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Music

EBM, Not EDM

Cyberpunk Belgians armed with synthesizers and a drum machine.

Every week, Time Travel conjures the ghosts of techno-futures past with selections from the dustiest corners of the WWW.

The year was 1983, and this shadowy Belgian outfit was pioneering a sound known as EBM, or Electronic Body Music. Not to be confused with EDM, this synth-heavy cousin of new wave music was conceived as an assault against staid rock trends of the early 80s. Front 242 set out to make music that created a connection "between instincts, sweat, flesh, muscles, fever and electricity—machines, computers and programs." Very cyborg chic.

Even in this early, budget video, the band's aggressive cyberpunk aesthetic shines through a raw yet well-considered edit. In the primary shot, original frontman Jean-Luc De Meyer dances in fits, his face obscured by the blinding grid projection and strobes. Cut scenes involve closeups flashing the band's TR-808 drum machine, Moog Source synthesizer and reel-to-reel tape deck. It's worth noting this track and their entire first album, Geography, was written before the band ever owned a sampler. They wouldn't get one until founder Patrick Codney's parents won the lottery and he chose the Emulator II over a new car.