Nitzer Ebb (pronounced night-zer or nit-zer-the band pronounces it both ways) are a British music group formed in 1982 by Essex school friends Vaughan (Bon) Harris (programming, synthesizers, drums, vocals), Douglas McCarthy (vocals), and David Gooday (drums).

Sonically, Nitzer Ebb evoked the sequenced teutonic basslines and barked commands of Virgin-era DAF in its early days, and took the energy of alternative rock bands like Killing Joke and Bauhaus to create a new aesthetic. As they grew in confidence and ability, they began to develop the Nitzer Ebb sound-a blend of unusual analogue trickery, minimal song structure, heavy drum beats and percussion, and Douglas McCarthy's soulful vocals-either shouted, sung, or spoken. Its sound was captured perfectly in one of the band's publicity slogans from 1987-"International Funk Aggression"-despite being hard and heavy, its tracks were always very danceable.

Nitzer Ebb was seen as a totality comprising music, art and culture, manifesting itself as a Nitzer Ebb Produkt (an homage to the band Kraftwerk), which saw all adverts, fliers, record sleeves, letterheads, T-shirts, and other objects all sharing a collective identity that was heavily influenced by Russian Constructivist art, Italian Futurism, totalitarian imagery, and Expressionism. Long-time collaborator Simon Grainger was an unofficial member of Nitzer Ebb and responsible for the austere look and feel of this visual aspect of the band, which aimed to provoke reaction, to critique, and even to poke fun at such stern stark powerful imagery. It also reflected perfectly the uncompromising style of the music.

In the short-term, Nitzer Ebb had a clear influence on labelmates Depeche Mode, with both bands sharing a producer in Flood and (by virtue of his studio role) Alan Wilder, which saw a cross pollination of ideas-a harder edge given to one band and a pop sensibility brought to the other (compare the intros of Halo and Lightning Man).

Nitzer Ebb was a large influence on Detroit Techno: Derrick May publicly acknowledged this fact before the band opened 2007's Detroit annual electronic music festival. A diverse range of DJs and producers, from Richie Hawtin to Tiga, have also acknowledged the influence that Nitzer Ebb has had on their careers. Indeed, the group's tracks (usually in their original form) are still heard across the world's more discerning dance floors, and have been consistently listed in a wide range of DJ's Top 10s throughout the 2007 in the dance music magazine, Mixmag.

Discography

Albums

* That Total Age (1987)
* Belief (1989)
* Showtime (1990)
* Ebbhead (1991)
* Big Hit (1995)
* Body Rework (2006)

Radio

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