Burning The Ground Exclusive
Razormaid Digital Mixes by Art Maharg and Joseph Watt
A DJPaulT Custom 12″ Single.
Spooky Season Spins kicks off today with something a little different.
October does not always have to mean ghosts, vampires, and horror movie themes. Sometimes the right atmosphere comes from something colder, harsher, and far more mechanical. For this installment, we are heading straight into the factory with a custom 12″ that I have titled Industrial Assault.
This two-track single brings together Bigod 20 and TGT (The Genetic Terrorists), with both selections originally appearing on Razormaid Chapter R-25.
Opening Side A is Bigod 20 with “America,” re-edited by Razormaid co-founder Art Maharg.
Bigod 20 was part of the German Electronic Body Music and Industrial scene, and “America” has exactly the kind of atmosphere I wanted for an October post. It is dark, repetitive, confrontational, and driven by electronics that feel more like machinery than traditional instrumentation.
Maharg’s Razormaid treatment pushes that feeling even further. The track moves with a relentless pulse, using repetition and carefully placed edits to make the whole thing feel increasingly tense.
There may not be a monster hiding in the shadows here, but the track still feels threatening.
For Spooky Season Spins, that counts.
Flip the record over, and things become even more brutal.
“Machine Gun” by TGT, or The Genetic Terrorists, was re-edited for Razormaid by Joseph Watt.
The title gives you a pretty good indication of what is coming. Hard electronic percussion, samples, repetition, and a cold mechanical rhythm dominate the track.
Watt’s edit has that classic Razormaid DJ sensibility. Rather than simply stretching the original recording, the arrangement uses its strongest rhythmic elements to keep the track moving. It is sparse in places, aggressive in others, and never particularly interested in making the listener comfortable.
That is exactly why it works here.
Both “America” and “Machine Gun” were taken from Razormaid Chapter R-25, which also gives this custom single a nice connection. Side A represents Art Maharg, while Side B represents Joseph Watt, bringing both Razormaid co-founders together on one very Industrial piece of vinyl.
So for this edition of Spooky Season Spins, forget the haunted houses and graveyards for a moment.
Welcome to the factory.
Cold steel. Concrete. Smoke stacks. Machines running somewhere in the darkness.
SIDE A:
Bigod 20 – America 6:31
Edited By [Re-edited] – Art Maharg
SIDE B:
Genetic Terrorists* – Machine Gun 5:14
Edited By [Re-edited] – Joseph Watt
VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint
RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: Razormaid Records – RM-LP-r25
Format: Vinyl, 12″, 45 RPM, Promo
Country: US
Released: 1989
Genre: Electronic
Style: EBM, Industrial
CREDITS:
Custom Sleeve Artwork [Design] – DjPaulT
NOTES:
For Promotional Use Only
Both tracks taken from: Razormaid Chapter r-25
VINYL TRANSFER & AUDIO RESTORATION:
-DjPaulT
for BURNING THE GROUND
THE GEAR:
Turntable: Technics SL-1200MK7
Cartridge/Stylus: Ortofon Concorde Music Black
Phono Pre-amp: Pro-Ject Tube Box DS2
Phono Tubes: Genalex Gold Lion 12AX7 ECC83/B759 Gold Pins Vacuum Tube – Matched Pair
Audio Interface: MOTU M4
Turntable Isolation Platform: ISO-Tone™ Turntable Isolation Platform
Platter: Pro Spin Acrylic Mat
Stabilizer: Pro-Ject Record Puck
Record Cleaning: VPI HW 16.5 Record Cleaning Machine
Cleaning Solution: Turgikleen Record Cleaning Solution
Scanner: Epson Workforce WF-7610 Professional Printer/Scanner
SOFTWARE:
Recording/Editing: Adobe Audition 25 (Recording)
Down Sampling/Dither: iZotope RX Advanced 2
Artwork Editor: Adobe Photoshop CS5
Click Removal: Manual
FLAC/MP3 Conversion: dBpoweramp
M3U Playlist: Playlist Creator
RESTORATION NOTES:
All vinyl rips are recorded @ 32bit/float
FLAC (Level Eight)
Artwork scanned at 600dpi
PLEASE READ
There are two 24-Bit links; if one does not work, try the other
**24-bit FLAC Only Available For SIX Days!
Password: burningtheground
You can help show your support for this blog by donating using PayPal.
I appreciate your help.
Wow, Paul! This is some hard-ass industrial/EBM! This makes Front 242’s “Headhunters” sound like pop music. I really enjoyed this selection of tracks. And I appreciate you for pairing both Art’s and Joseph’s re-edits into a custom “single.” Carry on with the Spooky!
NO COMPLET? COMPLET PLEASE, CADE OS RESTO DAS MUSICAS?
Really cool tracks, thank you so much Paul. Can’t say no to Razormaid! These are both new to me and make a great Spooky Spins kickoff (I swear, I thought yesterday’s was intended to be Spooky based on the song title!).
Such awesome, futuristic, industrial sounds here. I’m feeling the spooky! Love the custom selections, thanks again 🙂
Thank you, JP! I’m glad you enjoyed these, especially since both tracks were new to you. And you really can’t go wrong with Razormaid. Art and Joseph had such a knack for taking already interesting tracks and making them even more exciting for the dance floor. Ha! I can definitely see why you thought yesterday’s post was already part of the Spooky Season Spins series based on the title. It certainly fit the mood! I thought these two were a great way to officially kick things off. Dark, futuristic, mechanical, and just a little unsettling. Exactly the kind of spooky… Read more »
Thank you soooo much for this! I’m a big fan of 80’s & 90’s Industrial. I listen to darker them music often, like Industrial, darkwave & goth and synthpop. This hits the spot today!
You’re very welcome, Nova.
And I agree with you: A Halloween soundtrack should be dark. I get the campy nature of some of the Halloween classics, but I prefer Goth/Industrial songs on Halloween!
Exactly! That’s pretty much where I land too. The campy Halloween classics can be fun, but Goth and Industrial music bring a much darker atmosphere to the season. That’s one of the reasons I wanted to include this Industrial Assault post in Spooky Season Spins. There’s something about those cold electronics, heavy rhythms, and eerie textures that just feels right in October.
I LOVE when you create custom 12″ records and custom art! It really should be a weekly recurring theme!
All Razormaid remixes are outstanding! PERIOD! They definitely had the golden touch, but I always felt they were truly in best form when they handled Industrial/EBM or Synthpop tracks!
Also, how are both of these songs not on any of the PURGE soundtracks?!
I love hearing that, Axel! I have a lot of fun putting these custom 12″ singles together, especially when the artwork and track pairing can feel like something that might actually have existed. A weekly custom 12″ feature is a pretty tempting idea. And yes, Razormaid really did have a special touch. Their Synthpop mixes are fantastic, but when they got hold of Industrial or EBM, that harder edge really came alive. As for The Purge, I thought the same thing. Both “America” and “Machine Gun” have that cold, mechanical, slightly threatening sound that would fit those films perfectly. They… Read more »
I have to admit, you had me going for a second. When I first saw the post with that professional looking cover, I thought it was an official release. Well done!
Thank you, sir.
I am here losing it over this post, dear Paul!! I am in ecstasy right now! I love when you create these “double sided 12-inch releases” to showcase phenomenal tracks deserving attention! As a huge devotee of the groundbreaking remix service, Razormaid!, I love when you post something by them! Joseph and Art were incredible with their musical tastes and the way they would remix songs. I loved it when they got edgy with the Industrial and EBM tracks! These two are wonderful examples of music that makes a person’s body twist and thrash like a scene out of a… Read more »
Jeff, I knew this one was going to hit you right between the speakers! I had a feeling the combination of Razormaid, Industrial, EBM, and a custom double-sided 12″ would be right up your alley. I completely agree about Joseph Watt and Art Maharg. Razormaid could work wonders with Synthpop and Dance music, but there was something especially vicious about what they did with Industrial and EBM. These two tracks are great examples. “America” is relentless, and those lyrics and samples give it even more weight. Then “Machine Gun” comes along with that barrage of movie samples and Wax Trax… Read more »
I do not know these, but my memory of Bigod 20 goes back to a promo sampler I got from the record store I was working at & an epic mixtape I made with a friend. The mixtape was called “Small World, isn’t it?” The case insert was a collage of various things from magazines. In between tracks we had dialogue from the Walt Disney kids album / storybook from my childhood (that my mom threw away & I retrieved from the trash). It’s a glorious mix. Bigod 20’s “The Bog (Techno Duck Mix)” was used because it had a… Read more »
Sounds like you need to post your mixtape!
😺 probably!
This sounds pretty awesome, ING!! I know the “Techno Duck Mix” well. I had to laugh what you said about your co-worker. You will come to mind now every time I hear the song going forward. You must have had the greatest times/memories working there. I’m kinda jealous!
Jeff
To further the lore he was in a local band and fit that mold well. And he sounded EXACTLY like that sample.
Not lying when I say I never enjoyed a job more. If I could own a record store and have it actually be profitable in 2026 I’d love it.
Just looked up Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure and the time frames overlap too perfectly to say what came first the chicken or the egg!!!???
ING, that mixtape sounds incredible! “Small World, isn’t it?” is such a great title, and using dialogue from that old Walt Disney storybook record between tracks makes it even better. I also love that you rescued the record from the trash. That makes the whole thing feel even more personal. And “The Bog (Techno Duck Mix)” is a great Bigod 20 memory. That “the swamp is a very dangerous place at night” intro fits Spooky Season Spins pretty well too! Monie Love, The Sisters of Mercy, Pet Shop Boys, Bigod 20…that sounds like one wildly good mix. I think you… Read more »
I have to dig it out! I’ll post the tracklist later! It’s been one of those tapes I always go back to. I believe I did transfer it over to the computer at one point, but I don’t see it on my phone so I’ll have to check!!
new to me, thanks!!
You’re very welcome, Raymond! I’m glad I could introduce you to something new. Both of these tracks have such a dark, hard-edged sound that they felt perfect for October.