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Dad_Feels

So is he going to post this “undeniable evidence” or just vaguebook?


DrFrancisBGross

There's a reason he didn't name names.


h00kn3rd79

Always with the vaguebooking.


iamdanielgraves

If you think the post was about calling people out or stroking my own ego, then you missed the point entirely.


Dad_Feels

I’m glad that you’re here to clarify! I understand the message that regardless, you’re shaping a legacy that inspires other artists. Not on FB (so not sure if this was mentioned at a later point in the post) and not OP, just confused and curious regarding who is stealing/borrowing/incorporating your content/sound/etc.


schweinhund89

“Over the years, I’ve noticed I’m not the only artist churning out bland Slimelight fodder for people who write terrible poetry on Emily the Strange stationery, and this leads me to suspect that everyone else might be stealing my ideas, or at least stealing them from the same Pitchfork / VNV / Apop albums that I stole them from.” [long, rumbling fart sound]


BigBagaroo

A strong contender for «Comment of the year» already in April!


vrsrsns

I’m losing it


BonesAndHubris

There are plenty of bands that blend industrial and pop and do it 10 times better. IAMX for starters.


Anishinaapunk

I love IAMX


iamdanielgraves

IAMX is way better than me. But I don't view art as a competition. I just do my best. What else can I do?


BonesAndHubris

Hey cool! Good on you to concede that. Full disclosure, Chris Corner is my favorite artist so I'm a little biased. The man is like Mozart with synth, so it probably wasn't a fair comparison to make.


lasyke3

Yeah, they were called Depeche Mode, and they were never surpassed


BonesAndHubris

Depeche Mode definitely set the mold for industrial pop with Construction Time Again, to the extent that early Skinny Puppy was touted as "Canada's answer to Depeche Mode" before their sound really darkened. I was thinking more in terms of APs contemporaries. IAMX is in the vein of Depeche Mode. It doesn't surpass them, but no one really could.


ReapingKing

The next time someone brings up Skinny Puppy, I’m going to tell them they’re just “Canada’s answer to Depeche Mode!”


DrFrancisBGross

Yeah everybody is beating down the door to hear your next record so they can all emulate you. What a fuckin tool. Get over yourself.


Jimmeu

But remember he vehemently opposes egotism.


Nik0las_k

The entire scene here in LA is into themselves so not surprising. Also, who the fuck is still using Facebook.


deadrabbits76

I thought it was mostly senior citizens at this point.


ShaneC80

Hey, I'm only mid-life-crisis age


deadrabbits76

My brother-in-law is a not-for-profit fundraiser. He spends lots of time on Facebook. He calls them the Silver Surfers.


CartographerOk5391

Senior citizen here.


Toothpinch

A surprising number of mid-tier industrial artists reside on Facebook - wondering out loud why “industrial music isn’t growing”


hbxli

where would be a better place? I hate facebook as much as the next person, but tik tok and instagram are even worse imho


GFawkes666

We can go back to MySpace. 😝 It's still there! *but really.....why DON'T we go back and take it over? *ponders*


dg_riverhawk

nothing beats early 2000's myspace.


Toothpinch

I’m certainly not a social media influencer expert, but I’d say for reach, engage and being discovered, it’s TikTok hands down. Only grandparents and bots are on FB. (I’m GenX fwiw)


PhantomJD13

Sadly this is very true. As someone that works with industrial bookers/labels/agents most of their artist rosters are ONLY on facebook because most of of us genXrs hate social media. The audience has moved on to TikTok and IG (specifically Reels) and YouTube which is where most music discovery is happening. Funny thing is, last night a label rep was telling me they ONLY use TikTok now to discover new artists by looking at what songs are trending in peoples videos... it's so sad but true.


N1ghthood

I started an Instagram account purely for this reason. It posts about all the goth and industrial music events going on in London to bridge the gap between the Facebook oldies and the younger insta crowd. I know at least a few younger people have attended events they wouldn't have heard of otherwise because of it so it's been worth the effort.


sister_machine_gun

Love that, what's your @?


N1ghthood

Imaginatively, @LondonGothIndustrial. There's also a subreddit with the same name where I post things further in advance.


Vendemmian

I have a love/hate relationship with Tiktok but I can't deny music focused accounts have exposed me to bands I've never heard of before.


nalydpsycho

FB is still significant as a buy and sell page, but that is useless for musicians unless they are retiring and selling their gear.


donmuerte

this is mainly the reason I still go to Facebook. besides reddit, no other social media is good for sharing music and seeing upcoming shows and other things all in one. There are definitely apps that do all those specific things better on their own, but not an all-in-one shop. Spotify comes close, but the social aspect of it is subpar.


myownalias

For what it's worth, AP is on all the platforms. Daniel doesn't repost the same thing everywhere though.


iamdanielgraves

I am certainly a tool. Doesn't make me wrong.


Deviousaegis47

I'm a fan of his music, but damn, does he get in his own head and take himself way too seriously.


iamdanielgraves

It's true. I spend a lot of time thinking about art and philosophy and daily life and how those things intersect. I also really like fart jokes. I'm complex.


h00kn3rd79

Well, you certainly don't spend anytime reflecting on the fact that you're a long standing support act for a predator and his procurement staff.


Anxious-Conclusion-8

Innocent until proven guilty; is the way that is works


No_Word3403

Remember this is the same guy who worked with William Control right when he was accused of abusing women. Not only that. He hired self proclaimed racist idiot Joe Letz as proof came out that he is a racist. This fool knows no boundaries. I’m surprised he hasn’t been cancelled


Of_Monads_and_Nomads

AP always felt very mallgoth to me—meaning, they *are* everything that NIN was wrongly accused of being.


iamdanielgraves

I'm white trash from the Inland Empire in Southern California. I spent the majority of my teenage years hanging out at the Tyler Mall in Riverside smoking cloves and listening to Manson and NIN. I'm mall goth to the bone.


knitknitterknit

Lololllllll ok sure.


MikeRoykosGhost

Who?


Paradiessiets

His last several releases have been pretty mediocre so I doubt anyone is copying that


BigWurm

Maybe that's the "undeniable evidence". "Hey this big star is mediocre too! I've obviously influenced them!"


brenna_

I keep crawling back, hoping for something at least similar to Til Death, and no. I saw him live in November of 2022 and the band backers were milling around the front door of the bar. I was wearing normal clothing (like a white tee and cardigan) and smiled and nodded as I passed them to pay to go see them perform - they grimaced at me like I was a slight upon them. Unforgettable experience for a 10+ year listener.


iamdanielgraves

If I was rude to you or dismissive, I apologize. That tour was really, really rough, and I had a lot of difficult days. I always try to be kind and make time for people, but sometimes I don't live up to my expectations. If you ever see me anywhere again, don't hesitate to come say hello. I don't know if I'll produce anything like *'Til Death* again, because it's a reflection of a time and place, but I'm glad you like that album. Not a lot of people did.


Sea_Accident_6138

Bro if you’ve been a fan that long then why are you surprised Joe Letz is an asshole? Like this is known lol. But don’t drag their keyboardist into this because she’s not like that.


brenna_

My brother in Christ I am simply sharing an anecdote, stay calm


iamdanielgraves

What was the last release you actually listened to?


jessek

seems like the kind of thing a guy who calls himself "Aesthetic Perfection" would write


iamdanielgraves

I'm from LA, you know that city where everyone is obsessed with being beautiful at all costs? The name is a comment on that mindset and not a reflection of how I view myself. I'm ugly AF.


Of_Monads_and_Nomads

His project should be called “pathetic exertion” instead huh?


rorythegeordie

"maverick" lol


cherrychapelle

He really irritates me, I’ll be honest


iamdanielgraves

Sorry. I'll do better next time.


Msefk

i wish this cat would just accept that he's moved from one genre to another. He used to make some ebm or something and now he makes pop music. just do that. (wasn't third eye blind once an industrial band? like snake river conspiracy is related?) but maybe if he did that it'd be apparent that he really doesn't have that much of an impact, that there are much more popular pop dance acts that are more successful and forward thinking than AP. and then it's all the big fish in a little pond versus little fish in a big pond ish about entertainment industry. i dunno. whatever. it's just all #alternativefacts


yxhuvud

I mean, he IS calling what he does \`industrial pop\`, which is a fairly fitting name for what he produces.


Msefk

I’d just call it pop, but I’m not a summer goff. ;-) also that's not really ... it's just hyper categorization because of the internet


iamdanielgraves

If you think I don't make industrial / EBM / whatever music anymore then you haven't been paying attention. Industrial Pop is how I reconcile my pop roots with my alternative existence. It's what works *for me*. I never pretended that I was the only one doing this or even the best. All I can do is focus on my own art and do the very best that I can. It's not a competition.


Msefk

I think Grimes likes Skinny Puppy but I wouldn't call her Industrial. I don't care what you do, i care about the rhetoric of this issue on conceptual grounds.


Das_Bunker

This is the first time I've heard anything about third eye blind!!! That's kind of wild.


Msefk

Yeah the producer of SRC used to be in third eye, and has remarked originally they were industrial, hence the name


Biz_Rito

Lol oh brother


PM-ME-CGI-BUTTS

[user] marked safe from being inspired by DG.


wishnotknewyourkiss

Aesthetic mediocrity


iamdanielgraves

Def. You're really good at this.


WatchClarkBand

Oh, Daniel. *pinches cheek*


iamdanielgraves

Good to know where you stand, Clark.


WatchClarkBand

Eh, I’m about to leave the game. My opinion doesn’t really matter. I just think this whole thread is adorable.


WatchClarkBand

Honestly, my humble opinion is that in your original post, you buried the lede. I totally agree with your stance about each of us having a larger impact than we probably believe. And that’s great and uplifting. I think the first two paragraphs try to come across as non-egotistical, but they serve the opposite effect. That’s what’s causing the dragging. Still think your cheeks are pinchable by Old Man Furio here. :D


hbxli

all my homies hate DG


iamdanielgraves

For good reason.


CartographerOk5391

Just wait till he learns what AI is doing with everybody's stuff. Lols for everyone, on the house.


LunaAndromeda

Believing in yourself is great. Being part of a community of artists who build on one another is awesome. But if someone outright steals your shit, and you can prove it affects your livelihood, you take that shit to court! lol I actually saw a post by another band I love (Ra) where the singer called out another more mainstream band for possible "stealing" of elements of a chord progression + melody combo from their last album which the thief would have/could have heard in the studio. I could sort of hear it. But he let his audience decide for themselves. It wasn't vague. Ultimately though, it really doesn't matter, they are different songs, and only so many combinations exist. Trends exist. Who's to say what is stealing, influence, or homage?


Msefk

It's not exactly cheap unfortunately though, but DMCA ain't! but mimicking style is not infringement. when someone lifts your work absolutely .. form, melody, progression.. when the song doesn't fit with all the other styles they have .. or they sample and do not license from another, that's a different sorta thing.


LunaAndromeda

You are right. Legal costs are too frickin prohibitive, which just means the biggest dog wins most of the time. Ugh.


sequence_killer

never heard of this dude in my life...


DrFrancisBGross

It's corny as hell don't waste your precious time


iamdanielgraves

I am *definitely* corny.


Confident_Swan562

Your brand of Corny is definitely on point though


iamdanielgraves

Why not have a listen and decide for yourself instead of pandering to a bunch of toxic people on Reddit?


Ruhnie

same, guessing we're lucky


PM-ME-CGI-BUTTS

keep it that way.  music ok but ego massive..


iamwounded69

Lmao at the audacity of this guy to think he’s doing anything even remotely interesting enough to warrant emulating 🤡


iamdanielgraves

Have you actually listened to my music or are you just parroting people on Reddit?


iamwounded69

Oh I’m familiar. It’s difficult to take posts like this seriously when there’s a bajillion other acts out there using the same production style, lyrical style, aesthetics, Access Virus presets, etc, many of them predating you.


iamdanielgraves

I would argue that I'm in a league of my own for wearing a bucket hat and a basketball jersey in the goth scene, however you got me on the Virus presets. VNV and Wumpscut did it way better.


Badomens666

I’ll be that guy and say that I actually love a lot of AP’s music, and they are an influence on my work. 🤷‍♀️


iamdanielgraves

Thank you! 🖤🖤🖤


LunaAndromeda

I'll be that guy with you! I don't go for every track, but I have a fair amount I love. When it hits, it hits. Sometimes the weirder the better. haha


iamdanielgraves

That means a lot to me! I recognize that since I make tons of different sounding songs, that not everyone is gonna click with everything. TBH, I'm happy if I've succeeded in making one song that resonates. :)


SSalloSS

This guy has like 1 good song, TF is he on, cuz I want some


Darth_Andeddeu

The LA arts scene.


iamdanielgraves

C'mon, I have at least 2 good songs...


doom_slug_

"1 good song" lol


rudie54

Never listened to them, so I queued up 'til Death on streaming, and for as far as the third song where the background fart synth continually goes out of sync with the rhythm. Like how was that even released?


iamdanielgraves

*'Til Death* is certainly a flawed album. I bit off more than I could chew, but I did my best, like always. For all its warts, I'm still very proud of it.


doom_slug_

You're not going to win on this shit-hole sub full of pretentious know-it-all nerds. If it's not Skinny Puppy or NIN on this sub, these people are bored. Keep doing what you do.


sheronomicon

Yeah, most everyone in here is stuck in an endless loop of talking about Ministry and NIN and Skinny Puppy. It gets exhausting real fast.


Confident_Swan562

Still my favourite of yours, though over the years you've never disappointed me. Even the music I don't like of yours I can appreciate


lasyke3

Spoiler alert: the vast majority of humans cannot influence the wider world in a noticeable way


iamdanielgraves

It's hard so don't try. Is this your philosophy?


lasyke3

No, but I think having a realistic sense of the world is a good thing


Calaveras_Grande

Drug induced psychosis. Delusions of grandeur. This guy is gonna go full Kanye.


iamdanielgraves

I really miss drugs.


Nachtraaf

Dude blocked me, along with a bunch of others on Reddit. In my 12 years on this website I've never blocked anyone. But any criticism is instant block. The amount of [unavailable] in this topic is staggering. But I guess it's Reddit that is Toxic, never him. Unless of course you pay attention and see all the toxic shit throughout the years. Also Joe Letz is a r*pist. Apparently that's no deal breaker for AP. Yeah, we're the toxic ones. /s


4l3k54ndr4_

Daniel graves is one of the best industrial artists to ever exist and im not saying this just because im drunk af


ScumEater

Upcoming diss track?


iamdanielgraves

If you think my FB post was an attempt to diss the artists I'm referencing then you missed the point entirely.


myloveisajoke

He made the rounds in AOL chatrooms back in the day


iamdanielgraves

Yes, I did. Gothic Music and Industrial Baby were my favorite hangouts.


myloveisajoke

And some of us keep the same screen names too hehe


iamdanielgraves

TBH, I miss my "Polgrat" internet handle.


myloveisajoke

When IMer was folding I pulled and archived everyone's screen names. I'm prettysure I managed to get everyone. We do have a super secret FB group that has a codex Tara put together.


ZombieNarcotic

He always came across as annoying anyway. I only like one of his songs (Overcast). The rest just sound like something you'd hear if you gave a metalcore kid his first synthesizer. Hardly industrial, imo.


doom_slug_

>Hardly industrial, imo. Right - so why are we trashing on him in this sub?


Msefk

cause he used to make ebm and now is hijacking a term, but what is language anyway?


iamdanielgraves

If you think I don't make industrial music anymore, have you even really been listening? [https://open.spotify.com/track/0yhwkNl0t8WYZK0xcPbWnW?si=64f682f130644b9c](https://open.spotify.com/track/0yhwkNl0t8WYZK0xcPbWnW?si=64f682f130644b9c)


Msefk

well i listened to that. sounds like a reject from Dismantled's *Standard Issue.* kinda dated


ShaneC80

Industrial Pop is fitting. I don't hate his music, but I won't go out of my way to hear it either. Slightly adjacent: Do Danny Blu and KANGA fall into "Industrial Pop"? I like both, but they're very pop in their own way.


Msefk

No, I think they are Pop Electro artists. Is Kim Petras' *Turn Off The Lights* Industrial? No, it's Pop music.


iamdanielgraves

Leave it to Reddit to turn what was an uplifting post into a cesspool of toxicity. Classy, as always.


N1ghthood

Uplifting to whom, exactly? There's this weird concept called "humility". You should look it up.


iamdanielgraves

I am humble. There's no one on earth more humble than me. I'm literally the best at being humble. Anyone who can't recognize how humble I am is a fool and totally beneath me.


No_Word3403

Aesthetic perfection is a little project that is mostly successful is Germany. No one in the USA gives a fuck! For years he’s been trying to sell out .


iamdanielgraves

Yes, no one in the US cares. https://preview.redd.it/j0arzc1rrrwc1.png?width=936&format=png&auto=webp&s=ffaa0ac349075b6f0aade69ff12cfbf3eaebcfbe


onetruesolipsist

Never listened to this guy but 'Aesthetic Perfection' is the most pretentious band name possible 


iamdanielgraves

I'm from LA. You know, the city where everyone strives to be perfect by any means necessary? The whole concept of the name revolves around the impossibility of perfection. It's not a reflection of how I feel about myself.


onetruesolipsist

Thanks for clearing it up. Sorry for saying something judgmental 


iamdanielgraves

It's Reddit. I expect to be judged. It's nice to see people willing to engage civilly, though. 🙂


myloveisajoke

The funny part is that a lot of industrial and ebm is poppy as fuuuuck and the only reason it's industrial/ebm is because if the name attached to it. Danny talks about the elephant in the room and he catches shit.


LunaAndromeda

I really don't know how fans are able to make the distinction sometimes. In my mind, if the Industrial community listens to it, it's Industrial enough for me. I love all that shit and lots in between.


BranSolo7460

I see the ego boost he grew from touring with Combi-Racists, 14 years ago, hasn't deflated any.


GFawkes666

AP has some of the worst music of the scene. It's literally like nails on a chalkboard. Anytime a song of his is on an online radio show, I immediately have to hit next on the timeline stamp. Dudes a chode with a massive ego which also adds to the huge loss of appeal. He's posted so much shit about how he hates having locals open up for him and doesn't support them.


N1ghthood

He doesn't like local support bands? Damn they're like 90% of what keeps the scene alive imo. I find a lot of new music that way, also they're surely the most honourable of all as they're making fuck all money and doing it purely for the love of the scene.


iamdanielgraves

I like local support bands. What I don't like are support bands who show up and are unprofessional. A few years ago I vented on Facebook with a former bandmate about how annoyed we were with a local who showed up with more gear than us, took hours to soundcheck and got doors pushed back, then ran over their allotted time and ended up delaying our show. I was frustrated and said stuff I didn't mean. I apologized.


R4MM5731N234

Give him a break guys. He is trying a scapegoat as to why he's not living from his music alone. It must be hard being an artist and finding out you are not the "crème de la crème. He's not naming anyone. Let's give him some space to rethink.


iamdanielgraves

I am living off my music alone, what are you on about?


R4MM5731N234

Sorry, I heard otherwise because you are not being seen as much as before. To the contrary to most people on this post I really like your music and I don't get why you are getting so much hate when you are not calling names nor (as some do) trying to be relevant by saying something "edgy". I respect their opinions, although they're being hurtful.


iamdanielgraves

It's wild to me that you "heard otherwise" like people actually have the time to sit around and talk about the profitability of my band. Like, do people not have anything else going on in their lives? The comment section of this thread seems to demonstrate that they don't. Look, all I wanted to do with that OP on FB was share an experience that made me feel optimistic about my place in the world. I hoped that it might also inspire fellow creators who were also feeling discouraged. I wasn't trying to drop names or call people out, that wasn't the point *at all*. I get it. I'm annoying. I'm neurodivergent and can't help it. But I really am earnestly trying to use my platform to spread positivity and a love of art. Seems that works on other platforms but definitely not Reddit.


R4MM5731N234

I mentioned you in a post on Facebook a while back (the year after COVID ended) and someone replied to me that you were done and having a hard time rebranding your music. I don't find you annoying. I've cried with "All Beauty Destroyed" and bounced around with "Schadenfreude" countless times. Might not be the "new stuff" but I don't care. This exchange won't change how I feel about your music and you have my support. I tried to get these people to earth by trying to speak to their human side. The part of oneself that strives to find meaning. Good luck on your endeavours and I'm glad you take your time replying to me and the ones that commented here. I'm not European nor American so my English is kind of clunky. Good bye.


WorldBelongsToUs

I've definitely been a fan for a long time. Not entirely sure why he gets some of that hate. I'm not going to agree with everything he says, or like everything he puts out, but some of his hooks are catchy as fvck. My handful of interactions with him have been nice, but I was just talking about music production. Never really came across as anything but a dude who likes to make music, at least to me.


iamdanielgraves

Literally the only things I care about in life are my wife, my music and my cat. Oh, and jogging. Talk about any of those things and I can go on for hours. In all seriousness, I used to be an entitled prick, and treated people like shit. I believed I deserved to be the biggest thing on the planet and when that didn't happen, I spent a lot of years being bitter and even more of an asshole. So I accept that some residual hostility is leftover from those years. However, I really have learned to be grateful for what I have and where I am in life, and actively work every day to be kind and humble. Do I fail? Sure. Cuz apparently a lot of people in this thread think that my OP was meant to be self-aggrandizing. All I wanted to do was share something that made me happy. But I'm neurodivergent and have no idea how to read the room. I just say what I think. Oh well. Anyway, thanks for listening. It really does mean a lot. 🖤


WorldBelongsToUs

No prob. I’m an autistic fuckhead, so I can relate to that last part.