Erik Carter Blog

"Selected Nü-Metal Works 94–02" is a mix of my favorite songs from the late nineties and early aughts from the often derided musical genre known as Nü-Metal; One song per band, spanning from canon to lesser known hits. Certain bands were left off due to the fact that they did not stand the test of time (Papa Roach, Kittie, Trapt) or for the fact that their music was too far outside of what most people consider to be "Nü-Metal" — the crunchy guitars, shell-toed Adidas, painted faces and pierced eyebrows. What I realized while making this mix is that all these bands experimented with genres well outside their range of what most people consider to be "Nü-Metal". Deftones wrote shoegaze angst, Orgy covered New Order while Alien Ant Farm covered Michael Jackson. They gave a voice to the privileged pimply teens trapped in the suburbs who painted their nails black and screamed at their parents. Most of these bands were not especially good, but they all had moments of brilliance, and when put together they do give a strong argument as to why we should reconsider Nü-Metal as a genre.