Metropolis Records
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| Metropolis Records | |
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| Founded | 1995 |
| Founder | Dave Heckman |
| Distributing label | Alternative Distribution Alliance |
| Genre | Electro-industrial, Synthpop, Pop, Gothic rock, Punk rock |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Location | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
| Official website | http://www.metropolis-records.com/ |
Metropolis Records is a Philadelphia, Pennsylvania based record label, distributor, and mail-order store specializing in the electro-industrial, synthpop, futurepop, darkwave, and gothic musical genres.
Metropolis started business as a retail record store under the name of "Digital Underground." The first few records released under the Metropolis label were actually European imports that were repackaged and released specifically for the US market, with Love Is Colder Than Death's Teignmouth being the label's first official release (MET001). Metropolis began signing acts as a record label in 1995, with groups such as Mentallo and the Fixer, Numb, and Front Line Assembly. It has arranged for its bands to tour together such as Numb and Front Line Assembly together in 1996, and Project Pitchfork and Front 242 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-industrial. Several groups once signed on Wax Trax! Records later released on Metropolis, including Front Line Assembly, Front 242, KMFDM, Doubting Thomas, PIG, Noise Unit and VNV Nation.
In 1999, Metropolis Records purchased a few other electro-industrial and goth focused music labels, including Pendragon Records and 21st Circuitry.
Record labels distributed through Metropolis include A Different Drum, Alfa Matrix, Cleopatra, Nilaihah, KMFDM, Projekt, Strange Ways, DSBP, and WTII.
[edit] 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
- Accessory
- The A.K.A.s (Are Everywhere!)
- Alphaville
- Amduscia
- And One
- Apoptygma Berzerk
- Assemblage 23
- backandtotheleft
- Battery Cage
- Bauhaus
- Bella Morte
- The Birthday Massacre
- Claire Voyant
- Combichrist
- Covenant
- Das Ich
- Delaware
- Diary of Dreams
- Dismantled
- Electric Six
- Epoxies
- Front 242
- Front Line Assembly
- Gary Numan
- Grendel (band)
- Hanzel und Gretyl
- IAMX
- Icon of Coil
- Imperative Reaction
- Juno Reactor
- KEN
- Kevorkian Death Cycle
- KMFDM
- London After Midnight
- Mesh
- Mindless Faith
- Mindless Self Indulgence
- mind.in.a.box
- Moving Units
- PIG
- Psyclon Nine
- Specimen
- Suicide Commando
- theSTART
- VNV Nation
- Velvet Acid Christ
- Wolfsheim
- :Wumpscut:
