Mute Records Sound Of Silence Box Set

Mute have announced the latest release in the MUTE 4.0 (1978 > TOMORROW) series: STUMM433, a box set collating an unprecedented selection of Mute artists past, present and future, out in May. From The Normal, the artist that started Mute, to the label’s newest signing, K Á R Y Y N, STUMM433 will feature a huge array – over 50 - of Mute artists including Depeche Mode, Yann Tiersen, Liars, Silicon Teens, Irmin Schmidt and many more, all presenting their own interpretation of one piece of music: John Cage’s game changing composition, ‘4’33”’.

‘4’33”’ is among the most important of all contemporary music compositions. Composed and premiered in 1952, ‘4’33”’ is a piece for any instrument or combination of instruments. The score instructs the performer or performers not to play their instrument for the duration of the piece (generally four minutes and 33 seconds). As challenging and thought-provoking now as it was when it was premiered, ‘4’33”’ completely changed popular thinking on silence, sound, composition and listening.

Daniel Miller explains, “John Cage’s ‘4’33”’ has been present in my musical life for as long as I can remember as an important and inspiring composition. When the idea of every Mute artist doing their own interpretation of the piece came up during a conversation with Simon Fisher Turner, I immediately thought this was the perfect way to mark the label’s MUTE 4.0 (1978 > TOMORROW) series.”

Each artist has created a visual to accompany their performance of ‘4’33”’ and the box set launches with a video from Laibach. Filmed and recorded during Chess Game For Four at the HDLU’s Bačva Gallery Space in Zagreb (a reference to the famous photo of Duchamp Playing Chess with a Nude (Eve Babitz) in Pasadena museum and Cage’s Duchamp-inspired Chess Pieces in particular, the Reunion, which featured a specially constructed electronic chess board), Laibach’s interpretation of ‘4’33”’ features the Croatian performance artist Vlasta Delimar and a Slovenian designed levitating turntable.

Artists featured include:

A Certain Ratio, A.C. Marias, ADULT., The Afghan Whigs, Alexander Balanescu, Barry Adamson, Ben Frost, Bruce Gilbert, Cabaret Voltaire, Carter Tutti Void, Chris Carter, Chris Liebing, Cold Specks, Daniel Blumberg, Depeche Mode, Duet Emmo, Echoboy, Einstürzende Neubauten, Erasure, Fad Gadget (tribute), Goldfrapp, He Said, Irmin Schmidt, Josh T. Pearson, K Á R Y Y N, Komputer, Laibach, Land Observations, Lee Ranaldo, Liars, Looper, Lost Under Heaven, Maps, Mark Stewart, Michael Gira, Mick Harvey, Miranda Sex Garden, Moby, Modey Lemon, Mountaineers, New Order, Nitzer Ebb, NON, Nonpareils, The Normal, onDeadWaves, Phew, Pink Grease, Pole, Polly Scattergood, Renegade Soundwave, Richard Hawley, ShadowParty, Silicon Teens, Simon Fisher Turner, The Warlocks, Wire and Yann Tiersen.