Front 242 “Quite Unusual” in 1989. I was a pretty hardcore punk rock kid but this was dark as hell and beautiful in an eerie way. Fast forward to 1999 and I’m at Smart Bar in Chicago with VNV blasting and making out with a girl in the bathroom… Ah memories.

I don’t know about futurepop, EBM, or trance, but as far as industrial goes I’ll never, ever forget the first time I heard “Stigmata” off of Ministry’s Land of Rape and Honey in the summer of 1989. Which is notable because I don’t think I have a very good memory of my youth in general. I also clearly remember Thrill Kill Kult’s video for “Do You Fear for Your Child?” blowing my mind a few days later.

I’m a late bloomer and was only into “Classic Rock” (or my definition of it, so I was seeing David Bowie’s 1.OUTSIDE Tour in 1994. Nine Inch Nails happened to be the Special Guest, so I did my homework and forced myself to listen to what I thought was repetitive noise. After my extensive research, I thought I was properly prepared for the concert. The industrial sound and Nine Inch Nails didn’t make sense to me, until I saw them in concert. Trent Reznor gave 110% of himself to his performance and I had not seen anything like it before. That was the beginning of the end, because from them, I slowly got into the gothic and more underground industrial music. It was so worth it!

I remember flipping through radio stations one afternoon, not finding anything good on, and turning back to some noise I’d heard on the alternative music station. It was Closer by Nine Inch Nails. I was transfixed and enthralled. I tried really hard to enjoy the rest of The Downward Spiral, but its rewards remained elusive until I discovered Pretty Hate Machine, which provided me with a framework for appreciation. To this day I am still remembered in my hometown as the girl with the shaved head skulking around the highschool playing Pretty Hate Machine on a boombox.

This contest has been won! We’ve got more coming down the pike, hang in there.