Mannequin Germany Vinyl & CDs

Review: This enigmatic recording, ahead of its time upon release, features Caroline K's pioneering approach to analog synth music and sample experimentation. Tracks like 'The Happening World' demonstrate her focus on dark ambient and drone music, while 'Animal Lattice' offers a haunting juxtaposition of high and low notes, reminiscent of early Dead Can Dance. 'Between The Spaces' explores a range of atmospheres, from new age to dungeon synth, with ethereal undertones. Caroline K's use of background noises and found sounds adds depth and texture to compositions like 'Leaving,' leaving a lasting impression on listeners. Now Wait For Last Year remains a lasting legacy to Caroline K's innovative spirit and her enduring influence on ambient, dark ambient, and electronic music. This brilliant trip into experimental ambience will impress everyone from soundtrack lovers to those who are into darker electronics.

Review: Formed in Barcelona's underground scene, the Italian-Catalan duo Silvia Konstance and Viktor Lux Crux aka Dame Area blend industrial-tribal rhythms with minimalist synths while drawing inspiration from avant-garde pioneers like Esplendor Geometrico, Suicide, and Einsturzende Neubauten. This highly anticipated fourth album, Toda la verdad sobre Dame Area ("The Whole Truth About Dame Area") marks a more aggressive, percussion-driven sound and a departure from the melody-focused album they dropped back in 2022. The dynamic live performances the pair are down for are distilled into an album that perfectly captures their experimental edge with unpredictable rhythms, metallic percussion and plenty of energy.

Review: In which Mannequin become the latest label to dip into the vast CDr archives of Legowelt's dormant Strange Life Records. Originally released back in 2007, Mons Testaceum was the debut album from MinimalRome co-founder Heinrich Dressel and the onset of a trilogy dedicated to Monte Testaccio, an artificial mound in Rome composed almost entirely of 'testae', fragments of broken amphorae dating from the time of the Roman Empire. Notable for the prominent usage of Elka Synthex, a legendary Roman synthesizer, Mons Testaceum remains a wonderful curio of the Dressel discography and fans of the Italian's work will delight at the chance to own it on vinyl thanks to MNQ!

Review: Leroy Se Meurt make a bold statement here with their new long player on the Mannequin label. It finds the Parisian pair keeping the foundational sounds of EBM, post-punk and electro at the core but also explores around the edges in fantastic fashion. The mood here is heavy and abrasive rock textures permeate the tracks next to electric synths and over worked samplers. The tracks feature lyrics sung in Turkish and French and are hard hitting affairs with floor facing, repetitive loop madness next to double-tempo cuts with chaotic guitars amongst much more.

Review: The Mannequin label strikes another perfect techno pose here with LFT aka Johannes Haas stepping up to lay it down. Opener 'I Want To Be A Witch' is a pummelling drum assault with heavy funk in its rhythms and darkness in the tortured vocals. 'No More Tears' is a gehtto-fried double-time workout with more well treated, reverb heavy vocals and unrelenting drums and 'Horst Du Das' is a dark wave, EBM and industrial post-punk techno fusion full of straight-ahead energy and warehouse grit and grime. That scuzzy lo-fi aesthetic continues through the snarled vocals and fizzing drum machine sounds of 'Panzer Tanz', percolating synths of 'Voodoo Dues' and menacing atmosphere of The Hacker's remix.