Editing Electronic body music (section)

==Aesthetics==
{{see|Rivethead}}
EBM follows the transgressive approach of punk and industrial music (e.g. "demystification of symbols"<ref>Bennett A, Guerra P (2018). ''DIY Cultures and Underground Music Scenes'', Routledge, {{ISBN|9781351850322}}. Quote: "[T]he dark symbolism of industrial music, the typically crude appearance associated with the punk era and, above all, underground collages and drawings oriented towards alternative contemporary art. While very particular aesthetic principles may be shared in some extreme subgenres such as power electronics or old-school noise, following the path of industrial music and its demystification of symbols (Obodda, 2002), the aesthetic judgements embraced by labels and listeners often demonstrate the rejection of imagery that is considered unoriginal."</ref>) and the use of provocative extreme imagery is common (e.g. Nazi paraphernalia;<ref>Kingsepp, Eva (2011). "[https://www.diva-portal.org/smash/record.jsf?pid=diva2%3A473521&dswid=-6576 Nazi Symbolism in Black Metal/National Socialist Black Metal]", Stockholm University, Faculty of Humanities, Department of Journalism, Media and Communication (JMK). (English). urn:nbn:se:su:diva-68780</ref> reminiscent of punk's use of the [[Nazi swastika|swastika]]<ref name=Rammstein>''[[Rammstein]] on Fire: New Perspectives on the Music and Performances'' edited by John T. Littlejohn and Michael T. Putnam {{ISBN|978-0-7864-7463-9}} (2013, [[McFarland & Company|McFarland]]</ref>).<ref>Timor Kaul: ''Some Thoughts on EBM as a transitional genre.'', Academia.edu, 2016, p.&nbsp;4.</ref> Appropriating totalitarian, [[socialism|Socialist]] and [[fascism|Fascist]] references, symbols, and signifiers has been a recurring topic of debate between fans and outsiders to the genre alike due to its stylistical ambiguity that stems from industrial music's contrarian nature.<ref name=Assimilate>{{cite book|last1=Reed|first1=S. Alexander|title=Assimilate: A Critical History of Industrial Music|year=2013|location=New York|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=9780199832606|oclc=1147729910|via=the Internet Archive|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/assimilatecritic0000reed}}. Principal quote: "Regarding the emergence of the dance-driven EBM from the industrial scene, a;GRUMPH...'s Jacques Meurrens says, "In [1985], the people who liked industrial and the people who liked EBM were mostly the same crowd," but even by the time, audiences were starting to form subgenre-based expectations."</ref> In one instance, military-themed band [[Laibach]] "ma[de] no attempt to subvert this image [so] it has the aura of authenticity" so "[m]any [[Laibach]] fans began to revel in the evils of the band and to take their stage act at [[face value]]."<ref name=Assimilate/>
[[File:Dentrado_kaj_Martelo.svg|thumb|right|upright|''Hammer and Cogwheel'': Working class aesthetic as a part of EBM iconography.<ref name="Kaul" />]]
{{Blockquote
|text=Bon and Doug were heavily influenced by [[Deutsch Amerikanische Freundschaft|DAF]], [[Test Dept.]] and [[Einstürzende Neubauten]]. Hand in hand with the music was the image which unashamedly borrowed a lot from [[Germany|German]] and [[Soviet Union|Soviet]] imagery. We all loved the sharp and striking design images of [[Russia|Russian]] and [[Germany|German]] '30s and '40s posters and artwork. Obviously we faced a lot of questions and objections about the ‚Neo-Nazi' image. But really we were just using the images to get people to sit up and listen. ‚Iconoclastic minimalism' was one phrase that was used to describe [[Nitzer Ebb]] at the time.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Albinsson |first1=Stefan |title=Interview with Chris Piper |date=2008 |publisher=Nitzer Ebb Network New Jersey / USA |isbn= |pages= |url=http://www.nitzer-ebb.de/ebbdotcom/interview_2008_chrispiper.html |access-date= |language=en}}</ref>
|author=Chris Piper, manager of [[Nitzer Ebb]]
}}

The military style of EBM has a "part-human part-machine" gestalt typical of [[transhumanism|transhumanist]] or [[cyberpunk]] movements. EBM asserts a hyper-masculine image of "triumphalism, combat postures, and paranoia,"<ref>{{cite book |last=Reynolds |first=Simon |date=1990 |title=Blissed Out: The Raptures of Rock |publisher=Serpent's Tail |isbn=1-85242-199-1 }}</ref> and is known for its "tough-guy" or machismo attitudes displayed by both men and women.<ref>Martina O, Ernst W (2008). ''Performativität und Performance: Geschlecht in Musik, Theater und MedienKunst'', LIT Verlag Münster, {{ISBN|9783825806606}}, p.&nbsp;124.</ref> According to [[Gabi Delgado-López]] of [[Deutsch Amerikanische Freundschaft]], the duo who adopted an aesthetic of black leather and military paraphernalia in the early 1980s was inspired by the male homosexual [[Sadomasochism|sado-masochistic]] scene and is not meant to represent "''[[machismo]]'' ideology" but part of a "role."<ref name=DJ>{{cite book |title=DJ Culture in the Mix: Power, Technology, and Social Change in Electronic Dance Music |last=Attias |first=Bernardo |author2=Anna Gavanas |author3=Hillegonda Rietveld |year=2013 |publisher=A&C Black |isbn=978-1-62356-437-7 |pages=286 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WYczAQAAQBAJ |access-date=6 August 2020}}</ref>