embracing theatricality. Themes of sexual deviance stop short of power electronics’ violent and abusive tendencies, reverting to a more self-deprecating and depressive stance.
Tape-Based Noise
While previous subgenres differentiate themselves through aesthetics or themes, tape-based noise artists define themselves through instrumentation, specifically cassette tapes. While some simply record sound samples on tape and then mix them, others manipulate tape through physical processes. Tape loops, modified tape machines, and direct physical interaction with the tape all generate unique sounds that artists harness. Aaron Dilloway (formerly of Wolf Eyes) has dedicated his career to tape manipulation, embracing its imperfections: warble, hiss, and inconsistencies.
Howard Stelzer focuses on what is recorded on the tapes rather than manipulating the medium itself. While tape’s inconsistencies still play a role, his compositions emphasize the recordings, resulting in delicate-yet-powerful works that unfold over the course of an album or performance.
Modular Synth-Based Noise
For a more elaborate approach, there’s modular synths. Prominent in electronic music, modular synths are synthesizers comprised of individual filters, oscillators, and other sound-generating or modifying modules. While techno and dance music have embraced these devices, noise artists utilize them for more dissonant ends. J. Soliday’s recent output is a prime example, imbued with otherworldliness through moments of quiet contemplation, harsh whiplash, and everything in between. This work pushes modular synthesis to its noisiest extreme, constantly challenging both artist and listener to anticipate the next sound and its origin.
Laptop Noise
Laptop noise is a controversial topic. For over a decade, noise fans have debated its validity. This debate largely surrounds the later output of Merzbow, who exclusively used a laptop between 1999 and 2009. His approach later shifted to a hybrid with his old instrumentation. What’s important is that some artists use laptops (and programs like MaxMSP, PureData, Audiomulch, and Supercollider) to create noise, while others disapprove. This can lead to an artist’s creative identity being defined by their machine. While artists like Pita and Marcus Schmickler create all their sound within these programs, others like John Wiese feed analog instruments into their computers, process the signal, and synthesize other tones to create a rich and expansive sound. Wiese excels in cut-up, as exemplified by Circle Snare (which highlights his processing of a snare drum).
Andrea Pensado’s sound centers on the marriage between MaxMSP patches and her voice, resulting in an unnerving style filled with static jump scares and glossolalia outbursts. She often enhances her performances, such as performing with a ventriloquist dummy modified to control her computer.
Dada-Weirdness
Humor plays a significant role in much of noise music. Drawing a historical connection, the nihilistic absurdity of the Dada movement has found a home within noise. While the solo work of drummer Ryosyke Kiyasu has gained popularity on social media, Crank Sturgeon reigns supreme in the noise underground. Wild costumes, ridiculous instruments, sound poetry, and harsh blasts combine to create an experience that is both hilarious and harsh. At the Tulsa Noise Fest, Crank wore a toilet paper roll on his head that seemed to determine the length of his set (stopping when the audience removed all the paper).
Other artists like Rubber-o-cement and ID M Theftable mirror Crank’s performative energy and tangents. Angel Marcloid, better known for her electronic project Fire Toolz, has an extensive back catalog filled with noise gems. Her noisier work is rooted in circuit-bent, glitchy electronics, but moments of clarity surface through a no-holds-barred approach to sound sources.
Noise That Sounds Terrifying and Uncomfortable
Some noise is neither totally harsh nor droney; it simply makes the listener feel terrified and uncomfortable, reminiscent of a David Lynch movie. The members of the Schimpfluch-Gruppe noise collective excel at this. Individually and together, Joke Lanz (of Sudden Infant), Dave Phillips, Daniel Löwenbrück (of Raionbashi), and Marc Zeier (of G*Park) have created unsettling albums. Rudolph Eb.er of Runzelstirn & Gurglestock takes this approach even further, with performances that have involved firing blanks over the audience, repeatedly putting a live bird in his mouth, and slamming his face into plates of spaghetti. His recordings are equally unsettling, placing possible moments of recorded self-harm next to repeated screams and dog barks, creating a pervasive sense of tension.
Even without obvious markers of terror, some artists seem solely focused on eliciting a feeling of unease. Gerritt Wittmer is particularly skilled at this, with recent live shows featuring barely audible vocals over strange samples and drones, illuminated by flood lamps. His new album I Believe recreates this effect.
Noise That is Made Through Terrifying and Uncomfortable Processes
The process of making sounds is integral to many noise artists. The work of Instinct Control is heightened by the fact that he creates all the sounds by running his hands over the circuitry of a reel-to-reel plugged into the wall. Some within the noise scene seem dedicated to subjecting themselves to hellish experiences to create music. Filthy Turd and Costes’s work are indicative of this. Justice Yeldham is perhaps the most prolific, dedicating himself to playing glass by shoving his face into it, rubbing his hands all over it, and biting into it until it shatters.
Some artists document horrifying moments. Con-Dom’s latest album incorporates field recordings of his dying mother’s painful screams as she suffered from Progressive Supranuclear Palsy. While screams are common on noise records, understanding their origin amplifies the experience.
Noise That Combines Multiple Categories or Doesn’t Fit At All
Mapping everything within a genre that aims to push musical limits is impossible. As soon as rules are established, someone breaks them. Artists often combine elements from multiple approaches, creating unique styles that define their identity. Pedestrian Deposit’s latest album is a recent example, blending classic American harsh noise, cut up, walls, drone, and ambient music alongside cello parts, electro-acoustic textures, and field recordings. The album defies easy categorization, finding its power in this melding.
Mapping such a diverse scene is inherently incomplete and reliant on personal biases. The scene also faces issues, including the presence of “edgelord” behavior and a lack of diversity. However, others are working to highlight POC within the scene.
Communication through cultural artifacts is perpetually evolving, creating new noise. Someone new will inevitably discover that noise and challenge the veterans.
