Published:
April 7, 2016
Mannequin Records resurfaces two LP compilations: the second volume of Der Zeltweg - Italian Tapes Industrial Music 1982-1984, the legendary Musumeci's tape label that existed for some few years in the early 80's and a double LP compilation of the legendary experimental new wave label run by Frank Bretschneider from 1985 till 1989 in Karl-Marx-Stadt (now Chemnitz).
Later founder of Raster Noton, together with Olaf Bender and Carsten Nicolai, Bretschneider established the label to make his music accessible for a small group of interested parties. Eventually eight releases were published all in all. Due to the restrictive laws in the former GDR, where media was completely controlled by the government and any private publishing was actually illegal, it was only possible to publish a very limited number of copies. First only known to a handful of specialists, the label become acquainted soon, especially with the help of Lutz Schramm, the host of the famous "Parocktikum" radio program on East German DT-64 station. With the fall of the wall and the opportunities to publish his music finally in a more professional way, Bretschneider closed down klangFarBe in 1989 with releasing the final cassette: Trickbeat by AG GEIGE.
For a brief moment, Turin was Italy’s Sheffield, producing an astonishing number of DIY electronic groups. In the context of a wider Europe, Italy has never been thought of as a hotbed of minimal electronic music, but Mannequin Records compilations Danza Meccanica: Italian Synth Wave 1982-1987 have shone a light on a scene little heard, even within Italy’s borders. Inspecting all the bands we released in the past years, Musumeci represents one of the most rare and unknown. But the reissue of the two super rare demo tapes that they recorded in 1985 ("Schwarz Morgen") and in 1986 ("Zusammen") and a 12'' containing a couple of unreleased tracks plus a TRAXX edit, were just the beginning. Now the mission is terminated with the 2 volumes of 'Der Zeltweg- Italian Tapes Industrial Music'.