Artist Playlists
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The project of singer/songwriter Trent Reznor, Nine Inch Nails introduced the MTV generation to the sonic complexities of industrial music. The band's provocative visuals and lyrical themes inevitably stirred controversy, but there was far more to NIN than mere shock tactics—namely Reznor's magnetic stage presence, moody minor-key melodies, and innovative production. The ever-evolving group's unlikely move into the mainstream was also marked by multiple GRAMMY® wins and No. 1 chart positions for The Fragile and With Teeth. - What made Nine Inch Nails different from earlier industrial acts like Throbbing Gristle, Cabaret Voltaire, and Skinny Puppy was that Trent Reznor never hid his affection for synth-pop, '70s glam, prog rock, and electro-funk. That careful balance between harrowing drama and tuneful pop craftsmanship gave Nine Inch Nails a unique edge.
- Trent Reznor's downward spiral didn't stop in 1994; in fact, his work as Nine Inch Nails would only get darker. Still, he's found an eerie sense of calm in the blackness: The manic loops of "Ruiner" wither into trembling ambient moans on "The Great Below" before being reduced to a low, rumbling piano for "34 Ghosts IV." Even on the apocalyptic groove "Me, I'm Not," he sounds downright Zen.
- Trent Reznor has led the charge in crafting a sinister soundtrack for the impending war with the machines. His mechanistic synth clatter has inspired electronic music's most enigmatic tinkerers (Aphex Twin, Skrillex) to find salvation in earth-rumbling cacophony, and alt-metal and trip-hop's most adventurous navigators (Deftones, Portishead) to expose the tension in all the dark spaces in between.