A few years ago, I had the absolute pleasure of interviewing Michel Dupay, the Paris-based musician who goes by the nom de musique, MAINE. The subtitle of the piece was “Creating Synthetic Sounds from a Human Place” and I think that assessment still resonates more than five years later.
His analogue-synth-driven compositions are precise and full of impact, but the methods used to compose them are free of any computer software that would allow for mechanistic precision or easy editing. Essentially, he makes music like Tangerine Dream, Wendy Carlos, John Carpenter, Vangelis, Klaus Schulze, and others used to before the advent of the fancy music protocol MIDI in 1984 or so. The computers sound less like computers and have a more organic quality to them.
One of the storied examples of MAINE’s expert craft is the anachronistic, Secondson-produced album IV, which via Midnight Mannequin Records finally gets a two-disc vinyl treatment. And the result is downright stunning. I contributed liner notes to the project; Jeppe Hasseriis (aka Dynatron) did the mastering; and Eric Adrian Lee did the design. Midnight Mannequin’s Adam Black is a thorough minder of the details and has a ferocious dedication to quality control, and so he is the crucial component to aggregating the creativity into a memorable package.
Because I was involved in the project, I’m not going to review it further. However, John Hubner over at Complex Distractions did and you should read that. That said, click through the gallery below, and then read the details about variants and stores like Mondo and Bordello A Parigi that carry IV.
Maine IV Vinyl and Store Availability Information
I teased some of this information above, but here are some more details. In addition to the record’s availability directly from Midnight Mannequin’s Bandcamp page, you can also get it via MONDO/Death Waltz, Two Headed Dog, Burning Witches Records, Bordello A Parigi, and several stores to which BAP distributes.
Midnight Mannequin’s store also has packages that include test pressings and t-shirts.
Variant 1: A Grave of Gold Edition (Bandcamp Exclusive)
Via the label: Pressed on 2xLP gold nugget double vinyl with metallic effect. Inspired by the album’s cover and Dalida’s Tomb in Montmartre Cemetery. Includes custom screen printed black slipcase with metallic gold ink, printed by our friends at Broken Press Design.
Variant 2: Witch Goddess Edition
Via the label: In addition to the exclusive, we also have a standard variant we are lovingly calling the Witch Goddess edition. Pressed on 2xLP transparent Coke bottle green double vinyl. For those of you in the UK/EU, a very limited number of copies of the standard Witch Goddess edition are available from our friends Burning Witches Records, as well as online retailers like Juno, Red Eye, HHV, decks and deejay, thanks to our distributor, Bordello A Parigi. In the US, the Witch Goddess edition will be available from our friends at MONDO. Two Headed Dog will also have copies.
