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The Metronomes - The Ballad Of The Metronomes 2LP+7” (Rel. date 29 Nov. 2010) Mannequin is more than enthusiastic to announce the re-release of both the LPs (“Multiple Choice” from 1980 and “Regular Guys” from 1985) plus the 2 singles seven inches “Saturday Night / Sunday Morning” and “A Circuit Like Me” from this legendary minimal synth band from Australia. The group was an integral part of the early electronic music scene in Australia and their releases have become a collector’s item in Europe, as they are mostly impossibile to find. The Metronomes first appeared in Melbourne in 1979, initial members were rock journo-synth player Al Webb, the bass player Andrew Picouleau (Secret Police, Sacred Cowboys) and the synth-pioneer Ash Wednesday, nowdays a live tour member of Einsturzende Neubauten. Al himself will admit later that Ash’s ingenuity in creating something out of very little was the key to the Metronomes sounding as ‘produced’ as they did. If their first 7’’ single “Saturday Night / Sunday Morning” came out in 1980, featuring a real metronome as rhythm section with instrumentals layered over, instead the second ‘A Circuit Like Me / Closed Circuit’ from 1980 is addice more to experimentation with drum machines, rhytm sections for both sides were recorded using a borrowed Roland CR 78. It was the first time in their compositions that a vocal had been used, courtesy of a lady called Talking Judy. The first full-lenght ‘Multiple Choice’ was recorded in the winter of 1980, using Roland Strings, a mini-Korg, some Arp synthesizers and a Boss Dr-55, a drum machine that was intensivly used by many minimal synth bands during the 80s and by legendary bands like Sisters of Mercy or New Order in their first songs. The second album ‘Regular Guys’, published in 1985, was recorded after a break in which all the members various lives and careers took left and right hand turns, surely more premeditated, as most of the songs arrived in studio already written. Each writer had creative contro lover their respective songs, a long-standing Metronomes road rule, only one track had what you might call a spontaneous birth. The LP featured the next wave of synth toys like the Oberheim synth, Oberheim drum machine and Prophet 5. Once the programming was set up, the instrument tracks were dumper via a PCM box direct to video tape, a pioneeristic process which almost entirely eliminated tape hiss. Record features: - 2×12’’ black vinyl, 33 1/3 rpm (Multiple Choice LP + Regular Guys LP) - 7’’ black vinyl, 33 1/3 (Saturday Night / Sunday Morning 7’’ + A Circuit Like Me 7’’) - Handnumbered limited pressing of 500 copies Gatefold cover for the 2LP with rare pictures - Insert with The Metronomes history by former member Al Webb - First 100 copies will include a 3 tracks BONUS CD-r “The Metronomes Play Their Favourites” The Metronomes - The Ballad of The Metronomes (Mannequin MNQ 015) by Mannequin Label

The Metronomes - The Ballad Of The Metronomes 2LP+7” (Rel. date 29 Nov. 2010)

Mannequin is more than enthusiastic to announce the re-release of both the LPs (“Multiple Choice” from 1980 and “Regular Guys” from 1985) plus the 2 singles seven inches “Saturday Night / Sunday Morning” and “A Circuit Like Me” from this legendary minimal synth band from Australia.

The group was an integral part of the early electronic music scene in Australia and their releases have become a collector’s item in Europe, as they are mostly impossibile to find.

The Metronomes first appeared in Melbourne in 1979, initial members were rock journo-synth player Al Webb, the bass player Andrew Picouleau (Secret Police, Sacred Cowboys) and the synth-pioneer Ash Wednesday, nowdays a live tour member of Einsturzende Neubauten.

Al himself will admit later that Ash’s ingenuity in creating something out of very little was the key to the Metronomes sounding as ‘produced’ as they did.

If their first 7’’ single “Saturday Night / Sunday Morning” came out in 1980, featuring a real metronome as rhythm section with instrumentals layered over, instead the second ‘A Circuit Like Me / Closed Circuit’ from 1980 is addice more to experimentation with drum machines, rhytm sections for both sides were recorded using a borrowed Roland CR 78. It was the first time in their compositions that a vocal had been used, courtesy of a lady called Talking Judy.

The first full-lenght ‘Multiple Choice’ was recorded in the winter of 1980, using Roland Strings, a mini-Korg, some Arp synthesizers and a Boss Dr-55, a drum machine that was intensivly used by many minimal synth bands during the 80s and by legendary bands like Sisters of Mercy or New Order in their first songs.

The second album ‘Regular Guys’, published in 1985, was recorded after a break in which all the members various lives and careers took left and right hand turns, surely more premeditated, as most of the songs arrived in studio already written. Each writer had creative contro lover their respective songs, a long-standing Metronomes road rule, only one track had what you might call a spontaneous birth. The LP featured the next wave of synth toys like the Oberheim synth, Oberheim drum machine and Prophet 5. Once the programming was set up, the instrument tracks were dumper via a PCM box direct to video tape, a pioneeristic process which almost entirely eliminated tape hiss.

Record features:

- 2×12’’ black vinyl, 33 1/3 rpm (Multiple Choice LP + Regular Guys LP)

- 7’’ black vinyl, 33 1/3 (Saturday Night / Sunday Morning 7’’ + A Circuit Like Me 7’’)

- Handnumbered limited pressing of 500 copies Gatefold cover for the 2LP with rare pictures

- Insert with The Metronomes history by former member Al Webb

- First 100 copies will include a 3 tracks BONUS CD-r “The Metronomes Play Their Favourites”

The Metronomes - The Ballad of The Metronomes (Mannequin MNQ 015) by Mannequin Label

 minimal wave  einsturzende neubauten  post punk  australia  ash wednesday  minimal synth  analog  reissue  mannequin 



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The Metronomes - A Circuit Like Me

from the nextcoming release MNQ 015 The Metronomes - The Ballad Of The Metronomes 2LP+7” (Rel. date 29 Nov. 2010)

The track is available as a free download exclusive on Fact Magazine

 minimal synth  minimal wave  einstuerzende neubauten  ash wednesday  post punk  australia  mannequin  reissue  fact magazine 
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 post punk  soviet soviet  cold wave  split  frank just frank  wierd records  mannequin 



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MNQ 013 - Frank (Just Frank) / Soviet Soviet 12” EP Split (Rel. date 10 Oct 2010) Mannequin is proud to release a freely inspired split album between Frank (Just Frank) (FR/UK) and Soviet Soviet (IT), which gathers materials from two original musical personalities who made a name into vintage coldwave synthesised sonic excursions/ post-punk’s freaked out damaged epics. The A Side of the split is devoted to the ultra-minimal electro chilled out rhythmspaces of the french based band Frank (just) Frank. Each track involves into electronic pop music territories, providing a solid mixture between pretty much metronomic-icy repetition, efficient catchy melodies for semi-goth like guitar and pleasantly pop-ish vocals. A delicate melancholic-moody atmosphere is floating upon the compositions. The B Side offers the post-punk agitated songs of Soviet Soviet, from Italy, based on raw-nervous guitars and utterly nihilistic ambiences, bringing the post-punk genre to its limits, sometimes overflowing on epic convoluted dark wave epics. Ignoring timestamps and geographic restrictions, SS assimilate the explosive retro sounds of the UK and Italian 80s (Killing Joke, Wire, CCCP), assembling a specimen uniquely theirs - from the frenetic opening gallop to the frayed-string finish. Record features: − Limited edition of 500 hand-numbered copies in glossy and silver paper - 2 Inserts − Cover on hand-made serigraphy on hard carton closed with black sealing wax for the first 50 copies. Tracklist: Frank (Just Frank) A1 - A Decade Of Brutality A2 - Child Play A3 - Do The Soviet A4 - Valerie A5 - Saint Soviet Soviet B1 - Lokomotiv B2 - Cobretto B3 - White Details B4 - S.Y. B5 - Bulgary  Frank (Just Frank) / Soviet Soviet 12” EP Split 2010 by Mannequin Label

MNQ 013 - Frank (Just Frank) / Soviet Soviet 12” EP Split (Rel. date 10 Oct 2010)

Mannequin is proud to release a freely inspired split album between Frank (Just Frank) (FR/UK) and Soviet Soviet (IT), which gathers materials from two original musical personalities who made a name into vintage coldwave synthesised sonic excursions/ post-punk’s freaked out damaged epics.

The A Side of the split is devoted to the ultra-minimal electro chilled out rhythmspaces of the french based band Frank (just) Frank. Each track involves into electronic pop music territories, providing a solid mixture between pretty much metronomic-icy repetition, efficient catchy melodies for semi-goth like guitar and pleasantly pop-ish vocals. A delicate melancholic-moody atmosphere is floating upon the compositions.

The B Side offers the post-punk agitated songs of Soviet Soviet, from Italy, based on raw-nervous guitars and utterly nihilistic ambiences, bringing the post-punk genre to its limits, sometimes overflowing on epic convoluted dark wave epics. Ignoring timestamps and geographic restrictions, SS assimilate the explosive retro sounds of the UK and Italian 80s (Killing Joke, Wire, CCCP), assembling a specimen uniquely theirs - from the frenetic opening gallop to the frayed-string finish.

Record features:

− Limited edition of 500 hand-numbered copies in glossy and silver paper

- 2 Inserts

− Cover on hand-made serigraphy on hard carton closed with black sealing wax for the first 50 copies.

Tracklist:

Frank (Just Frank)

A1 - A Decade Of Brutality

A2 - Child Play

A3 - Do The Soviet

A4 - Valerie

A5 - Saint

Soviet Soviet

B1 - Lokomotiv

B2 - Cobretto

B3 - White Details

B4 - S.Y.

B5 - Bulgary 

Frank (Just Frank) / Soviet Soviet 12” EP Split 2010 by Mannequin Label

 cold wave  post punk  minimal synth  minimal wave  italian  french  wierd records  split  mannequin 


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Mannequin is a record label based in Rome - Italy. It was founded in July 2008 in order to spread Cold Wave and Minimal Electronic music. http://mannequinrecords.bandcamp.com/