Monte Cazazza, The Subversive Artist who Coined the Genre “Industrial Music,” Has Passed Away

Monte Cazazza, rogue artist and musician who famously christened a new genre as ‘Industrial Music for Industrial People,’ has written his final act. After a long illness, he passed away at 68.

Monte Cazazza was widely recognized for his fundamental contributions to shaping the genre of industrial music. His pioneering work was most notable during the mid-1970s, when he collaborated with the renowned London-based Industrial Records, coining the famous phrase for the strange musique concrete-inspired sound experiments emerging from the label. This period was instrumental in cementing his influence in the evolution of industrial music.

Cazazza’s subversive performance art emerged in the unforgiving climate of the mid-seventies underground, where he carved his distinctive niche in an aggressive, head-on collision with societal norms. Monte Cazazza had indeed carved a formidable reputation within the underground scene as an artist who was anything but conventional. His performances pulsated with volatility for maximum shock value, and his aesthetic, often perceived as potentially threatening and antisocial, was a part of his artistic DNA. With Cazazza, art was a dance in the shadows; a pursuit of darkness that transformed and transcended the mundane. His artistry was not content to merely tease the edges of acceptability; but pugnaciously pushed, prodded, and danced on the precipice of human morality itself.

Monte Cazazza never shied away from new artistic territories. A frequent collaborator with the avant-garde, industrial troupe Factrix, Cazazza was instrumental in sculpting the innovative sound that came roaring out of San Francisco’s thriving underground scene. Working alongside Mark Pauline and the at Survival Research Laboratories, he lent his extraordinary talents to create scores that were as compelling as the projects they accompanied. He also played with the Psychic TV collective, appearing on a number of albums, including Godstar.

Later in his career, Cazazza traded the stage for the silver screen when he co-founded MMFilms, an indie film and distribution company. He continued to weave his musical magic, delivering soundtrack recordings.

His passing was announced by Meri St Mary on Twitter yesterday.