"Censor" is a song by Canadian

electro-industrial Electro-industrial is a music genre that emerged from industrial music in the early 1980s. While EBM (electronic body music) has a minimal structure and clean production, electro-industrial tends to have a grittier, complex and layered sound ...

band

Skinny Puppy Skinny Puppy was a Canadian electro-industrial band formed in Vancouver in 1982. The group was among the founders of the industrial rock and electro-industrial genres. Initially envisioned as an experimental side-project by cEvin Key (Kevin Crom ...

, taken from its 1988 album ''

VIVIsectVI ''VIVIsectVI'' (pronounced "vivisect six") is the fourth studio album by Canadian electro-industrial band Skinny Puppy. It was released on September 12, 1988, through Nettwerk. Despite tackling controversial topics like animal rights, chemical ...

'' and released as a single in the same year. "Censor's" original title was "Dogshit", which was changed for this release's marketability.

Content

The song

"Censor" was originally released with the title "Dogshit" as the introductory song off of Skinny Puppy's 1988 album ''

''.

Nettwerk Nettwerk Music Group is an independent record label founded in 1984. The Vancouver-based company was created by principals Terry McBride and Mark Jowett as a record label to distribute recordings by the band Moev, but the label expanded in Ca ...

, Skinny Puppy's record label at the time, suggested the change for the single's marketability. The decision to rename the song was ultimately the band's, and the title "Dogshit" still appears on the 12-inch's spine. Two main versions of "Censor" exist: the four-minute album mix and the ten-minute extended mix, both of which are featured on the single. Musically, the song begins with an extended intro with distorted, looped, and cut up samples. It then transitions into a multilayered blend of programmed industrial beats,

fretless bass A fretless bass is an electric bass guitar whose neck lacks frets and thus is smooth like traditional string instruments, and like the neck of an acoustic double bass. While the fretless bass is played in all styles of music, it is most common in ...

, and

synthesizer A synthesizer (also synthesiser or synth) is an electronic musical instrument that generates audio signals. Synthesizers typically create sounds by generating waveforms through methods including subtractive synthesis, additive synthesis a ...

sounds all overlaid with

Nivek Ogre Kevin Graham Ogilvie (born December 5, 1962), known professionally as Nivek Ogre, is a Canadian musician, performance artist and actor, best known for his work with the industrial music group Skinny Puppy, which he co-founded with cEvin Key. Si ...

's enigmatic and intentionally grating vocals. The last third of the song introduces electric guitar and more electronic noise. The extended mix is deliberately sparser than the original version, and it features a number of new sounds and samples. Ogre's vocals do not enter the track until two and a half minutes in.

The single

Two additional songs originally from the CD versions of ''VIVIsectVI'' appear on the "Censor" single. Cofounding member

cEvin Key Kevin William Crompton (born February 13, 1961), known professionally as cEvin Key, is a Canadian musician, songwriter, producer, and composer. He is best known as a member of the industrial music group Skinny Puppy, which he co-founded in 1982 ...

thought of these tracks, "Punk in Park Zoo's" and "Yes He Ran", as a cross between the style of Skinny Puppy the style of some of his side projects, like

Doubting Thomas A doubting Thomas is a skeptic who refuses to believe without direct personal experience—a reference to the Gospel of John's depiction of the Apostle Thomas, who, in John's account, refused to believe the resurrected Jesus had appeared to ...

. "Punk in Park Zoo's" is a short and aggressive song that features a different, more abrupt ending than that which appears on the ''VIVIsectVI'' compact disc. It is heavily distorted and noisy and was created during a jam when the band took a break from recording "Dogshit". "Yes He Ran" repeatedly employs a sample of

Jim Morrison James Douglas Morrison (December 8, 1943 – July 3, 1971) was an American singer, songwriter, and poet who was the lead vocalist and primary lyricist of the rock band the Doors. Due to his charismatic persona, poetic lyrics, distinctive vo ...

saying "everywhere".

Track listing

Personnel

All credits adapted from liner notes. Skinny Puppy *

– vocals *

– synthesizers, programming, engineering *

Dwayne Goettel Dwayne Rudolph Goettel (February 1, 1964August 23, 1995) was a Canadian Electronic music, electronic musician, best known for his work in the industrial music group Skinny Puppy. Starting his career playing for a variety of acts around Edmonton, h ...

– synthesizers, programming, engineering *

Dave Ogilvie Dave "Rave" Ogilvie is a Canadian record producer, mixer, songwriter and musician based in Vancouver. Ogilvie started his recording career as a mixing engineer at Mushroom Studios. He frequently collaborated with industrial band Skinny Puppy ...

– production, editing Additional personnel * Steven R. Gilmore – artwork

References

{{authority control 1988 singles Skinny Puppy songs Nettwerk Records singles 1988 songs Songs written by cEvin Key Songs written by Nivek Ogre Songs written by Dave Ogilvie Songs written by Dwayne Goettel