There’s been a lot of backlash recently against the inherent “sameness” of EBM and even Industrial. There’s also been a lot of negative talk about Powernoise being overly repetitive and awash in distortion only to “hide the flaws and lack of creativity in the music.” Now Erica Dunham of Unter Null has issued a statement essentially saying she’s “Moving On” (the name of her upcoming Unter Null release) from the suffocating constraints of Industrial and branching off into more diverse material that is closer to what she recently accomplished with her brilliant Stray release (review).

I’ve decided that with this next Unter Null album, it will be my last foray into ebm/industrial/whatever (you may call it) music.

2009 is going to be the year of massive experimentation, and not letting problems like, oh, not having an orchestra at immediate hand, not having a multi-million dollar studio, not having an actual “band” but being a solo musician, hold things back.

I’ve sorely wanted to get away from this genre and scene for a while now. I support my friends’ bands, and there are a few bands I really really like in the industrial (umbrella term) genre, but it’s not the kind of music I listen to anymore or have for a long time. I don’t go to the clubs, not interested in club culture, and while a close-knit community can have its benefits, I am not enthused by the back-stabbing and horrendous “it’s a small world” of it all.

While Unter Null has been my main project for over 10 years, I’m definitely not quitting it, however my desire it to tread new grounds and explore new sounds and ways of creation.

My latest release with Stray has also noted a change in my desire for evolution and change. With the current production of the next Unter Null album, I’ve been finding it increasingly harder to maintain separation between the two projects because I’ve been finding myself drifting more towards “Stray”-like tracks – heavy on the melody and instrumentation, and less interested in the distorted 4/4 kicks and rahrah vocals.

Being my background is originally in classical music, I feel these days I’m somewhat losing touch with that and while music has always been grounds for catharsis for me, where I am at now is just not cutting it for me.

So, this is meant in no offense to any of my friends, to fellow musicians, or to my awesome fans.
It’s just time to be moving on… to start the sound that has begun

<3

Erica

I’m really curious to hear the new album and even more curious to see in what direction Erica goes from there. She’s a unique personality and a very emotive musician so no matter what she decides to do it will ultimately draw quite a bit of interest. And if there’s a style of music that could really use a swift kick in its complacent ass right now it’s Industrial, particularly EBM. There hasn’t been much in the way of inspirational or innovative material released for some time within this genre and many acts are reverting to more classic styles in an effort to reboot the subgenre.

When the new album drops we’ll, of course, let you know how it plays out. In the meantime, pay a visit to the Unter Null MySpace to hear selected tracks from the forthcoming release.