Manufacture

Manufacture was a pivotal Boston-based electronic body music (EBM) group that emerged in 1984. Originally conceived as a multimedia soundtrack company by Brian Bothwell and Perry Geyer, the project evolved into a live act known for integrating experimental video projections with aggressive electronic compositions.

Their signing to the influential Nettwerk label in 1987 placed them at the heart of the North American industrial scene alongside labelmates like Skinny Puppy. Their sound is characterized by a high-fidelity approach to EBM, utilizing sophisticated sampling techniques to weave news reports and political speeches into rigid, danceable structures. Their most significant cultural contribution is the collaboration with a then-unknown Sarah McLachlan on 'As the End Draws Near', a track that successfully merged industrial textures with ethereal pop sensibilities. Critically, Manufacture is recognized for their 'media-collage' aesthetic, which anticipated the sample-heavy industrial rock of the 1990s while maintaining the strict rhythmic discipline of European old-school EBM.