It’s International EBM-day tomorrow and the Belgian label is celebrating this all week long. From today on everyone using the EBM242 coupon code on the label’s online webstore and the label’s Bandcamp page will get 25% off the normal price.

In the label’s CD/DVD webstore the discount applies from a minimum order of 20 Euro and does not include products released in 2016 (not that this should be a problem since it includes hundreds of other new releases, from Alien Vampires, The Psychic Force, over Star Industry to Front 242 and Acylum). In the Bandcamp store it counts on all products.

International EBM-day refers to the date of 24/2 (February 24th) which has a clear Front 242 connotation. Since Front 242 is considered as THE cult EBM band, 24/2 has quickly been adopted as such.

Electronic body music, EBM or Industrial dance emerged in the early 1980s. The genre’s early influences range from industrial music (Throbbing Gristle, Cabaret Voltaire), European synthpunk (DAF, Liaisons Dangereuses, Portion Control), and pop-oriented electronic music (Kraftwerk). The style is characterised by hard and often sparse danceable electronic beats, clear undistorted vocals, shouts or growls with reverberation and echo effects, and repetitive sequencer lines. Typical EBM rhythms are based on 4/4 beats, mainly with some minor syncopation to suggest a rock music rhythm structure.

Although EBM is mainly linked to Front 242 the term electronic body music was coined by Ralf Hütter of the German electronic band Kraftwerk in 1978 to explain the more physical sound of their album “The Man-Machine”.

Oh, and expect a special announcement tomorrow…