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Minuit (band)

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Minuit

Minuit (pronounced min-wee, French for midnight) are an electronic band from New Zealand, formed in Nelson.

The members of Minuit include lead singer, Ruth Carr, with Paul Dodge (also known as Gimme a C!) and Ryan Beehre (also known as Funk'n'SloCuts) playing machines.

Early work

Minuit began as a guitar band with lead vocalist, Ruth Carr, on drums. Ryan Beehre bought a sampler and turned the band electronic, replacing the need for a drummer and putting Ruth out front as vocalist. An inspired outcome. The band released four self-released EPs, Sonic Experience (1998), Silver (1999), Luck (2000) and Except You (2002).

The 88

In 2003 Minuit signed to Tardus music and released their debut album, The 88. Some of the songs had already been released on their earlier EPs. The 88 achieved gold certification in New Zealand.

Minuit first came to prominence in 2002 when their first single "Species II" was used in the intro to the New Zealand TV show Queer Nation.

A video of the single "Except You" was made by their flatmate Alyx Duncan who thought it would be fun. The result was an award-winning eerie carnival-themed music video.

In 2004 the band released a limited edition 7 track EP, The Guns EP, featuring the single "I Hate Guns" (which has an animated video mimicking the TV show Are You Being Served?). The CD also included 3 music videos and a video interview from Sticky Pictures' "The Living Room". The Guns EP was only available for a limited run that sold out in the first week. This won the band 'Best Electronic Release' at the b-net music awards 2005, and a nomination for 'Breakthrough Artist' at the Vodafone New Zealand Music Awards.

The Guards Themselves

Released in 2006 was the album The Guards Themselves. With this album the band turned to Alyx Duncan once again to make a video for their single "Fuji." The album also features singles "Suave as Sin" with a video directed by Mike Bridgman (Nektar Films, Wgtn) featuring a 4 year old Kiel Beehre and, "A Room Full of Cute".

In 2007, their music was included in the PS3 Downloadable version of Sidhe Interactive's GripShift. The songs "Fuji", "A Room Full of Cute", and "This Music is Good for the Species" were all a part of the game's final track listing.

The Minuit live show toured NZ and Europe extensively throughout 2006-2008. While doing so they released a series of 12" Remix Vinyls. "Fuji", "Except You", and "A Room Full Of Cute". The most notable being a remix of 'A Room Full Of Cute' by Rico Tubbs.

A European compilation of The 88, The Guns EP, and The Guards Themselves called I Went To This Party And There Were 88 Guards With Guns was released in April 2008 to get their northern hemisphere fanbase 'up-to-speed' on their current discography. The release was through London-based label Doll House Records.

Find Me Before I Die A Lonely Death dot Com

In March 2009, Minuit released 'Wayho' (co-produced by Andy Chatterley), the lead single off their album Find Me Before I Die A Lonely Death.com, which was released in New Zealand on 20 July 2009. The album was released world-wide 30 October 2009. The cover art to the album included a world map created by the band themselves out of 100s and 1000s confectionery.

On release, Australian Rolling Stone magazine were quoted as saying: "Despite an album title as dark as midnight, Minuit's music is often as joyful as a fat kid with cake"

Second single, '25 Bucks', was released with video by Brendon Davies-Patrick.

Third single, 'Aotearoa', was accompanied by a video where fans were encouraged to send in a photo representing who they each were as New Zealanders. In what some tagged "the largest audience participation video in NZ" photos of over a thousand people were edited together alongside New Zealand historical archive footage. The aim of the video was to emphasise the lyric: "You and me, we are a New Zealand"; to acknowledge people who have shaped the country; and to encourage people now that it is up to them to make it the place they want it to be.

The song was picked up by TVNZ as the backdrop to their 2009 Waitangi Day coverage. And then anchored as the background theme to their channel 'Heartland'. It was then used on an episode of Bones (S06 E12 'The Sin In The Sisterhood').

The album track "I'm Still Dancing" featured in an episode of Grey's Anatomy (S06 E13 'State of Love and Trust') which aired in the US on February 4, 2010.

Various remixes from the album were commissioned with styles ranging from dubstep to drum'n'bass to electro.

Dance Music Will Tear Us Apart, a remix EP, was released on 8 November 2010.

Discography

Date of Release Title Label Charted Country Catalog Number
Albums
2003 The 88 Tardus Music #21 New Zealand
2006 The Guards Themselves Tardus Music #12 New Zealand
2008 I Went To This Party And There Were 88 Guards With Guns Dollhouse Records (LON) Europe
2009 Find Me Before I Die A Lonely Death.com Tardus Music #8 New Zealand
EPs
1998 Sonic Experience - -
Silver - -
2000 Luck - -
2002 Except You - -
2004 The Guns EP Tardus Music - -
2010 Dance Music Will Tear Us Apart Tardus Music - -
Vinyl
2006 Fuji Tardus Music New Zealand TARV001
2007 Except You Dollhouse Records (LON) New Zealand DOLLV001
A Room Full Of Cute New Zealand DOLLV002

References

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