The Sala Moon in Valencia will host the next 11 December the Nitzer Ebb concert, one of the most influential groups in electronic music of the years 80 y 90, whose impact was especially important in the Valencian nightclub scene later named Ruta Destroy..
His style, defined by martial percussions, melodic minimalism and aggressive and apocalyptic lyrics, turned the British band into a world leader in Electronic Body Music (EBM), subgenre of Belgian and German origin that fuses industrial music with the most danceable qualities of synth-pop, and to which Nitzer Ebb added the attitude of the most gothic English post punk.
Trained in 1982 and Chelmsford (Essex, United Kingdom) by Douglas McCarthy (lead vocal, guitars) y Vaughan “Bon” Harris (voice, percussion, guitars), with David Gooday (percussion), Nitzer Ebb burst with a sound that redefined the concept of alternative club music. Su debut con el sencillo “Isn’t It Funny How Your Body Works?” (1985), released on his own label, Power Of Voice Communications, placed them at the center of the European underground circuit.
His signing with Mute Records marked a turning point: the album That Total Age (1987) consolidated the Nitzer Ebb formula and placed songs like “Join in the Chant” - especially the remix in maxisingle format made for them by the prestigious producer Flood (Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds, Depeche Mode)-, “Let Your Body Learn” or “Murderous” on the dance floors of half the world. that disk, considered today the cornerstone of the EBM, defined a style that influenced both industrial bands and techno producers.
In 1989 Belief arrived, also produced by Flood, which introduced a more sophisticated approach. Then came Showtime (1990), Ebbhead (1991) y Big Hit (1995), with increasingly refined production and complex melodies, all this without losing the visceral imprint that defined the project.
The late eighties and early nineties were the most fertile period for Nitzer Ebb.. Collaboration and touring with Depeche Mode expanded his horizons, achieving success in both Europe and the United States, where the remix of “Fun To Be Had” by George Clinton rose to the top of the dance music charts.
Over the years, Nitzer Ebb has known how to reinvent itself: from their industrial and pure EBM roots to the incorporation of analog instruments on Big Hit (1995), going through pauses, parallel projects and meetings that have returned the group to the big stages. His discography has been reviewed by Mute, that has promoted reissues and compilations that value his legacy.
After singing in various periods between 2021 y 2023, Harris definitively assumed the role of vocalist of the band in 2024 after McCarthy had to step away from the stage due to an illness that caused his death last June, at the age of 58 years.
Spammerheads
The concert of 11 December in Valencia will begin at 21:30 with the concert of the electronic music duo Spammerheads, formed in Valencia at the end of 2019. His last two full-length works Tar Blood / Cement Skin y Disclaimer, both released on Soil Records, They were characterized by a raw sound, industrial and with a strong influence of the pioneers of EBM and the punk spirit.
His last album, The Mire Chronicles (2025), was born after the hard experience lived in the floods of the 29 october 2024 in Valencia, in which the duo lost part of their studio and actively worked on cleaning their city. An experience full of feelings, sometimes found, where the shock, helplessness, to anger, the resistance, solidarity and resilience, among others, give shape to what is perhaps their best work to date. It is an album that travels through the personal and collective states suffered by people affected by tragedies or catastrophes..
