DAILY PLANET came into being when two Swedes, Jarmo Ollila and Johan Baeckström decided to form a synthpop band in 1994.
Having released two noteworthy singles and a long player two years later, the band stopped with few promises of albums never quite materialising. Surprisingly eighteen years on in 2014, the duo brought out an excellent comeback with ‘Two’, released by Progress Productions, home of the highly acclaimed KITE.
Neither of the two gents rested on their laurels however, with Baeckström bringing out his debut solo outing ‘Like Before’ shortly after. With the very obvious connotations to ERASURE and their sweetly synthesised gems, ‘Like Before’ sounded grown up and optimistic, proving that he could hold the notes as well as Ollila, sounding like Andy Bell himself in places.
But now DAILY PLANET are back with another surprising opus, which will turn heads and make folk reach for their dancing shoes. ‘Play Rewind Repeat’ hits straight up with ‘Goodbye Late Nights’, which doesn’t shy from using Clarke / Bell sound signatures, but as James Nice of the prestigious Belgian record label Les Disques du Crépuscule once put it: “I have no problem at all with something new being imitative, as long as it’s good”.
More thought provoking is ‘Grains Of Sand’ with its immaculate tempo changes and ‘Fire In Me’, which is reminiscent of the early works of DEPECHE MODE. The title ‘Set Me Free’ to any self-respecting DEPECHE MODE fan will bring back memories of the B-Side to ‘Master And Servant’, but here it is faster and happier. And no, it’s not a cover. The mindful ‘Drown’ calms things down with elaborate synth masterdom and almost filigree textures in the production.
Cult British New Romantic act WHITE DOOR make an appearance on ‘Heaven’, with Mac Austin lending his vocal. The singer himself expressed his gratitude for the opportunity, saying that he was “so honoured to sing for my talented friends on this wonderful track”. Musically, this is an eclectic mix of the best of what the synth era has achieved; uncomplicated but very poignant, very DURAN DURAN.
‘Why’ is a bit A-HA, and with that, rather superb. No need for the time machine to go back thirty years. It’s ERASURE meets early DM, with an amazing amalgamation of analogue. The sweetest ‘Over Water’ exhibits elements of CAMOUFLAGE and the shine of ‘Silver Moon’ expands itself with wonderfully warm vocals and lovely musicality.
While ‘Tranquility’ isn’t tranquil at all, ‘Vicious Circle’ alludes to “going backwards in time”, which is a very fitting statement for the entire album. The long player is closed with the dreamy ‘Weeping’, which sits supremely between PET SHOP BOYS and DM, and it wraps up the “time machine experience” beautifully. Time to rewind…
‘Play Rewind Repeat’ is simply what it says in the tin; you’ll play, you’ll rewind and you’ll certainly repeat, with the moods lifted and your feet sore. So what if it reminds you of certain ERASURE, DM or YAZOO tracks? Johan Baeckström certainly doesn’t mind the comparisons.
Chatting to ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK last year, he said that “In my book, the two YAZOO albums are the pinnacle of electronic pop. It can’t get any more perfect than that”, adding “I can still remember exactly where I was when I first heard ‘Nobody’s Diary’, which was the song that opened a whole new world of synthpop for me. I think it’s only natural that this reflects in my own music and it is, by far, the most common comparison people make, which of course is flattering”.
The good memories are continuing, with new ones being built upon this capable production. DAILY PLANET, we are loving having you back!
Alison Moyet returns with a new album ‘Other’ this June while the Autumn sees her embark on a substantial world tour.
‘Other’ is produced and co-written with Guy Sigsworth who worked on its predecessor ‘the minutes’, an acclaimed album which saw Moyet return to the electronic forms with which she first found fame in YAZOO, her short-lived but highly regarded duo with Vince Clarke.
Moyet’s recent single ‘Reassuring Pinches’, with its brooding synth arpeggios acts as a deliciously dark trailer. But the album packs a few surprises from the spoken word mood piece ‘April 10th’ to the ballsy blues rock out of ‘Beautiful Gun’.
Meanwhile as the album’s closer, the startling orchestrated electro-dub drama of ‘Alive’ shows her former classmates in DEPECHE MODE how to actually fully realise a song such as ‘In Chains’. Her voice has gained an additional resonance, but as ever remains powerful, self-assured and unique.
ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK were extremely pleased to be invited to speak to Alison Moyet again and within the plush surroundings of a Mediterranean restaurant in Chelsea, she chatted about her ‘Other’ opus and topics such as social media and being European…
It’s a cliché, but your new album ‘Other’ really is a bit of a grower…
It’s not one of those records that’s designed to aim for radio, so there’s different layers that will appeal at different times.
You’ve described ‘Other’ as being about those who feel other in society…
When you’re writing an album, you’re usually thinking about yourself. But I’m of an age now where a romantic narrative is of no interest to me. For me now, it’s about observation… I’ve moved from a place that was in the countryside where there was not a great deal of culture, to living in Brighton and being thrown into life.
So even though this album is called ‘Other’, and I’ve always felt other, I don’t think I’ve ever felt quite as much of a sense of belonging as I do where I am now and you get a sense of everyone having this other noose, be it an old person who is completely eccentric or a young person who can completely dress down, none of these things are judged. ‘Other’ is just accepting the fact that when you’re younger, you always want to fit in and then you get to middle age where you’re resolved with everything, and it’s like “I have no need to be everyman”.
You’ve worked with Guy Sigsworth again, was it a case of “if it ain’t broke”?
No, that refers to the finished product as opposed to the process. The reason why I wanted to work with Guy again is because he gets me and I get him. We have a really good musical connection and understand one another. Writing eleven songs together as we did on ‘the minutes’ is not a massive amount of time to develop your relationship, it’s the starting block. So it’s not a case of “if it ain’t broke”, it’s more “why would I consider anything else when I feel I’m on a roll of creativity with him?”
What’s the collaborative dynamic between you and Guy?
We work very much as a band. Everything that you hear in the vocal is my domain while everything beats-wise is his, that’s the way it goes. We’ve got a couple of songs with other writers on this, but what Guy will do is give me a very basic track with a vibe and a chord progression; I won’t listen to it until I’m in record and then I start ad-libbing. I do that a few times, create a melody that suits me and I write the words to it.
Do you get into the production side much?
Yes, vocally and dynamically but in terms of creating sounds, no.
‘Reassuring Pinches’ is a striking trailer for ‘Other’, what was its genesis?
It was written with my live band members John Garden and Sean McGee in an electronic backdrop. They sent me a basic track and I wrote the melody and words, but the production wasn’t quite as I wanted so we moved it over to Guy who rearranged it sonically. That song is probably the most personal song on the album, but on this occasion, I’m not going to explain the lyrics.
I’ve always tried to do it before, but I can only give the words less meaning by using other words that weren’t fit to represent it in the song. There’s that and also, there are certain songs in the past that I have no relationship with anymore, but that’s not dissing the people who do have a relationship with it… their meaning, I have to understand, is entirely different to mine and I don’t want to colour their thoughts.
In the old days when I was a fan of people, I never got to speak to them or hear what they had to say, so I had to project myself in the music and there’s real pleasure when you’re allowed to imprint yourself on the music you listen to.
‘Reassuring Pinches’ has a synth arpeggio that appears to have been inspired by the theme to ‘Stranger Things’, have you seen the show and what do you think of it?
I have a really bad memory, I know I have seen the TV show but I don’t know if Guy has… I don’t remember what the music was like. But to be fair, someone else did mention it and I did look again and I think the connection is slightly vicarious, it might be the same mammal or beast but I don’t really see it as a facsimile.
‘Happy Giddy’ is quite synthy too, but in a more heady kind of way?
It appears to be the most throwaway of the tracks in terms of it being the most lightweight, but that’s very deliberate because the subject matter of the song is exactly that. This was written from me watching people on social media and this relentless joy they feel they have to express about their ‘perfect’ lives. Ok, we’re all attention seeking on social media but I get very frustrated by glossy language, I get frustrated by people needing to raise themselves above others in terms of them living their life ‘better’, so it’s kind of a mealy-mouthed reflection of that I guess.
‘Alive’ is quite a startling track and interestingly, it’s the album’s closer although it could easily make a good opener. So how do you decide on the final running order?
When I’ve made an album before, that has been completely my task. But writing and recording this album has all been going on alongside me studying figurative sculpture at college. So even though it felt like a linear progression, I never had an amazing amount to time to live with the album. The first time I heard it together as a whole with the final running order was in mastering; so it was a really strange thing that I was mastering an album that I was not overly familiar with. So I’ve been listening to it discomforted by something, but then really into it later. But I quite like the slightly punk attitude of that.
Deciding the running order is about a lot of different things. I mean, Guy doesn’t like one song following another in the same key. For this album, I felt the need to take a slight mountainous path. You don’t want vertical drops all the time, so you’re looking for some shape within that as well as some narrative. Interestingly enough with ‘Other’, the first song ‘I Germinate’ was the first song me and Guy wrote together for it and ‘Alive’ was the last one we did. So they’ve quite accidentally bookended the album.
At the opposite end of the spectrum, there’s the bluesy ‘Beautiful Gun’? Is it as rude as it appears to be?
No, it’s real funny that it can be taken both ways! That’s why I don’t want to have to explain my lyrics, because if someone sees it as a bit of sauce, then I’m very happy for them to see it! *laughs*
I’m aware of the double-entendre because there is something so flippin’ phallic about gun ownership… and again, this was another social media thing that you can see the most mindless hateful stuff written about others. Yet if you say anything to people about how having a gun may not be a good idea, then you may as well have fisted them with a f*cking rusty nail glove, do you know what I mean?
It’s this unbelievable protectionism that goes towards carrying a firearm, the machoism and the stance of bravery when it’s such a cowardly thing to do to threaten people with a weapon.
‘April 10th’ is an interesting spoken word experiment, where did the idea come to use your voice in this way?
This is how I often write… what happens is I’ll write a poem and it gets somewhat amputated to fit in with the structure of a pop song ie verse / bridge / chorus. With this, the words described so perfectly my thought process and that day ‘April 10th’ of a year ago. I wanted to have a fidelity towards the words because words are really important to me. But just because you can sing big, doesn’t mean you need to sing big… I can sing, but in this instance, the words held my fidelity much more than trying to shape it to fit a model.
Did political events here and abroad shape your lyrics at all? With your French heritage, how European or British do you feel now?
Yeah, I feel very European. You look at my output and you can hear in those early solo records that I have this Mid-Western drawl that singers feel they need to occupy. But as you go later on down, you can hear this Britishness and my language returning. I’m a dual national, I’m French and British so I am not thrilled about Brexit but there’s f*ck all I can do about it. Those things are going to influence my way of thinking. I can’t say that I ever sat down at any time and deliberately tried to say I’m going to write about ‘this event’, it’s just that those things colour your mood and observations.
You’ve had some interesting exchanges on Twitter about Brexit, I think some of your fanbase forget your name is Geneviève…
The thing with Twitter is you’ll come across someone who bought a single in 1983 and they think that they have the clue on who you are from that… now I’m not dissing them for that because I was very grateful in 1983 that they bought the single, but if I use my language with any aggression or swear, you get some people occasionally who will sound put out, like “I expected more from you!”…well, don’t!
You’re very sharp and witty on Twitter…
One thing I love about Twitter is the fact that if I’m crass and I define all these things you don’t like, I’d much rather you knew it as I don’t want to be facing an audience who is expecting Celine Dion and is getting something else. I would much rather play to a smaller audience that understands I am an artist and I will express myself freely in the same way I respect anybody else doing it. So no, I won’t affect my personality to make it more sellable and people think I would, then clearly they don’t know me.
Has it worked to your advantage, especially when you compare it to the days when records labels pushed you to do jazz albums and were practically putting chains on you?
Half the problem was, people don’t know who you are. It could be assumed you’re a chubby female singer who is whining or vulnerable and small, you know, all those kind of things. That’s never really been who I am. So what I like about Twitter is I can display myself in all my glory, even when that glory is heinous and not attractive. I would much rather that, so I love it for that purpose and you that you get to connect with other human beings.
It’s so easy to fall into this place where you make assumptions about everybody and then you’re reminded about humanity. There so many brilliant men and women out there and we watch one another’s backs, I love that. And the arguments are a good thing because I do come from a feisty, argumentative family and it probably saves my marriage *laughs*
You’ve mentioned that these days, you don’t really relate to the narrative of songs like ‘Invisible’ anymore?
I haven’t related to that for the longest time. You’ve got to remember when I first started singing in bands, I was a big fan of Janis Joplin and her shtick was very much about “a man’s done me wrong, I’m broken by it”. So you’re young and a virgin, you want your heart to be broken before you even fall in love, because that seems the romantic side of it! *laughs*
I loved all that torture and torment but very quickly, tales become old and you get bored with your own recurring states. My problem with ‘Invisible’ is two-fold; one is that it’s very set in Americanisms and this is not me being anti-American but I’m not American, I shouldn’t be adopting the accent or the words… I don’t spend dimes, I spend pounds so I don’t want to use those words. And the “I” or voice in the song is bleating and it lacks self-respect, so I can’t relate to it whining about a man! *laughs*
Does the detachment also come from the fact Lamont Dozier wrote it?
No, because I still do ‘Whispering Your Name’ which was written by Jules Shear and although I don’t know him or his sensibilities, the language still appeals to me. Lamont Dozier is brilliant and a lovely man who has written some really fantastic songs, I have nothing but admiration for him. ‘Invisible’ is a well-structured song but I am more than just a singer, I have to engage and when I’m on stage, I give it everything that I’ve got, whatever I’ve got that day is given. I certainly don’t want to just dial it in… I don’t want to look down at a setlist as I have done in the past, seen the next song and have my heart drop. I’m not doing that anymore, my fans deserve more than that.
A certain member of a well-known Basildon band has made quite disparaging remarks about their hometown…
Oh really? Who?
Err! Dave Gahan… what is your viewpoint on people that move away and lose touch with their roots?
I have no opinion on that, everybody has their own life to live. For me, I’ve got a lot of heart in Basildon, my family are still down there, although more on the outskirts like Wickford and Billericay. I do understand some people’s disappointment in it, when I lived there it was mostly a council estate town, so it was really well kept and green with a lot of young families. It was a nice place to grow up in really and it always felt pretty safe.
But when they sold off the council estates, it became less of a community and more disparate with a lot of the places left to go to rack-and-ruin. There was a lot of political engagement and when the Tories reigned for a while, we got ‘Basildon Man’ which was not something we really understood. So I do see a difference… Dave moved away from Basildon a long time ago but it’s one of those things. I dunno, when I’m with other Basildonians, I can moan about the changes but when someone else sh*ts on the place, I feel protective about it.
You have a huge tour in the Autumn. What do you prefer? Live or studio work?
These days it’s more equal, it used to be that I preferred live but since working with Guy, I’ve really been enjoying the studio experience as I don’t have to struggle to be heard. Sometimes, it can be really dull when having to really to push the point that this is my album, and with Guy, it’s not like that at all. It’s a really equitable and respectful union. Live work though is the one thing that I know what is expected of me. I love the physical feeling of singing, I like the way it makes my body feel. So I’m really excited about this tour, it’s the biggest one I’ve done in thirty years! It’s gonna be a challenge but I’m looking forward to it.
With the setlist, there are things we have to adhere to. It will mostly be an electronic set although there will be some guitars, I will be doing YAZOO, stuff from ‘Alf’, ‘the minutes’ and the new album. It covers most of the years but when you have nine albums, eleven if you include YAZOO, there are a lot of cuts that have to be made. I would cut more hits if I was left to my own devices, but that would be a folly because the great thing about pacing it between things people know and things they don’t know, is that you maintain an energy and there’s an exchange. They build me and I build them and I think that’s the right thing to do.
ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK gives its warmest thanks to Alison Moyet
Special thanks to Duncan Clark at 9PR
‘Other’ is released as a CD, vinyl LP and download by Cooking Vinyl on 16th June 2017
ALISON MOYET’s ‘The Other Tour’ 2017, UK and Ireland dates include:
Cork Opera House (27th October), Dublin Olympia Theatre (28th October), Belfast Ulster Hall (29th October), Gateshead Sage (31st October), Glasgow Royal Concert Hall (1st November), Edinburgh Usher Hall (2nd November), Ipswich Regent Theatre (4th November), Reading Hexagon (5th November), Oxford New Theatre (7th November), Brighton Dome (8th November), Birmingham Symphony Hall (9th November), Southend Cliffs Pavilion (11th November), Cambridge Corn Exchange (12th November), London Palladium (14th November), London Palladium (15th November), Bournemouth Pavilion Theatre (16th November), Cardiff St David’s Hall (18th November), York Barbican (19th November), Liverpool Royal Philharmonic Hall (20th November), Manchester Bridgewater Hall (22nd November), Bristol Colston Hall (23rd November), Warwick Arts Centre (24th November), Nottingham Royal Concert Hall (26th November), Aylesbury Waterside Theatre (27th November), Southampton 02 Guildhall (28th November)
European dates include:
Oslo Rockefeller (3rd December), Odense Odeon (4th December), Stockholm Berns (5th December), Antwerp De Roma (7th December), Amsterdam Paradiso (8th December), Cologne Kantine (9th December), Berlin Huxleys Neue Welt (11th December), Hamburg Gruenspan (12th December), Aschaffenburg Colos-Saal (13th December), Karlsruhe Substage (15th December), Vienna SIMM City (16th December), Milan Fabrique (17th December), Zürich X-tra (19th December), Paris L’Alhambra (20th December)
Please visit http://alisonmoyet.com/ for details on tour dates in North America, Australia and New Zealand
Following the success of her 2013 album ‘the minutes’, Alison Moyet is back with a new album ‘Other’.
‘the minutes’ signalled her return to electronica and in an “if it ain’t broke…” move, ‘Other’ is produced and co-written with Guy Sigsworth who worked on its predecessor. With a mature and observational approach to her lyrics, key tracks on ‘Other’ include the heady synthpop of ‘Happy Giddy’ and the bluesy electro rock of ‘Beautiful Gun’ which is reminiscent of two former classmates whose ‘Songs Of Faith Of Devotion’ reflected similar climes.
But the album is launched with the icy new single ‘Reassuring Pinches’. Deliciously dark but accessible, it borrows its aural aesthetic from the theme tune to the acclaimed Netflix drama ‘Stranger Things’.
‘Reassuring Pinches’ is shaped by brooding synth arpeggios that will appeal to YAZOO fans, while Moyet’s reliably powerful vocal performance compliments Sigsworth’s intricate but dynamic electronic soundtrack as “All the thirsty beasts come down to drink”. In keeping with the song’s glitch vibe, the stark video sees cut-up techniques employed alongside hazy deep red and monochromatic filters.
Moyet says the new album covers topics ranging from “Dyslexia, locked-out syndrome, diversity, Persephone, doggedness and the Internet”, but ultimately it’s about isolation and with her proud French heritage, recent political events have no doubt been on her mind. “Some of us have always felt ‘Other’” she remarks, “I no longer wish it were otherwise.”
‘Other’ is released as a CD, vinyl LP and download by Cooking Vinyl on 16th June 2017
Alison Moyet’s ‘The Other Tour’ 2017, Ireland + UK dates include:
Cork Opera House (27th October), Dublin Olympia Theatre (28th October), Belfast Ulster Hall (29th October), Gateshead Sage (31st October), Glasgow Royal Concert Hall (1st November), Edinburgh Usher Hall (2nd November), Ipswich Regent Theatre (4th November), Reading Hexagon (5th November), Oxford New Theatre (7th November), Brighton Dome (8th November), Birmingham Symphony Hall (9th November), Southend Cliffs Pavilion (11th November), Cambridge Corn Exchange (12th November), London Palladium (14th November), London Palladium (15th November), Bournemouth Pavilion Theatre (16th November), Cardiff St David’s Hall (18th November), York Barbican (19th November), Liverpool Royal Philharmonic Hall (20th November), Manchester Bridgewater Hall (22nd November), Bristol Colston Hall (23rd November), Warwick Arts Centre (24th November), Nottingham Royal Concert Hall (26th November), Aylesbury Waterside Theatre (27th November), Southampton 02 Guildhall (28th November)
European dates include:
Oslo Rockefeller (3rd December), Odense Odeon (4th December), Stockholm Berns (5th December), Antwerp De Roma (7th December), Amsterdam Paradiso (8th December), Cologne Kantine (9th December), Berlin Huxleys Neue Welt (11th December), Hamburg Gruenspan (12th December), Aschaffenburg Colos-Saal (13th December), Karlsruhe Substage (15th December), Vienna SIMM City (16th December), Milan Fabrique (17th December), Zürich X-tra (19th December), Paris L’Alhambra (20th December)
Please visit http://alisonmoyet.com/ for details on tour dates in North America, Australia and New Zealand
Without doubt, Mute Records is one of the most important record labels in the history of electronic music.
While the early electronic legacy of Virgin Records helped the genre gain its first foothold in the mainstream, the discerning ethos of Mute has maintained its presence in both pop and more experimental fields.
Like many, Mute supremo Daniel Miller began taking an interest in synthesizers as tools for making pop music after hearing KRAFTWERK’s ‘Autobahn’. The son of Austrian Jewish refugees, he was DJing on the continent after completing his film studies course when he became enthralled by the Kling Klang sound.
He was inspired to make electronic music himself but at the time, the equipment was prohibitively expensive. That all changed with the advent of affordable synthesizers from Japan manufactured by the likes of Korg and Roland.
Already a fan of German kosmische scene, his sense of experimentation and an adoption of punk’s DIY ethic led him to buying a Korg 700s. Wanting to make a punk single with electronics, he wrote and recorded ‘Warm Leatherette’ b/w ‘TVOD’ for a one-off independent single release in 1978. He needed a label name and chose ‘Mute’ after the button that came on the equipment that he had used as a film studies student.
Distributed by Rough Trade, MUTE 001 was a surprise success and thanks to him including his mother’s North London home address on the back of the striking monochromatic crash test dummy sleeve, Miller started receiving cassettes from kindred spirits who were keen to explore the brave new electronic world; he realised that a new scene was developing.
Through his connections at Rough Trade, he became aware of former art student Frank Tovey. As FAD GADGET, Tovey recorded ‘Back To Nature’ which was issued as MUTE 002 in October 1979. A seminal work that was also critically acclaimed, it helped establish Mute’s credentials as a champion of electronic music.
The first album released on Mute was ‘Die Kleinen Und Die Bösen’ by German band DEUTSCH AMERIKANISCHE FREUNDSCHAFT (DAF) in March 1980. Miller had signed them because “they weren’t relying on past rock”. The majority of STUMM 1 was recorded with the legendary Conny Plank at the controls of the studio recordings, while the remainder came from tape of a live gig at London’s Electric Ballroom.
DAF set the ball rolling in furthering Mute’s aspirations, while the Germanic influence continued through into the label’s cataloguing system as the album prefix Stumm was the German word for Mute.
Meanwhile, Miller was fascinated about the idea of synthesizers as the future of popular music and conceived a teenage pop group who would use only synths; he called them SILICON TEENS although in reality, this was actually his solo electronic covers project. Something of a novelty, his cover of ‘Red River Rock’ ended up on the closing credits of the Steve Martin / John Candy comedy ‘Planes, Trains & Automobiles’ in 1987!
But Miller’s dream became flesh and blood when he came across a young quartet from Basildon called DEPECHE MODE. Signed on a handshake 50/50 deal, while the group was a chart success, they fragmented after their 1981 debut album ‘Speak & Spell’. However the remaining trio of Andy Fletcher, Dave Gahan and Martin Gore recruited Alan Wilder, soldiered on and the rest is history. Meanwhile, the departed Vince Clarke went on to further success with YAZOO, THE ASSEMBLY and ERASURE.
With the label’s commercial success, Mute were able to back more experimental releases from Germany including the quirky single ‘Fred Vom Jupiter’ by ANDREAS DORAU & DIE MARINAS, and ‘Los Ninos Del Parque’ by LIAISONS DANGEREUSES. Mute’s business ethos, where money made from record sales allowed acts to develop within a sympathetic creative environment free from interference, proved to be key to its artistic and financial prosperity.
As the label expanded over the years, further signings included EINSTÜRZENDE NEUBAUTEN, LAIBACH, WIRE, BOMB THE BASS (through the Blast First subsidiary), INSPIRAL CARPETS, GOLDFRAPP while Moby and Nick Cave proved to be amongst the big successes . Meanwhile Miller took the ultimate step in his love of German music, acquiring the rights to the music of CAN and becoming the winning bidder for the vocoder used on ‘Autobahn’ when it came up for auction!
In May 2002, Mute Records was bought by EMI for £23m, although Miller remained as a figurehead and in charge of the company’s global activities. The label became the brand for the multi-national’s electronic music activities and when KRAFTWERK’s back catalogue was finally remastered by EMI, it was released under the Mute banner.
However, with rapid changes occurring within the industry as a result of the new digital marketplace, EMI and Miller reached an agreement in September 2010 to establish a second independently run record label under the name Mute Artists for new acts, while the Mute Records name and rights to the label’s archive recordings remained under the control of EMI via its new owners Universal. As owners of their own catalogue, DEPECHE MODE formally ended their association with the label that launched them and signed a lucrative licencing agreement with Sony BMG.
But the Mute story continues with acts such as MAPS and Polly Scattergood, while Miller’s latest addition to the roster has been NEW ORDER whose new album ‘Music Complete’ will be out on 28th September 2015.
So what twenty albums or EPs best represent Mute’s electronic legacy? With a restriction of one release per artist moniker, here are ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK’s choices…
FAD GADGET Fireside Favourites (1980)
Following the success of singles ‘Back To Nature’ and ‘Ricky’s Hand’ with a small but loyal fanbase now established, a FAD GADGET album was eagerly anticipated. It came in September 1980 with ‘Fireside Favourites’ co-produced with Eric Radcliffe and John Fryer. it developed on the minimal industrialism of the singles. The superb ‘Coitus Interruptus’ was a cynical commentary on casual relationships while the Cold War tensions were documented on ‘Fireside Favourite’.
Following the acclaim that was accorded to THE NORMAL, Daniel Miller decided to undertake a new project where rock ’n’ roll standards such as ‘Memphis Tennessee’, ‘Just Like Eddie’ and ‘Let’s Dance’ were reinterpreted in a synthpop style, with Miller singing like he had a clothes peg attached to his nose. With his inherent shyness, the vehicle he used was SILICON TEENS, a fictitious synth group where several young actors were hired to appear in videos and do press interviews.
Disillusioned by the pop circus following the singles success of ‘New Life and ‘Just Can’t Get Enough’, Vince Clarke departed DEPECHE MODE in late 1981 and formed YAZOO with Alison Moyet. Although they only released two albums, YAZOO’s impact was long lasting. The debut ‘Upstairs at Eric’s’ was a perfect union of passionate bluesy vocals and pristinely programmed synthpop. Songs such as ‘Only You, ‘Don’t Go’, ‘Midnight’ and ‘Winter Kills’ set a high standard but the duo parted ways.
In a departure from DAF’s pioneering electronic body music, drummer Robert Görl lightened up considerably with a solo synthpop record that even had him posing bare chested by a swimming pool on the cover. ‘Night Full Of Tension’ even featured vocal contributions from EURYTHMICS’ Annie Lennox on ‘Charlie Cat’ and ‘Darling Don’t Leave Me’. Although not featuring on the original LP, the brooding but accessible single ‘Mit Dir’ was an electronic cult classic and included on the CD reissue.
Although success for ERASURE was not instant with debut album ‘Wonderland’ and its lost single ‘Oh L’Amour’, the chemistry between Clarke and Bell possessed a special spark. ERASURE toured the college circuit and built up a loyal fanbase, eventually hitting chart paydirt with ‘Sometimes’. ERASURE added political commentary ‘It Doesn’t Have To Be’ and ‘The Circus’ title track, while songs such as ‘Spiralling’ and ‘Hideaway’ confirmed they were more than just a great singles act.
Controversial Slovenians LAIBACH played with Teutonic rhythms and Third Reich imagery, while their unique covers of QUEEN’s ‘One Vision’ and OPUS’ ‘Life Is Life’ indicated they were either ironic art terrorists or preachers of a dangerous political message. Mute were accused of tolerating artists with far right sympathies but with Daniel Miller’s Jewish heritage, this was unlikely. Their industrial torture made an impact with ‘Opus Dei’, particularly on RAMMSTEIN.
‘Counterfeit’ allowed Gore to indulge in six covers with varying origins. The emotive traditional standard ‘Motherless Child’ revealed his love of the Blues while a great version of SPARKS’ ‘Never Turn Your Back On Mother Earth’ was a fitting look back at the eccentric pop that would have fed the young Mr Gore. Reinterpretations of cult artists such as TUXEDOMOON, THE DURUTTI COLUMN and THE COMSAT ANGELS revealed there was a lot more to Gore’s record collection.
Why is ‘Violator’ so important and highly celebrated? It is still DEPECHE MODE’s most complete and accomplished body of work. It was the classic Fletcher/Gahan/Gore/Wilder line-up firing on all cylinders and at their most happiest as a unit. The end result was four hit singles but also songs such as ‘Halo’, ‘Waiting For The Night’ and ‘Clean’ which were easily their equal. And on ‘Blue Dress’, Gore’s lyrics possessed an honesty that while dark and deviant, still retained a naïve innocence.
‘As Is’ saw Essex industrialists NITZER EBB at the height of their imperial powers. Although produced by the band, each song was mixed by a different artist or producer. These included Jaz Coleman from KILLING JOKE, producer Flood and MAGAZINE’s Barry Adamson. But the best number was ‘Come Alive’ mixed by Alan Wilder which had the legacy of ‘Violator’ stamped all over it. The subsequent album ‘Ebbhead’ which was produced by Wilder and Flood.
While there had been two EPs ‘1 + 2’ and ‘Hydrology’ by RECOIL, Alan Wilder’s solo sideline to DEPECHE MODE, it wasn’t until 1992 that there was a full length album. ‘Bloodline’ featured vocals from NITZER EBB’s Douglas McCarthy, Toni Halliday of CURVE and Moby. Wilder’s brooding electronic soundscapes and meticulous production made their presence felt and it was McCarthy’s contributions to a cover of Alex Harvey’s ‘Faith Healer’ that stole the show.
When Moby was signed by Daniel Miller, he was considered to be a one hit wonder with ‘Go’ in 1991. His first proper album ‘Everything Is Wrong’ arrived in 1995. The superb instrumental ‘First Cool Hive’, the happy hardcore of ‘Feeling So Real’, the gospel punk of ‘All That I Need Is To Be Loved’ and the neo-classical ‘Hymn’ showcased his eclectic tastes. Miller’s tremendous foresight turned out to be a wise decision when the unexpected success of ‘Play’ in 1999 provided a boost for Mute.
London duo Simon Leonard and David Baker began as I START COUNTING and then morphed into FORTRAN 5. But as KOMPUTER, they created some heavily KRAFTWERK influenced numbers to make up for the lack of new material. From their first ‘EP’, ‘We Are Komputer’ was their own ‘The Robots’, while there was also the tribute to the first female Cosmonaut ‘Valentina Tereshkova’ which mined ‘The Model’.
The concept of PEACH was ‘ABBA meets THE KLF’. Released in September 1997, ‘Audiopeach’ is one of those albums that has been lost in the midst of ‘Cool Britannia’. The album’s reputation was based on the participation of its two instrumentalists Pascal Gabriel and Paul Statham. Completing PEACH’s line-up was singer Lisa Lamb. The album’s launch single ‘On My Own’ was classic pop for the modern era with Lamb’s vocal delivery akin to Belinda Carlisle going electro.
While LADYTRON were using their Korg MS20s making sinewaves in a more pop oriented setting, ADD N To (X) took their MS series synths into more obscure, experimental territory. ‘Add Insult To Injury’ had one half written / performed by Ann Shenton and Steve Claydon, while the other was written / performed by Barry 7. The wonderful robotic sexual tension of ‘Plug Me In’ and the creepy noise fest of ‘Hit For Cheese’ were highlights.
‘Felt Mountain’ was a superb introduction to the then electro Weimar Cabaret cinematics of Alison Goldfrapp and Will Gregory. Beginning with the superb ‘Lovely Head’ with its spine tingling whistle and MS20 assisted banshee wails, the album thrilled with Morricone style widescreen inflections to accompany an ascent to the Matterhorn rather than a trek through a Spaghetti Western. ‘Felt Mountain’ was a slow burner that was nominated for the Mercury Music Prize.
VINCENT CLARKE & MARTYN WARE Spectrum Pursuit Vehicle (2001)
‘Spectrum Pursuit Vehicle’ was composed as part of an installation where the colours referred to in the titles of the six lengthy pieces were ‘programmed to cross fade imperceptibly to create an infinite variation of hue’ in a white clothed room. Tracks like ‘White – You Are In Heaven’, ‘Yellow – You Are On A Beach’, ‘Blue – You Are Underwater’ and’ Green – You Are In A Forest’ were all utilised to full effect with a binaural 3D mixing technique best heard using headphones.
In 2002, DUBSTAR’s Sarah Blackwood was recruited to front synthpop duo TECHNIQUE by Kate Holmes. In Leipzig supporting DEPECHE MODE, they became CLIENT and were mysteriously referred to as Client A and Client B in a ‘1984’ inspired Orwellian twist. Signed to Mute via Andy Fletcher’s Toast Hawaii imprint, they announced “Client… satisfaction guaranteed… innovate never imitate… we aim to please… at your service” before a “F*** OFF! DON’T TOUCH ME THERE!”
His solo debut ‘Paper Monsters’ was a disappointment, but Dave Gahan was still finding his feet as a songwriter, becoming more realised on ‘Playing The Angel’. ‘Hourglass’ was better and ‘Kingdom’ could have made a great DM recording. But in the same way that Mick Jagger’s 1984 Nile Rodgers produced solo debut LP having very few takers meant that the ROLLING STONES would continue ad infinitum, would DEPECHE MODE still be going if Mr Gahan’s solo career had taken off?
While Mute continues to diversify, the more esoteric pop aspirations of Mute’s synthetic roster continues. MAPS is the vehicle of James Chapman; with a more expansive electronic template, his third album ‘Vicissitude’ was a selection of very personal songs with a strong melodic backbone. Unafraid to let the instrumental synth elements take a role in the overall aesthetic, tracks like ‘AMA’ and ‘You Will Find a Way’ put MAPS into the same league as M83 and EAST INDIA YOUTH.
Polly Scattergood signalled the more electronic journey of her second album ‘Arrows’ with the marvellous electro-COCTEAU TWINS twist of ‘Wanderlust’. While there were still signs of her folkier roots, synthetic textures and technological trickery were very much part of the action. The sad but driving pop of ‘Falling’ and ‘Subsequently Lost’ attracted empathy with Polly World, while the highly emotive ‘Miss You’ and the dreamy ‘Cocoon’ displayed her vulnerability.
It would be fair to say that Mute Records’ initial commercial success came on the back of Vince Clarke’s songcraft.
First with DEPECHE MODE in 1981 and then YAZOO in 1982, Clarke demonstrated that Mute Records had some marvellous pop sensibilities amongst all the cult acclaim that was accorded to acts like THE NORMAL, DAF and FAD GADGET.
He was to become one of the key players in an exciting period of music that was eventually documented in the BBC4 programme ‘Synth Britannia’. Born Vincent John Martin in Basildon, Clarke cut his teeth performing his own songs with a number of local bands including FRENCH LOOK. But it was when he formed COMPOSITION OF SOUND with Martin Gore and Andy Fletcher that things got more serious. There was a new music revolution around the corner involving affordable synthesizers from Japan.
With Clarke’s love of OMD’s now classic ‘Electricity’ single and its B-side ‘Almost’ coinciding with Martin Gore’s purchase of a Yamaha CS5, he and Fletch soon bought a Kawai 100f and Moog Prodigy respectively to follow this new futuristic direction. However, unhappy with his own voice, Clarke recruited college student Dave Gahan as vocalist to fully realise their new ultrapop sound. They renamed themselves DEPECHE MODE after a French fashion magazine.
Signing to Mute Records, the debut single ‘Dreaming of Me’ made an impressive first chart showing at No57 for DEPECHE MODE in Spring 1981 while they also appeared on the ‘Some Bizzare Album’ compiled by Futurist DJ Stevo Pearce which also showcased SOFT CELL, THE THE, B-MOVIE and BLANCMANGE. But after the hit singles ‘New Life’ and ‘Just Can’t Get Enough’, Clarke soon became disillusioned with touring and the general pop circus despite the success. And there was also that old chestnut of musical differences.
A song submitted by Clarke at rehearsals called ‘Only You’ had apparently been rejected by the other members of DEPECHE MODE. So teaming up with local girl Alison Moyet in a new combo called YAZOO, they released ‘Only You’. It reached No2 in the UK singles chart, higher than any DEPECHE MODE single had reached at the time and Clarke was vindicated. Although denied the top spot, the song reached No1 in an accapella rendition by THE FLYING PICKETS in 1984.
However, Clarke was reprising the personal disillusionment that had seen him leave DEPECHE MODE. He moved on to produce his mate Robert Marlow via his own Reset Records imprint and record as THE ASSEMBLY with THE UNDERTONES’ Fergal Sharkey and YAZOO’s producer Eric Radcliffe.
But it was in 1985 that Clarke finally settled down; he placed a small ad in Melody Maker that said “Versatile voice wanted for established songwriter”. After auditions, Andy Bell was the succesful applicant and ERASURE were formed. Although success was not instant, the chemistry between Clarke and Bell possessed a special spark both musically and personally; the pair have become one of the most consistent UK pop acts ever with hits such as ‘Sometimes’, ‘Victim Of Love’, ‘The Circus’, ‘A Little Respect’, ‘Stop!’, ‘Chorus’ and ‘Breath Of Life’.
Running in parallel over the years, there have been numerous other projects with 3D sound and computer games. Following working together on ERASURE’s ‘I Say I Say I Say’ issued in 1994, Clarke founded the Illustrious company with Martyn Ware to exploit the creative possibilities of 3D sound technology. Their first release was ‘Pretentious’ as THE CLARKE & WARE EXPERIMENT.
Photo by Joe Dilworth
With THE SATURDAYS in particular, this five piece girl group were practically joined at the hip with Clarke; their first single ‘If This Is Love’ sampled YAZOO’s ‘Situation’ while their sixth was a cover of ‘Just Can’t Get Enough’ for Comic Relief!
Indeed, as YAZOO reformed in 2008 for the ‘Reconnected’ live tour, their musical template was a much coveted sound among girl groups in the late noughties, the best example of which was RED BLOODED WOMEN using ‘Don’t Go’ as the basis for their feisty number ‘Colour Me Dirty’. It was recognition of how absorbed into the mainstream Clarke’s music had become.
Remixes in particular have seen Vince Clarke’s portfolio expand. His Midas touch has been commissioned notably for songs by SPARKS, GOLDFRAPP, BLANCMANGE and FUTURE ISLANDS. But his appeal has spread across all genres, as indicated by HAPPY MONDAYS’ 1988 invitation to rework ‘Wrote For Luck’ as well as more comparatively recently, remixes of FRANZ FERDINAND’s ‘No You Girls’, DIDO’s ‘End of Night’ and THE SATURDAYS’ ‘Issues’.
But one of the best covers of his songs came in 2012 when RÖYKSOPP and Susanne Sundfør recorded ‘Ice Machine’. With ERASURE releasing their best album in nearly a decade with ‘The Violet Flame’ and ‘Only You’ being used in a McVities TV ad, Clarke’s stock is as high as ever. Further reinforcement came recently via an episode of the acclaimed Cold War spy drama ‘The Americans’, which featured ‘Upstairs at Eric’s’ as part of the plot.
So what tracks would make up an imaginary 20 track double CD retrospective as an introduction to Vince Clarke’s work? With a restriction of one track per album project, this list is not a best of as such, but a chronological compendium of historic and artistic adventures that capture the career diversity of a man who used synthesizers to present traditional song structures with that something different.
DEPECHE MODE Photographic – Some Bizzare Version (1981)
The recording that started it all off, the first version of ‘Photographic’ was driven by Mute supremo Daniel Miller’s klanky Korg 55 Rhythm box. It was undoubtedly the stand-out on the ‘Some Bizzare Album’, shading SOFT CELL’s ‘The Girl With The Patent Leather Face’. Much darker than the eventual ‘Speak & Spell’ album take, while tuneful, ‘Photographic’ was not indicative of the supreme pop nous that Clarke was later reveal.
A fine debut single from DEPECHE MODE, the infectious melody of ‘Dreaming Of Me’ and closing “la-la-la” refrain borrowed from ‘Make Me Smile (Come Up & See Me)’ by COCKNEY REBEL (incidentally later covered by ERASURE) were a dreamboat combination as a naïve but snarly Dave Gahan interpreted Clarke’s rather bizarre lyrics. although not a Top 40 hit, as a great slice of synthpop, it certainly deserved to be…
Available as a bonus track on the DEPECHE MODE album ‘Speak & Spell’ via Mute Records
YAZOO In My Room – David Jensen BBC Session Version (1982)
‘In My Room’ was a good song from ‘Upstairs at Eric’s’ but was spoiled by the tape loop experiments featuring Clarke’s voice For a David Jensen BBC session, these spoken word passages were omitted and the track was reworked using a Fairlight. While much sparser, this superior version allowed the beautifully dark nature of ‘In My Room’ to shine with Alison Moyet on tremendously passionate vocal form.
Originally the B-side to ‘The Other Side Of Love’, ‘Ode to Boy’ was one of only three songwriting collaborations Clarke did with Moyet while in YAZOO. The song itself was Moyet’s own personal tribute to Clarke, and despite their difficulties in gelling as people, the chemistry between them in this sparse but hypnotic track showed that musically at least, there was potentially more great work to come, had they been able to stay together.
Available on the YAZOO album ‘‘You & Me Both’ via Mute Records
On what turned out to be THE ASSEMBLY’s only single, ‘Never Never’ saw Fergal Sharkey providing his distinctive warble which was marvellously counterpointed with his very Moyet-esque backing vocals. It was an interesting concept to feature guest vocalists over Clarke’s songs but the only track that did eventually surface from these sessions was ‘One Day’ with Paul Quinn from BOURGIE BOURGIE.
“In the middle of the YAZOO project, I tapped him on the shoulder and said ‘I’ve got some songs, can you give me a day in the studio?’” recalled Robert Marlow, Clarke’s best friend and a cult figure in the Basildon music scene. ‘The Face Of Dorian Grey’ was the first fruit of labours and was released on Reset Records, a label set up by Clarke and Eric Radcliffe that was licensed initially to RCA. But the single wasn’t a hit and RCA later withdrew funding.
Available on the ROBERT MARLOW album ‘‘Peter Pan Effect’ via Energy Records
Clarke placed a small ad in Melody Maker that said “Versatile voice wanted for established songwriter”; a 21 year old Andy Bell was audition #36 and what set the ex-butcher apart from the others was his ability to hit falsetto during the audition piece ‘Who Needs Love (Like That)’. Impressing not only with his Moyet-esque vocal technique but range too, in neo-X Factor style, the judging panel of Clarke, producer Flood and Daniel Miller declared Bell as the winner… ERASURE were born.
Available on the ERASURE album ‘Wonderland’ via Mute Records
TWILIGHT comprised of ERASURE’s tour manager Andrew Mansi and soon-to-be NITZER EBB tour manager Steev Toth. Vince Clarke would produce what turned out to be their only single. ‘Just Me Alone’ was great synthpop regardless, but that VC touch gave it something special. The B-side ‘Talk To You’ showed TWILIGHT did indeed have songwriting talent, but the duo went back to their day jobs with their point proven.
Originally released as a single via Polydor Records, currently unavailable
Imagine Roy Orbison doing electropop… that was the concept of ‘Blue Savannah’. Uncluttered and full of soaring optimism, this glorious ditty has crossed over to be one of ERASURE’s most universally loved songs and is without doubt, equal to ‘A Little Respect’. It came in the middle of an imperial phase that began with ‘The Innocents’ and continued to the ‘ABBA-Esque’ EP reaching No1 and the spectacular 1992 theatrical shows.
Available on the ERASURE album ‘Wild!’ via Mute Records
ERASURE’s seventh self-titled album was Vince Clarke’s attempt at prog synth or as Andy Bell referred to it, the duo’s own ‘Dark Side Of The Moon’ ie ‘Bright Side Of The Sun’. It was an ambitious, if flawed opus with extended intros and the sub-10 minute numbers like ‘Rock Me Gently’. The brilliant ‘Fingers and Thumbs (Cold Summer’s Day)’ was possibly their most underrated single.
CHINESE DETECTIVES hailed from Norway and only doing cover versions of New Wave classics as a “SILICON TEENS of the 90s”. Among their reworkings was ‘Situation’ but with a taste for the obscure, having named themselves after the plinky instrumental interlude of YAZOO’s 1982 concert tour, they recorded their own version of it. Very much a note-for-note transcription, it remains the only officially released version of the track.
When Vince Clarke and Martyn Ware followed up ‘Pretentious’, ‘Spectrum Pursuit Vehicle’ formed part of an art installation where the colours referred to in the titles of the six lengthy pieces were “programmed to cross fade imperceptibly to create an infinite variation of hue”. Using binaural 3D mixing techniques, tracks such as ‘Green’ took the looming symphonic string template of OMD’s ’66 & Fading’ into a new spacey dimension.
‘The Floating World’ was an instrumental that closed the SIMPLE MINDS’ rather dull ‘Cry’ album. Basically a thumping rave version of the ‘Dr Who Theme’, closer scrutiny revealed this track to be written by one ‘V. Clarke’. It was more like the band’s early electronic experiments such as ‘Film Theme’ and ‘Theme For Great Cities’; this unlikely collaboration was SIMPLE MINDS’ most interesting work in nearly 15 years.
Available on the SIMPLE MINDS album ‘Cry’ via Eagle Records
Following 2001’s dull “indie” album ‘Loveboat’ and their inconclusive covers compendium ‘Other People’s Songs’, Andy Bell and Vince Clarke made ‘Nightbird’, possibly their best album since ‘The Innocents’. Made entirely using soft synths and more layered than anything before, ‘Here I Go Impossible Again’ was one of the highlights in a brilliant cohesive collection of work. It was proof if that if you’ve got it but have lost it, you can get it again back if you keep trying…
Available on the ERASURE album ‘Nightbird’ via Mute Records
POLLY SCATTERGOOD Other Too Endless – Vince Clarke Remix (2009)
Polly Scattergood was managed by former Mute plugger Neil Ferris and her self-titled debut came out on Mute in 2009. An intense organic collection of ethereal songs, Scattergood was a promising talent unafraid to express emotion and vulnerability. From it, ‘Other Too Endless’ was bolstered by a superb VC remix and highlighted the compatibility of her sound within a synthesized pop environment.
Available on the POLLY SCATTERGOOD single ‘Other Too Endless’ via Mute Records
THE GOOD NATURED were a British pop trio who initially made a splash with a more conventional template on singles like ‘Be My Animal’. But they keen to collaborate and explore more electronic territory. ‘Ghost Train’ originated from a demo that Clarke sent over to the band. Singer Sarah McIntosh’s voice was given a layered, almost robotic aesthetic. Like a futuristic funfair ride, ‘Ghost Train’ swooped in a manner that was very appealing. They later changed their name to LOVESTARRS.
Originally released as a free download via Astralwerks, currently unavailable
ELECTRIC YOUTH are a synthesizer couple hailing from Edmonton in Canada. Having enjoyed ‘A Real Hero’, Bronwyn Griffin and Austin Garrick’s contribution to the ‘Drive’ soundtrack, Clarke accepted the duo’s invitation to provide his production and mixing skills to the dreamy synthpop of ‘The Best Thing’. Bringing a vintage Yamaha CS80 along to the session, this laid back but melodic ditty was enhanced by the input and came out as ELECTRIC YOUTH’s second single.
Available on the ELECTRIC YOUTH album ‘Innerworld’ via Last Gang Entertainment / Secretly Canadian
At 2011’s Short Circuit Presents Mute, Martin Gore discussed with Vince Clarke about collaborating on some minimal techno sketches. After a period of exchanging sound files via the web, the fruits of their endeavours were released as ‘Ssss’ by Mute. Very much Martin Gore’s “kind of disco”, tracks like ‘Spock’ and ‘Single Blip’ were more accessible than purer forms of techno, but the best track was ‘Lowly’ with its sweeping synthetic strings over robotic rhythms.
Available on the VCMG album ‘Ssss’ via Mute Records
VINCE CLARKE & ANA BRUN Fly On The Windscreen (2012)
Novelist Tonya Hurley commissioned her brother-in-law to record a stark cover of his former band’s ‘Fly On The Windscreen’ with vocalist Ane Brun, as part of promotion for her literary trilogy ‘The Blessed’. While the original guitar-like textures were retained, the rest of the widescreen arrangement was quite different with a vulnerable feminine Gothic twist that acted as the ‘Twilight’ Generation’s perfect introduction to DEPECHE MODE.
Following the disappointment of 2011’s ‘Tomorrow’s World’, ‘The Violet Flame’, produced by Richard X saw ERASURE return to form and express an infectious zest for the future. Following his VCMG techno project, the songs began with Vince Clarke’s pre-recorded dance grooves. The result was a much more immediate album and ‘Dead Of Night’ was its euphoric opening number.
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opus and topics such as social media and being European…
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for a one-off independent single release in 1978. He needed a label name and chose ‘Mute’ after the button that came on the equipment that he had used as a film studies student.
which was issued as MUTE 002 in October 1979. A seminal work that was also critically acclaimed, it helped establish Mute’s credentials as a champion of electronic music.
by German band DEUTSCH AMERIKANISCHE FREUNDSCHAFT (DAF) in March 1980. Miller had signed them because “they weren’t relying on past rock”. The majority of STUMM 1 was recorded with the legendary 
. However the remaining trio of Andy Fletcher, Dave Gahan and Martin Gore recruited Alan Wilder, soldiered on and the rest is history. Meanwhile, the departed Vince Clarke went on to further success with YAZOO, THE ASSEMBLY and ERASURE.
will be out on 28th September 2015.
was released as STUMM 3
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