Power electronics begins, officially, in English. With William Bennett, with Whitehouse, with Britain’s cold extremity. The genre carries that linguistic center like radiation: a vocabulary of domination, sex, war, authority. But a different lineage runs underneath, outside of the English-speaking world. One in other tongues. One that never asked to be translated. This breed of power electronics not only challenges language, it weaponizes it.
The Rise of Power Electronics
Born in the early 1980s, power electronics emerged as a sub-genre of industrial music. It’s a genre deeply intertwined with the roots of industrial, noise, and avant-garde scenes. It is often linked to the industrial acts of Europe and North America. William Bennett’s Whitehouse had raw and confrontational content. It set the foundation for the genre. This genre emphasized extreme noise, feedback, and violence in sound. Yet, these sonic dissonances weren’t solely tied to Western conceptualizations.
As industrial music spread globally, it absorbed influences from various non-English-speaking regions. For example, in Japan, Masonna merged blistering feedback with intense performances, shaping the noise scene there. In the Middle East and North Africa, power electronics also found its home. Political and cultural themes merged with the genre’s inherent anger. Arabic, French, and other non-English vocals broke through the boundaries of traditional Western noise. They offered a new and uncompromising form of resistance.
Expanding the Narrative: Non-English Influences on Power Electronics
It is in these non-English vocalizations that the genre transforms. Non-English languages, by their very nature, interrupt the flow of traditional industrial and noise tropes. Consider Jackson Abdul-Salaam. He is a Portland based artist. His Arabic vocals and Muslim influence as Herukrat confront the post-colonial reality of the Middle East. He also targets Southeast Asia under the moniker Junta Cadre. Albums like I bear witness & Vietnam Forever are not just noise. They are audio manifestos. These tracks challenge both the Western sonic dominance and the often overlooked geopolitical crises.
Haraam has deeply political releases like Sleeper Cell and Reestablishment of Old Ideals. They take power electronics into the realm of radical thought. The Arabic vocals are just as much a part of the sonic assault as the feedback and distortion. They offer a linguistic challenge to listeners who not understand but feel the weight of the words. Haraam’s work exemplifies how power electronics provides space for the oppressed. It allows them to claim their own language and their own narrative.
It’s not just the Arabic-speaking world — French noise has made significant contributions to this genre. Projects like Catherine and Atypic highlight the harshness of the French language. This adds a layer of cultural defiance. There’s something unique about French. Its nasal and sharp pronunciation amplifies the tension between the aesthetic violence of power electronics. It also underscores the cultural significance embedded in the language itself.
Diverse Voices in Power Electronics
We must also explore voices from other regions not often discussed in this context. Brazilian noise artists, like Megalomania, bring the sonic violence of power electronics into the realm of Portuguese. Their performances are marked by feverish distortion and chaotic screams, often drawing from Brazil’s turbulent political landscape and economic inequalities.
Likewise, South Korean artists have begun integrating power electronics into their underground scenes. Artists like Karaoke Tundra inject Korean into their chaotic soundscapes, crafting a unique blend of political anger and technological critique.
These artists show that power electronics is not confined to a particular language. Instead, it reflects a global shift in resistance, anger, and dissent. Non-English vocals are a necessary part of this global noise scene. They offer a counterpoint to the Western domination of the genre.
Listen to Vietnam Forever:
https://juntacadre.bandcamp.com/album/vietnam-forever
Listen to Reestablishment of Old Ideals:
https://moraldefeat.bandcamp.com/album/reestablishment-of-old-ideals
About the Author
Brian S is a writer and experimental sound artist exploring sonic violence, diaspora, and identity. He curates fragmented text and noise at the intersection of philosophy and collapse.
Tags:
#PowerElectronics #NoiseMusic #ExperimentalMusic #NonEnglishNoise #JuntaCadre #VietnamForever #Haraam #MiddleEasternNoise #FrenchNoise #DiasporaSound #BrazilianNoise #KoreanNoise #BlogPost #OpEd
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