Mute, and specifically the influential independent British label’s founder, Daniel Miller, have never been ones for looking back. The label has always sought ways to celebrate all of its varied artists, but there has never been a focus on just the label. Mute 4.0 (1978 > Tomorrow) is not about to change that, but it has prompted the idea of creating a series of special events and releases that will go further than 2018 with plans for 2019 and beyond.
Mute 4.0 (1978 > Tomorrow) acknowledges the launch of a label that started out of necessity rather than design (to release the 7” single by The Normal, ‘T.V.O.D.’ / ‘Warm Leatherette’, recorded by Daniel Miller on a KORG 700S keyboard with a TEAC four-track recorder), and marks the past 40 years, but crucially, looks forward to the label’s many years to come as it travels unapologetically into tomorrow.
This month, Mute will be at Sea Change festival in Totnes on August 24/25 alongside Mute artists Josh T. Pearson, Chris Carter, Daniel Blumberg, Can’s Damo Suzuki and Lost Under Heaven, all performing live - and Cosey Fanni Tutti, who will be in conversation with Emma Warren. On Saturday October13, Mute will take over Rough Trade East in London for a whole day of performances, including a lunchtime modular set from Chris Carter plus shopscapes from Simon Fisher Turner. In the evening, A Certain Ratio and Lost Under Heaven will play live, and Maps will be DJing. The bar will be open, and everyone’s welcome!
In addition, Alt-Classic Album Playback will present a playback of Swans’ 1996 album, Soundtracks for the Blind, recently reissued on vinyl for the first time on Mute. Nick Soulsby, author of Swans: Sacrifice and Transcendence, will be guest speaker at the event taking place on September 23 at Shacklewell Arms. Future playbacks will include a series with Pitchblack Playback, details to be announced.
Forthcoming releases that tie in with Mute 4.0 include artists from across Mute’s catalogue as well as newer signings to the label – A Certain Ratio’s ACR:SET is out on October 12 and features two new tracks from the band, Barry Adamson’s Memento Mori Anthology 1978-2018 is out on October 26 and features a brand new track and Yazoo release Four Pieces, a four disc box set collecting their two albums alongside remixes and rarities and their BBC Sessions collected together for the first time. More releases will be announced in the coming weeks.
