Metropolis Records is a
Philadelphia, PennsylvaniaPhiladelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
based
record labelIn the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
, distributor, and mail-order store specializing in the post-industrial field such as
electro-industrialElectro-industrial is a music genre drawing on EBM and post-industrial that developed in the mid-1980s. While EBM has a minimal structure and clean production, electro-industrial has a deep, complex and layered sound. The style was pioneered by Skinny Puppy, Front Line Assembly, and other groups,...
,
synthpopSynthpop is a genre of popular music that first became prominent in the 1980s, in which the synthesizer is the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s and early 1970s by the use of synthesizers in progressive rock, electronic art rock, disco and particularly the "Kraut rock" of...
, futurepop,
darkwaveDark Wave or darkwave is a music genre that began in the late 1970s, coinciding with the popularity of New Wave and post-punk. Building on those basic principles, dark wave added dark, introspective lyrics and an undertone of sorrow for some bands...
, and
gothicGothic rock is a musical subgenre of post-punk and alternative rock that formed during the late 1970s. Gothic rock bands grew from the strong ties they had to the English punk rock and emerging post-punk scenes...
musical genres.
Metropolis started business as a retail record store under the name of "Digital Underground." Metropolis began signing acts as a record label in 1995, with groups such as
Mentallo and the FixerMentallo and the Fixer is the project name used by Texan electro-industrial musicians Gary Dassing and Dwayne Dassing from 1988 to 1999, and by Gary Dassing alone from 1999 to the present day. The band has several releases on the American record label, Metropolis Records...
,
NumbNumb is an electro-industrial band that was based in Vancouver, Canada. It was founded by Don Gordon, David Hall and Sean Stubbs in 1986. Following his Suspended single, Gordon retired the project and moved to Vietnam to live with his wife.-Past members:...
, and
Front Line AssemblyFront Line Assembly is a Canadian electro-industrial band formed by Bill Leeb in 1986 after leaving Skinny Puppy. Influenced by early Industrial acts such as Cabaret Voltaire, Portion Control, D.A.F., Test Dept, SPK, and Severed Heads, FLA has developed its own unique sound while combining...
. It has arranged for its bands to tour together such as
NumbNumb is an electro-industrial band that was based in Vancouver, Canada. It was founded by Don Gordon, David Hall and Sean Stubbs in 1986. Following his Suspended single, Gordon retired the project and moved to Vietnam to live with his wife.-Past members:...
and
Front Line AssemblyFront Line Assembly is a Canadian electro-industrial band formed by Bill Leeb in 1986 after leaving Skinny Puppy. Influenced by early Industrial acts such as Cabaret Voltaire, Portion Control, D.A.F., Test Dept, SPK, and Severed Heads, FLA has developed its own unique sound while combining...
together in 1996, and
Project PitchforkProject Pitchfork is an electronic musical group from Hamburg, Germany.-History:Project Pitchfork was formed by Peter Spilles and Dirk Scheuber. Having agreed to work together, they then picked the project's name by picking a word at random from the dictionary. The demo K.N.K.A. was recorded...
and
Front 242Front 242 is a pioneering Belgian electronic music group that came into prominence during the 1980s. They are known for being the premier pioneer of electronic body music and as a major influence on the electronic and industrial music genres.-Formation:...
in 1998. It also established extensive distribution channels to a variety of commercial channels, providing access to major commercial markets for typically niche-interest groups. By the late 1990s it had become the dominant specialty record label in North America for
electro-industrialElectro-industrial is a music genre drawing on EBM and post-industrial that developed in the mid-1980s. While EBM has a minimal structure and clean production, electro-industrial has a deep, complex and layered sound. The style was pioneered by Skinny Puppy, Front Line Assembly, and other groups,...
. Several groups once signed on
Wax Trax! RecordsWax Trax! Records was an independent record label in the United States. Wax Trax! began as a record shop in Denver, Colorado opened by Jim Nash and Dannie Flesher. They sold the store in 1978 and, in November of that year, opened a new one under the same name at 2449 North Lincoln Avenue in...
later released on Metropolis, including
Front Line AssemblyFront Line Assembly is a Canadian electro-industrial band formed by Bill Leeb in 1986 after leaving Skinny Puppy. Influenced by early Industrial acts such as Cabaret Voltaire, Portion Control, D.A.F., Test Dept, SPK, and Severed Heads, FLA has developed its own unique sound while combining...
,
Front 242Front 242 is a pioneering Belgian electronic music group that came into prominence during the 1980s. They are known for being the premier pioneer of electronic body music and as a major influence on the electronic and industrial music genres.-Formation:...
,
KMFDMKMFDM is an industrial band led by German multi-instrumentalist Sascha Konietzko, who founded the group in 1984 as a performance art project...
, Doubting Thomas,
PIGRaymond Watts is the founding and sole member of the post-industrial music project PIG, sometimes written as '....
,
Noise UnitNoise Unit is a musical band, a side-project of the prolific Bill Leeb and Rhys Fulber, of Front Line Assembly. Its members have included Marc Verhaeghen and Chris Peterson...
,
VNV NationVNV Nation are a British/Irish electronic music band originally from Dublin, Ireland and Essex, United Kingdom and now based in Hamburg, Germany. They combine elements of electro-industrial, trance, synthpop and electronic body music . The members are Ronan Harris and Mark Jackson...
and
Assemblage 23Assemblage 23 is an electronic act from the United States, currently based in Seattle. It was founded in 1988 by Tom Shear who writes the music and lyrics and does the recording himself.-1980s–1990s :...
.
Though no longer a distributor, Record labels distributed through Metropolis included
A Different DrumA Different Drum is an independent record label and online store based in the US state of Utah, specializing in synthpop and related genres...
,
Alfa MatrixAlfa Matrix is a Belgian record label. Founded in 2001, the label releases various musical styles including aggrotech, dark elektro, synthpop and electronica....
,
CleopatraCleopatra Records is a Los Angeles-based independent record label.- History :Founded in 1992 by Brian Perera, it specializes in gothic rock, hard rock, heavy metal and reissues of out-of-print music...
,
NilaihahNilaihah Records is an American independent record label, currently based in Columbus, Ohio. It was originally founded in 1999 by Kristy Venrick of The Azoic, after Oneiroid Psychosis asked her to release their next album. Though she did not have a record label at the time, Oneiroid Psychosis was...
,
KMFDMKMFDM is an industrial band led by German multi-instrumentalist Sascha Konietzko, who founded the group in 1984 as a performance art project...
,
ProjektThis is the article for the record label. You might be looking for Pro-jekt, ProjeKct, Project Pitchfork, or Projekt RevolutionProjekt is a Brooklyn, New York-based independent record label specializing in gothic rock, ambient, ethereal, darkwave, shoegaze, dream-pop, and dark cabaret created by...
, Sigsaly Transmissions, Strange Ways, DSBP, Vampture, and
WTIIWTII Records is an independent record label set up in 2001 by former WaxTrax! General Manager, Bart Pfanenstiel, to relive the spirit of WaxTrax!'s early music. WTII’s releases span a wide variety of musical styles, but the primary focus is electronic based pop, synthpop, electro, industrial, indie...
.
Artists signed
Many of the bands on Metropolis are signed to European labels for their European releases while releasing albums in North America through Metropolis.
Among the artists signed are:
- 16 Volt
16Volt is an industrial rock band featuring Eric Powell and Mike Peoples with various other performers added for live shows.-History:Powell became interested in music early on, and formed 16Volt in 1988. While shopping his demos several years later, he met up with a college-radio music director who...
- Accessory
Accessory is a German synthpop/electro-industrial group consisting of Dirk Steyer and Ivo Lottig. They have toured with other groups including Hocico, And One, Terminal Choice....
- Aesthetic Perfection
Aesthetic Perfection is an American electronic-industrial musical project created by Daniel Graves in 2000. The style is reminiscent of many aggrotech, industrial, dance music bands, while also leaning towards other styles such as alternative music....
- The A.K.A.s (Are Everywhere!)
The A.K.A.s, a.k.a The A.K.A.s is a band that emerged from New York City and later relocated to Philadelphia, PA. They call their music "dancehall fight music" They released their debut album "White Doves & Smoking Guns" on Fueled by Ramen's record label...
- Alphaville
Alphaville is a German synthpop group which gained popularity in the 1980s. The founding members were Marian Gold , Bernhard Lloyd , and Frank Mertens Alphaville is a German synthpop group which gained popularity in the 1980s. The founding members were Marian Gold (real name Hartwig Schierbaum,...
- Amduscia
Amduscia is an aggrotech band from Mexico consisting of Polo Amduscia and Edgar "Amduscia" Acevedo .-History and Origin of Name:Amduscia was founded in 1999 in Mexico City...
- And One
AND ONE is a German New Wave, synthpop and EBM band founded by Steve Naghavi and Chris Ruiz.-History:The band formed after Steve Naghavi and Chris Ruiz met in 1989 at a Berlin club. Being fans of early EBM music, Naghavi and Ruiz decided to follow in the footsteps of New Wave/synthpop band Depeche...
- Angels and Agony
Angels and Agony are a Dutch futurepop band consisting of vocalist Reinier Kahle, guitarist Erik Wierenga, DJ Marco van Belle on synthesizer and backing vocals and Fried Bruggink as sound engineer and drummer. The band formed in 1995 and produced two EPs before its first full album, Eternity ....
- Angelspit
Angelspit is a cyberpunk band from Sydney, Australia. The band was formed in 2004 by vocalists/synthesists Destroyx and ZooG...
- Apoptygma Berzerk
Apoptygma Berzerk is a Norwegian musical group. They have achieved success with a brand of synthpop, and ballads backed with electronic rhythms, commonly known within the scene and referring to themselves as "futurepop". Apop has won awards and top-10 spots in Germany and Scandinavia...
- À Rebours
À rebours is a novel by the French writer Joris-Karl Huysmans...
- Assemblage 23
Assemblage 23 is an electronic act from the United States, currently based in Seattle. It was founded in 1988 by Tom Shear who writes the music and lyrics and does the recording himself.-1980s–1990s :...
- Babyland
Babyland was a performance-based "independent electronic junk punk" band from Los Angeles, California, featuring Dan Gatto performing vocals and electronics and Michael Smith on percussion....
- backandtotheleft
- Battery Cage
Battery Cage is an American electronic music project led by Tyler Newman. The project has been active as a performance group since 1995, and is currently releasing CDs through the Philadelphia-based record label Metropolis Records...
- Bauhaus
Bauhaus was an English rock band formed in Northampton in 1978. The group consisted of Peter Murphy , Daniel Ash , Kevin Haskins and David J . The band was originally Bauhaus 1919 before they dropped the numerical portion within a year of formation...
- Bella Morte
Bella Morte is a gothic band that was formed in 1996 in Charlottesville, Virginia. They also incorporate elements of metal, darkwave, deathrock, alternative, and synthpop. The name is Italian for "beautiful death."...
- Blutengel
Blutengel is a German Darkwave musical group. It was formed by singer Chris Pohl after he had to leave Seelenkrank due to contractual and legal problems...
- The Birthday Massacre
The Birthday Massacre is a synthrock band, based in Toronto, Canada. The band formed in 1999, known then as Imagica...
- The Cassandra Complex
The Cassandra Complex are an electronic rock group formed by Rodney Orpheus and Paul Dillon in 1980 in Leeds, England, later expanding to a trio with the addition of Andy Booth.-History:...
- Cesium 137
Cesium_137 is an American futurepop musical group composed of Isaac Glendening and Vince Guzzardo. It originally also included Matt Cargill.-Biography:...
- Claire Voyant
Claire Voyant is a dream pop, darkwave, ethereal wave band from Sacramento, California. The trio were once part of a 5-piece band called Murmur, which split over creative differences...
- Clan of Xymox
The band Clan of Xymox, also known as Xymox, formed in the Netherlands in 1981. Clan Of Xymox featured a trio of songwriters - Pieter Nooten, Ronny Moorings and Anke [also Anka] Wolbert - and gained success in the 1980s, releasing their first two albums on a prestigious independent UK label, a...
- Cleaner
- Client
Client are an English electronic musical group from London. They are most popular in Germany where they have had limited commercial success...
- Combichrist
Combichrist is a Norwegian Aggrotech band formed in 2003 by Norwegian Andy LaPlegua based in Atlanta.-Formation:The first material LaPlegua wrote was a few powernoise/techno crossover tracks under the moniker DRIVE...
- Covenant
Covenant is a band from Sweden whose music comprises a mixture between electropop and electronic dance music. The band is composed of Eskil Simonsson, Daniel Myer and Joakim Montelius...
- Crocodile Shop
Crocodile Shop, , is an electro-industrial, aggrotech, EBM band formed in Berlin, Germany in 1987 by Mick Hale and R. A. Werner.-Background:...
(CrocShop)
- Das Ich
Das Ich is a German electronic music group formed in 1989. The group, fronted by Stefan Ackermann and Bruno Kramm, were one of the prominent founders of and contributors to "Neue Deutsche Todeskunst" a musical movement in the early 1990s...
- Decoded Feedback
Decoded Feedback is a Canadian musical project which incorporates styles of electro-industrial and aggrotech. The duo currently releases music on the North American distributor Metropolis Records, and the European record label Out of Line.-History:...
- Delaware
Delaware is a Norwegian indie/alternative rock band from Drammen.-Early History: The start as Beyond:Delaware started out in 1994 in Drammen, Norway as the band Beyond, a punk/hardcore band who later developed a more pop/melancholic rock sound...
- Diary of Dreams
Diary of Dreams is a German Darkwave band. The lead singer and founding member Adrian Hates has produced most of the albums by himself or with minimal help from others. He rarely uses a full band, except when he is on tour.- History :...
- Dismantled
Dismantled is an electronic music artist from the United States.-History:Dismantled is the product of an experiment that began in late 2000 by Gary Zon, who was attempting to create something similar to Front Line Assembly's sound...
- Dope Stars Inc.
Dope Stars Inc. is an alternative and industrial rock band formed in Rome, Italy in late 2002, though the band was not officially formed until 2003. The band was founded by Victor Love, Darin Yevonde, Grace Khold and Brian Wolfram. They have four albums and three EPs released, with the latest being...
- Ego Likeness
Ego Likeness are an American darkwave/industrial rock band from Baltimore, Maryland. They were formed in 1999 by artist Steven Archer and writer Donna Lynch.-Early Work:...
- Electric Six
Electric Six is a six-piece metro Detroit-based band that plays what has been described as a brand of rock music infused with elements of "garage, disco, punk, new wave, and metal." The band met recognition in 2003 with the singles "Danger! High Voltage" and "Gay Bar", and subsequently recorded...
- Eisbrecher
Eisbrecher is a German Neue Deutsche Härte band that consists primarily of Alexander Wesselsky and Noel Pix , with live support from Jürgen Plangger , Domonik Palmer , Achim Färber . In the United States and Canada, their record label is currently Metropolis Records...
- Epoxies
- Excessive Force
Excessive Force is a musical side project started in 1991 by Sascha Konietzko of KMFDM and Buzz McCoy of My Life With the Thrill Kill Kult.-History:...
- Fictional
Fictional is the name of a German musical project formed by Gerrit Thomas , serving as a balance between two other projects he is involved in, Funker Vogt and Ravenous...
- Flesh Field
Flesh Field was an electronic/industrial band formed in 1996 by Ian Ross in Columbus, Ohio. The name Flesh Field is an unofficial term Ian Ross came up with to describe the psychological defense mechanisms of rape victims.-History:...
- Fractured
Fractured is an Industrial band created by Canadian Nick Gorman in 2003. Formed in Toronto, his self produced release CD-R demo titled Contami-Nation caught the attention of European label Dependent who signed them. After the release of the demo Gorman was joined by Famine and in 2006 released...
- Front 242
Front 242 is a pioneering Belgian electronic music group that came into prominence during the 1980s. They are known for being the premier pioneer of electronic body music and as a major influence on the electronic and industrial music genres.-Formation:...
- Front Line Assembly
Front Line Assembly is a Canadian electro-industrial band formed by Bill Leeb in 1986 after leaving Skinny Puppy. Influenced by early Industrial acts such as Cabaret Voltaire, Portion Control, D.A.F., Test Dept, SPK, and Severed Heads, FLA has developed its own unique sound while combining...
- Funker Vogt
Funker Vogt is a German electronic music project with an aggressive style, formed by vocalist Jens Kästel and programmer Gerrit Thomas in 1995. Other members of the band are keyboardist/manager Bjorn Bottcher, live guitarist Frank Schweigert and lyricist Kai Schmidt...
- Gary Numan
Gary Numan is an English singer, composer, and musician, most widely known for his chart-topping 1979 hits "Are 'Friends' Electric?" and "Cars". His signature sound consisted of heavy synthesizer hooks fed through guitar effects pedals.Numan is considered a pioneer of commercial electronic music...
- Grendel
Grendel is a Dutch music group formed in 1997. Their music is in the Aggrotech genre. Their name originates from Beowulf.There also exists an unrelated Finnish powermetal band called Grendel, which released three albums so far .-History:Grendel started out with VLRK , and...
- Hanzel und Gretyl
Hanzel und Gretyl are an Industrial metal music group formed by members Kaizer Von Loopy and Vas Kallas in February 1993. In the 1990s their sound was described as a genre-defying blend of sci-fi metal/electronic and experimental, but into the new millennium they adopted a decidedly heavier sound...
- IAMX
- Icon of Coil
Icon of Coil is a Norwegian electronic music band. The band was established as a solo project in 1997 by Andy LaPlegua who was joined by former Sector 9 bandmate Sebastian Komor to perform live. With the release of Shallow Nation, the band's first single, Komor joined full-time. In 2000, Christian...
- Informatik
Informatik formerly known as Informätik is an electro-industrial/futurepop duo from Boston that was formed in the 1990s and is represented by Metropolis Records in the US and Dependent Records in Europe. Band members currently reside in San Francisco area...
- In Strict Confidence
In Strict Confidence is a German electro-industrial band. Formed in 1989/1990, they were known as Seal of Secrecy until 1992. In Strict Confidence has been signed to several record labels, including Metropolis Records and WTII Records.-History:...
- Imperative Reaction
Imperative Reaction is an electro-industrial band founded in 1996 by Ted Phelps and David Andrecht from the remains of the band D.N.A.-History:...
- iVardensphere
Based in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, iVardensphere is a band that plays a mixture of tribal-tinged industrial, EBM and power noise music.On June 16, 2009 via Synthetic Sounds the band released their full length album entitled Scatterface across Canada. And in Early 2010, released Scatterface V2 on...
- Julien-K
Julien-K is a music group that began as a side project for electronic music created by Amir Derakh and Ryan Shuck from Orgy, with the later addition of Elias Andra, and Anthony 'Fu' Valcic....
- Juno Reactor
Juno Reactor is a musical and performing act known for the cinematic fusion of electronic, orchestral, and global music. Central to the project is Ben Watkins and his collaborations with a constantly changing ensemble of musicians from across the world, including percussionist Mabi Thobejane from...
- Kevorkian Death Cycle
Kevorkian Death Cycle is an electro-industrial band from Riverside, California, USA.The band was originally named Grid and later changed their name to the politically motivated Kevorkian Death Cycle. The band released its first album, Collection for Injection, on the Ras Dva label. After a 1997...
- KMFDM
KMFDM is an industrial band led by German multi-instrumentalist Sascha Konietzko, who founded the group in 1984 as a performance art project...
- Leæther Strip
Leæther Strip is a Danish musical project founded on January 13, 1988 by Claus Larsen. Its influence has been most felt in the electronic body music and electro-industrial genres. Perhaps to a certain extent, it may have influenced various film score productions. Leæther Strip was one of the...
- Left Spine Down
Based in Vancouver, BC, Canada, Left Spine Down is a band that plays what they call "cyberpunk," a mixture of electronica, metal, punk, and drum & bass....
- Lords of Acid
Lords of Acid is a Belgian-American post-industrial/techno band, led by musician Praga Khan. They debuted with the controversial new beat single "I Sit on Acid" in 1988...
- London After Midnight
London After Midnight is a project formed in the 1990s by songwriter and instrumentalist Sean Brennan. It is active to the present day....
- Mesh
-Background:In 1991, Mark Hockings and Richard Silverthorn met at a gig where Silverthorn's band was playing...
- Mindless Faith
- Mindless Self Indulgence
Mindless Self Indulgence is an American musical group formed in New York in 1997. Their music has a mixed style including rap, punk rock, alternative rock, electronica, techno and industrial...
- mind.in.a.box
mind.in.a.box is Austrian electronic music band which includes Stefan Poiss , Roman Stift , Gehard Höffler and Adam Wehsely-Swiczinsky . Their "technopop" sound can be described as a cross between futurepop and progressive trance.mind.in.a.box is currently working on their 5th studio LP, which...
- Moving Units
Moving Units is a dance-punk band from Los Angeles, California.-History:The band was formed in 2001 by Chris Hathwell, Blake Miller, and Johan Boegli, when Hathwell's previous band, Festival of Dead Deer, broke up. They released their debut EP, Moving Units, on Three One G in early 2002...
- PIG
Raymond Watts is the founding and sole member of the post-industrial music project PIG, sometimes written as '....
- Psychopomps
Psychopomps are an electro-industrial band from Denmark formed by Jesper Schmidt and Flemming Norre Larsen. They were signed to Zoth Ommog Records in the early 90's followed by Cleopatra Records. Their early records were recorded at Strip Studios by close friend and label mate Claus Larsen of...
- Psyclon Nine
Psyclon Nine is a musical group formed in 2000 in the San Francisco Bay Area. While their early efforts are generally categorized as aggrotech, their more recent material has incorporated a disparate set of musical and aesthetic influences, notably industrial metal. The group took a hiatus at the...
- Seabound
Seabound is a synthpop/futurepop duo from Germany. Their lyrics are in English and for the most part explore the human psyche and the way that everyday events can affect a person psychologically. Hence the band's slogan; "Seabound: Journey Into Your Mind."...
- Specimen
Specimen are a British band formed in the 1980s. Their music has been described as spanning many different genres of music, including glam, goth, punk and post-punk, and the band is widely credited as one of the pioneers of the Gothic movement, both musically and stylistically.-Early days:The band...
- SKOLD
Tim Sköld is a multi-instrumentalist who, in addition to producing solo work, has also collaborated with multiple musical groups including Shotgun Messiah, KMFDM and Marilyn Manson.-Early life:...
- Suicide Commando
Suicide Commando is a Belgian electro-industrial act created by Johan van Roy in 1986.- History :Johan van Roy, Suicide Commando's only member, began experimenting with electronic music in 1986. Three years later he released his first tape under the moniker Suicide Commando, and made an appearance...
- System Syn
-Members:*Clint Carney performs all studio music, vocals and lyrics. Aside from System Syn, he is the front man for the band Fake and plays keyboard and backing vocals for Imperative Reaction and God Module...
- Terrorfakt
TERRORFAKT is an industrial-power noise musical project from New York City, and created in response to the events of September 11, 2001. They are currently signed to Metropolis Records....
- TheStart
TheStart is an American rock band from Los Angeles, California, formed in 1998. Their current lineup includes Aimee Echo, Jamie Miller, Lance Webber and Chelsea Davis.- Early history and Shakedown! :...
- VNV Nation
VNV Nation are a British/Irish electronic music band originally from Dublin, Ireland and Essex, United Kingdom and now based in Hamburg, Germany. They combine elements of electro-industrial, trance, synthpop and electronic body music . The members are Ronan Harris and Mark Jackson...
- Velvet Acid Christ
Velvet Acid Christ is an electro-industrial band based in Denver, Colorado. The band was formed in 1990, gaining limited popularity in Europe's underground nightclub scene during the mid-1990s before expanding into other markets in the goth and industrial subcultures...
- XP8
XP8 is an Italian electronic group. The band started in 2001 as a trio, composed of Marco Visconti, Marko Resurreccion, and singer Paul Toohill....
- Wolfsheim
Wolfsheim was a synthpop band from Hamburg, Germany that consisted of Markus Reinhardt and Peter Heppner. Although never officially disbanded, Wolfsheim has been inactive since 2005 due to a dispute between the two members, which even led to trials in 2007 and 2008 that forbade either member to...
- :Wumpscut:
External links