Rhythmic Noise
Industrial · 1994 · 120 to 150 BPM · also known as Power Noise, Rhythmic Industrial
Noise brought to heel: massive distortion organised into danceable rhythms, crushed four on the floor beats, textures of scrap metal. Esplendor Geometrico announced it in the 1980s, and the scene structured itself in the 1990s around Ant-Zen and Hands, with the Maschinenfest festival as its cathedral. This is the dancefloor of hard industrial music, physical and cathartic, built for bodies as much as for ears.
16 reference tracks
- P·A·L: Gelöbnis (1994)
- Imminent Starvation: Nord (1999)
- Imminent Starvation: Tentack One (1999)
- Converter: Denogginizer (2000)
- Converter: Coma (2001)
- Stahlschlag Feat. Ultra: Doomed (2022)
- Dulce Liquido: Dystopia (2024)
- Riotmiloo: Folie À Deux (2024)
- Dulce Liquido: Signs Of Decay (2025)
- Dulce Liquido: Get On Your Knees (2025)
- Dulce Liquido: Incubos
- Dulce Liquido: Humid Dreams
- Imminent Starvation: Arles
- Dulce Liquido: Dementia
- Imminent Starvation: Ire
- Dulce Liquido: Psicosis
At a glance
- Tempo: 120 to 150 BPM
- First appeared: around 1994
- Machines: Trackers (Amiga), Ordinateur, Pédale de distorsion, Native Instruments Reaktor
- The sound: Distorsion sur toute la chaîne, Kicks écrasés, Boucles métalliques, Trackers et samplers
- Labels: Ant-Zen, Raubbau, Audiotrauma, Hands, Out Of Line
- Key artists: Esplendor Geométrico, Winterkälte, Converter, Imminent, Orphx (frange)
Producing Rhythmic Noise
Hold between 120 and 150 BPM, four on the floor, dead straight, no swing at all, though some tracks sit at 90 BPM with a double time pattern that reads the same. What separates rhythmic noise from the power electronics it descends from is that the grid has returned, and it is unforgiving. The kick is a product of distortion, not a drum sound: take a 909 kick and stack three or four stages, overdrive, hard curve saturation, fuzz and heavy bit reduction, until it becomes a buzzing square wave with a droning tail. Program four beats, plus syncopated sixteenth note kicks for a galloping feel, a snare built from a burst of distorted noise, and clicking noise hats, with looped, saturated metal samples as texture. There is usually no separate bass: the distorted kick fills the low end alone.
The full production course, in French: tempo, drums, bass, sounds, arrangement, mix, plugins and machines, and a step by step start.
Frequently asked
What is Rhythmic Noise?
Noise brought to heel: massive distortion organised into danceable rhythms, crushed four on the floor beats, textures of scrap metal. Esplendor Geometrico announced it in the 1980s, and the scene structured itself in the 1990s around Ant-Zen and Hands, with the Maschinenfest festival as its…
What tempo is Rhythmic Noise played at?
Between 120 and 150 BPM.
Who are the key Rhythmic Noise artists?
Esplendor Geométrico, Winterkälte, Converter, Imminent, Orphx (frange).
In the same family
- Industrial
- EBM
- New Beat
- Electro-Industrial
- Dark Electro
- Aggrotech
- Futurepop
- Techno Body Music
- Coldwave
- Darkwave
- Neue Deutsche Haerte
- Power Electronics
Listen to Rhythmic Noise in the atlas · Cette page en français
