Mike Simonetti

New Jersey-born Mike Simonetti has established multiple pivotal record imprints while also producing left-field disco cuts and atmospheric electronic compositions. His initial prominence came through Troubleman Unlimited, a prolific operation spanning the 1990s and 2000s that focused on post-punk, noise, and indie rock. Shifting interests drew him to co-launch Italians Do It Better alongside Johnny Jewel in 2007, where he helped drive the Italo-disco resurgence. Beginning in 2010 he issued his own disco material and edits along with more ambient works, later gathered on Capricorn Rising (2011) and Solipsism (2018). Departing IDIB, he partnered with Mike Sniper of Captured Tracks to establish the experimental dance label 2MR Records, while also creating ethereal dance-pop alongside Elizabeth Wight in the duo Pale Blue.

Bayonne, New Jersey native Simonetti started amassing records early, moving from metal and rap into the post-hardcore world. He started Troubleman Unlimited from his mother’s residence in 1993; its debut outing—an early Unwound 7"—sold thousands of copies against expectations. Subsequent early Troubleman releases featured Rye Coalition, Karp, and Speedking, the first band of James Murphy. The imprint steadily pivoted from hardcore toward post-punk and experimental rock. Entering the 2000s it stood among the leading forces in the rising noise-rock and dance-punk movements, issuing acclaimed titles by Black Dice, Erase Errata, Wolf Eyes, and Glass Candy plus early recordings by the Walkmen. Amid mid-decade output that encompassed harsh noise from Prurient and John Wiese, freak folk by Wooden Wand & the Vanishing Voice, and post-metal from Isis and Harvey Milk, Johnny Jewel’s Chromatics and Glass Candy projects absorbed heavy influence from ’80s Italo-disco and synth soundtracks. In 2007 Simonetti and Jewel founded Italians Do It Better; the landmark After Dark compilation, Chromatics’ Night Drive, and Glass Candy’s B/E/A/T/B/O/X earned widespread acclaim, with the IDIB aesthetic shaping music and film across the next decade. Troubleman wound down by the close of the 2000s, its final releases including early material from Titus Andronicus, Zola Jesus, and Tamaryn.

Simonetti had meanwhile begun scoring for film, television, and fashion presentations; he commenced issuing original productions, edits, and remixes in 2010. In addition to disco singles such as 2010’s That Look on the short-lived Troubleman sub-label Perseo, he released the more atmospheric Capricorn Rising on IDIB in 2011. He also gained recognition as a sought-after DJ and initiated the eclectic mixtape series At the Juncture of Light & Dark in 2014. In 2015 Simonetti exited IDIB following disagreements with Jewel. He formed the dreamy dance-pop duo Pale Blue with Elizabeth Wight; their 2015 debut The Past We Leave Behind served as the first release on 2MR (2 Mikes Records), which he established jointly with Captured Tracks founder Mike Sniper. 2MR swiftly emerged as a dependable outlet for forward-thinking electronic music, encompassing disco from Bottin to darkwave by TWINS. After Simonetti’s 2018 EP I Love You Mom on Jennifer Cardini’s Correspondant label, 2MR issued Solipsism, a compilation of tracks he had recorded during his IDIB period. In 2019 he put out the two-song 12" “Mike Plays Ann O'Dam/Sonnen Schein,” whose A-side comprised an extended edit of Madonna’s “Like a Prayer.”