Mute Records
Encyclopedia
Mute is an independent record label based in the UK. It was founded in 1978 by Daniel Miller and featured several prominent musical acts on its roster such as Goldfrapp
, Depeche Mode
, Yazoo
, Erasure
and Fad Gadget
.
. He recorded the tracks "T.V.O.D." and "Warm Leatherette
", and distributed them through Rough Trade Shops under the label name Mute Records. The label was formed initially just to release the one single. "T.V.O.D."/"Warm Leatherette" became a cult hit ensuring the future of the label. "Warm Leatherette" was later covered
by Grace Jones
.
After meeting Robert Rental
(who had previously worked with Thomas Leer
), Miller began recording and playing live as Robert Rental & The Normal. In 1979 they went on tour supporting the punk
band Stiff Little Fingers
, who had just released an album that was being distributed by Rough Trade
.
(D.A.F.), who had recently moved to London
. The band's 1980 album, Die Kleinen Und Die Bösen, was the first album released by the new label. The album had the catalogue prefix, "Stumm", a play on the record label's name, meaning "mute" in German
. This prefix would continue to be used through most of the label's album catalogue.
Also in 1980, Miller recorded and released the cover single, "Memphis Tennessee", under the name Silicon Teens
. The band was Miller’s realisation of a dream Mute Records group, whose main instruments were synthesisers. In mid-1980, Mute Records released the Silicon Teens' album, titled Music For Parties.
Around this time the artist Fad Gadget
had begun recording new demos
, including the track "Back To Nature". This was released as a single in 1980, followed by the next single "Ricky's Hand
" and the album Fireside Favourites
recorded at Blackwing Studios
.
September 1980 saw the release of the double-holed, multi-speed 7" single
by Non & Smegma, one of the first experimental noise releases from the label. Boyd Rice
(Non) went on to release several more recordings with Mute Records. After touring with Daniel Miller as Robert Rental
& The Normal
, Robert Rental released his only Mute Records single, "Double Heart", a rare, remaining trace of this late electronic music
pioneer.
Miller approached Depeche Mode
in 1980, after seeing them perform in London, wanting them to record a single for his label; that first single was "Dreaming of Me
". Emerging out of the British electronic pop scene, Depeche Mode quickly asserted themselves as a radio-friendly pop group, and had hits with their next three singles, including the UK top ten
single, "Just Can't Get Enough". Their loyalty to Mute was reciprocated by the label’s rapid expansion to cope with their success. In defiance of the major recording labels predictions of failure, Depeche Mode became a successful charting band worldwide. The band's consistency was unbroken even by the departure of principal songwriter Vince Clarke
. Martin Gore
took over the main songwriting role, opening the band up to different influences and sustaining their creativity as a band.
Mute continued to support other experimental artists, such as NON, releasing an album of Boyd Rice's pre-NON recordings, titled Boyd Rice. 1982 began with the release of the 12-inch single
, "Rise", by Boyd Rice, released under the name NON.
Fad Gadget released his third album for the label, titled Under the Flag
, influenced by the current Falklands War
and the feeling of being British in the most unseemly of times. The album spawned the singles "For Whom the Bells Toll" and "Life on the Line".
Mute Record's big commercial success of 1982 was the band Yazoo
, the duo of Vince Clarke
and Alison Moyet
. After leaving Depeche Mode, Clarke had set up a studio in the Blackwing Studios complex, where he recorded the singles "Only You
" and "Don’t Go
".
That year, Mute licensed the single, "Fred Vom Jupiter", from the German record label Atatak. The track was recorded by Holger Hiller
, Andreas Dorau and the schoolgirl Marinas. Also from Germany was the single, "Los Ninos Del Parque", by Liaisons Dangeruses, later released by Mute. Liaisons Dangeruses included Chrislo Hass, who had previously been in the German band DAF.
After returning from a world tour in 1983, Depeche Mode release the industrial
-influenced hit single "Everything Counts
". Bruce Gilbert
and Graham Lewis
, of the band Wire
(who had been working together under the name Dome
), teamed up with Daniel Miller to form a project known as Duet Emmo, an anagram
of Mute and Dome. They released an album and 12-inch single, both titled Or So It Seems. Miller also secured the rights to the back catalogue of the experimental band Throbbing Gristle
.
During 1983, the Australian band The Birthday Party
transferred from 4AD
to Mute Records. The band broke up after releasing their final 12-inch single, "Mutiny". Birthday Party's singer, Nick Cave
, stayed with Mute and released his debut single as Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds
. The single was a cover of the song, "In the Ghetto
", by Mac Davis
, previously made famous by Elvis Presley
. Yazoo released the album You and Me Both
that year, and disbanded. Vince Clarke then began working at Blackwing Studios under the name The Assembly
. The project's first single, "Never Never
", was a hit, featuring Feargal Sharkey
on vocals.
D.A.F.
split up, and in 1983, ex-member Robert Görl released the single "Mit Dir" on Mute. He recorded the album, Night Full of Tension, the following year, including the single "Darling Don’t Leave Me", featuring Annie Lennox
. In 1984, Depeche Mode had one of their biggest hits in the UK with the single "People Are People
". Their album that year, Some Great Reward
, reached number one in Germany
and became their first hit in the United States
.
Mute released an album of archive material from the German band Einstürzende Neubauten
, titled Strategies Against Architecture '80–'83, compiled by Jim Thirlwell
. Mute used Berlin
as a recording location at this time. Einstürzende Neubauten member F.M. Einheit contributed on the recording of the Fad Gadget album, Gag, along with Rowland S. Howard
(ex-guitarist for The Birthday Party), who also contributed to the 1983 Fad Gadget single, "I Discover Love". Einstürzende Neubauten's Blixa Bargeld
began working with Nick Cave at this time, playing guitar with Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. The resulting 1984 album, From Her to Eternity
, included a cover of Leonard Cohen
's song, "Avalanche
".
In 1984, Bruce Gilbert
extended his field of music into dance after a commission to write music for dancer Michael Clark
. Gilbert recorded with engineer John Fryer
at Blackwing Studios. The recordings were documented by Mute on the album, This Way.
The synth duo I Start Counting released their debut single, "Letters to a Friend", in June 1984, produced by Daniel Miller. 1984 ended with the long delayed release of Easy Listening for the Hard of Hearing
by Frank Tovey
and Boyd Rice. The album was originally recorded at Blackwing Studios in May 1981, using sounds created from non-musical appliances, and other studio-generated sounds. The recordings were engineered by John Fryer and Eric Radcliffe
.
In 1985, a new incarnation of Simon Bonney
's Crime and the City Solution
formed, including ex-Birthday Party members Mick Harvey
and Rowland S. Howard. The new line-up released the EP
, The Dangling Man, and later the mini-album
, Just South of Heaven. Mute released the single, "Hypnotized", in May 1985, by newly-signed artist Mark Stewart
, produced by Adrian Sherwood
. Stewart recorded his first album for Mute, As the Veneer of Democracy Starts to Fade, in November 1985, also produced by Sherwood, under the name Mark Stewart and the Mafia. Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds
released their second album, The Firstborn Is Dead
, recorded at the Berlin recording studio, Hansa Tonstudio
, co-produced by Flood.
Fad Gadget began recording as Frank Tovey in 1985, and released the single "Luxury" in August that year, co-produced with Daniel Miller. Vince Clarke and Andy Bell
began recording as Erasure
in 1985, and released their debut album the next year.
Frank Tovey
released his first album under his own name, after leaving his Fad Gadget moniker behind him. The new album was titled Snakes and Ladders. The initial release included a twelve inch single containing four Fad Gadget
tracks.
To celebrate five years of Depeche Mode
, Mute released a compilation album of the band's singles, The Singles 81→85. A remaster
ed edition was issued in October 1998 with additional tracks, including an original version of the song "Photographic", released on Some Bizzare Records
. Wire member Graham Lewis
launched his project in 1985, known as He Said
, with Mute releasing the project's debut single, "Only One I". Lewis released his debut album the following year after two more singles.
Erasure released the single, "Sometimes
", in 1986, a UK top ten hit. I Start Counting finished recording their debut album that year, My Translucent Hands. Wire
re-grouped to record a 12-inch single, "Snakedrill
", produced by Daniel Miller and Gareth Jones
. Band member Bruce Gilbert
went on to produce the 12-inch single, "Just Talk", for A.C. Marias.
Two Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds
albums were released in 1986. The first was Kicking Against the Pricks
, a collection of covers including All Tomorrow's Parties
and Something's Gotten Hold of My Heart
. The second album released in November 1986 was Your Funeral… My Trial.
Mute signed the American, female singer Diamanda Galás
who in her first year with Mute released two albums The Divine Punishment
, and later in the year Saint of the Pit
.
Mute carried out a licensing deal with the Japanese company Wave. This gave Mute the rights to release the Japanese financed album titled Oben Im Eck by Holger Hiller
; the album was released in November 1986.
Crime and the City Solution
released new material in 1986 including the album Room of Lights and the twelve inch single Kentucky Click/Adventure. The new album won the band acclaim in the European press showing the Australian bands growing popularity across Europe
.
The end of 1986 saw Mute Records sign the Yugoslav band Laibach
. The following year Mute released the bands album Opus Dei
, which included the cover single, Life is Life. Also at the end of 1986 the band Wire
returned to the studio with producer Gareth Jones
. In 1987 Mute released the result of the studio sessions, the album The Ideal Copy
.
1987 saw Depeche Mode
recording and working with a new producer Dave Bascombe
. In September, Mute released Music for the Masses
. The album was supported by a world tour
. During the promotional tour for the new album, Depeche Mode became increasingly popular in the musical mainstream. The 101st concert they performed was recorded and made into a film, documenting one of their largest attended concerts. A live album of the concert was released in 1989 titled 101
. The Music for the Masses tour saw new Mute artists Nitzer Ebb
performing as a supporting act. They had already released two singles with Mute before releasing their debut album, That Total Age
, in May 1987.
's album, Metatron, in May 1990, which included the single, "Hysteria". Stewart continued working with producer Adrian Sherwood. Mute signed Goldfrapp
in August of that year, consisting of Alison Goldfrapp
and Will Gregory
. The duo began recording their debut album, Felt Mountain
, in a hired cottage in Wiltshire
, South West England
. Goldfrapp completed the recording after six months, and the album was released in September 2000.
Mute was one of the first British record labels to have an Internet presence, entitled Mute Liberation Technologies. This started out running as an FTP
site, Telnet
site and a bulletin board system
in 1994. They continued to be run in tandem for a number of years until they were shut down. Mute Liberation Technologies has been running as a website since 1995. A newer version of the site was launched in July 2004.
In 2001, Rough Trade Records
celebrated the twenty fifth anniversary of the opening of their first retail shop. To mark the anniversary, Mute released the Rough Trade Shops 25 Years four CD box set. The album release coincided with ten days of special live events across London. Tracks appearing on the box set were carefully chosen to represent some of the most popular records sold during the past twenty five years at Rough Trade shops; these included recordings by Nick Cave
, Joy Division
and Stereolab
.
for £23m. The deal was finalized even though one in four acts signed by EMI faced being dropped by the label after job cuts in March 2002. Daniel Miller remained in charge of the company’s global activities.
Mute released the single "Dirty Sticky Floors
" in May 2003, from Depeche Mode singer Dave Gahan's debut solo album, Paper Monsters
. Gahans debuted as a songwriter on the album, written and recorded along with Gahan's friend, Knox Chandler
. Mute released another Depeche Mode solo project that year, Counterfeit²
by Martin Gore
, a collection of cover songs recorded at Gore's home studio. The eleven tracks on the album included songs that were recorded originally by Iggy Pop
, John Lennon
, and Brian Eno
.
released their fifth album, Head First
, in March 2010. Recorded in 2009 in Bath and London
, the album included the singles "Rocket
" and "Alive
".
The American band Liars
also released a new album in March 2010, Sisterworld
, which included the single "Scissor", as a digital download.
In September 2010, EMI and Daniel Miller reached an agreement in which EMI would support Miller in the establishment of a second record label. The Mute brand once again became an independent record label. The new label will operate under the Mute trademark, which will be licensed by EMI and will be supported by EMI via services such as sales, licensing, and distribution. Daniel Miller was given full control of the new label, leaving EMI with a minority equity interest in the company. To help fund the new label, EMI licensed part of the Mute back catalogue, also giving support in areas such as royalty administration and business affairs. Current Mute artists such as Depeche Mode
and Goldfrapp
remain signed to and marketed by EMI Music. Many other bands will move over to Miller's new independent label.
October 2010 saw the release of Dust Lane by the French artist Yann Tiersen
. The album incorporated vintage electronic sounds and textures recorded over two years in France
and the Philippines
. In November Mute released Einstürzende Neubauten
s fourth album
in the Strategies Against Architecture series. The album continues with an archive compilation of the band's output from 2002 to 2010.
Goldfrapp
Goldfrapp are an English electronic music duo, formed in 1999 in London, England, that consists of Alison Goldfrapp and Will Gregory ....
, Depeche Mode
Depeche Mode
Depeche Mode are an English electronic music band formed in 1980 in Basildon, Essex. The group's original line-up consisted of Dave Gahan , Martin Gore , Andy Fletcher and Vince Clarke...
, Yazoo
Yazoo (band)
Yazoo are a British synthpop duo from Basildon, Essex. They had a number of Top 10 hits in the UK charts in the early 1980s...
, Erasure
Erasure
Erasure are an English synthpop duo, consisting of songwriter and keyboardist Vince Clarke and singer Andy Bell. Erasure entered the music scene in 1985 with their debut single "Who Needs Love Like That"...
and Fad Gadget
Fad Gadget
Fad Gadget is the stage name of Francis John Tovey , a British avant-garde electronic musician and vocalist. He was a proponent of both New Wave and early Industrial music....
.
Beginnings
During 1978, Daniel Miller began recording music using synthesisers under the name The NormalThe Normal
The Normal is the recording artist name used by English music producer Daniel Miller, a film editor at the time, who is best known as the founder of the record label Mute Records.-Background:...
. He recorded the tracks "T.V.O.D." and "Warm Leatherette
Warm Leatherette
"Warm Leatherette" is a song by Daniel Miller.-Overview:"Warm Leatherette" was released as the B-side to "T.V.O.D.", the only single by Miller's musical project The Normal. It was the very first release on his Mute Records label, and an early example of the then-burgeoning industrial music genre....
", and distributed them through Rough Trade Shops under the label name Mute Records. The label was formed initially just to release the one single. "T.V.O.D."/"Warm Leatherette" became a cult hit ensuring the future of the label. "Warm Leatherette" was later covered
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
by Grace Jones
Grace Jones
Grace Jones is a Jamaican-American singer, model and actress.Jones secured a record deal with Island Records in 1977, which resulted in a string of dance-club hits. In the late 1970s, she adapted the emerging electronic music style and adopted a severe, androgynous look with square-cut hair and...
.
After meeting Robert Rental
Robert Rental
Robert Rental was the stage name of Robert Donnachie , a pioneer of the post punk DIY industrial electronic music scene in the United Kingdom.-Biography:...
(who had previously worked with Thomas Leer
Thomas Leer
Thomas Leer is a British musician who as well as releasing a number of albums and singles in his own right, was also one half of the 1980s electropop band Act...
), Miller began recording and playing live as Robert Rental & The Normal. In 1979 they went on tour supporting the punk
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
band Stiff Little Fingers
Stiff Little Fingers
Stiff Little Fingers are a punk rock band from Belfast, Northern Ireland. They formed in 1977, at the height of the Troubles. They started out as a schoolboy band called Highway Star , doing rock covers, until they discovered punk. They split up after six years and four albums, although they...
, who had just released an album that was being distributed by Rough Trade
Rough Trade Records
Rough Trade Records is an independent record label based in London. It was formed in 1978 by Geoff Travis who had opened a record store off Ladbroke Grove...
.
1980–1989
In 1980, Miller released the single, "Kebabtraume", by the German band Deutsch-Amerikanische FreundschaftDeutsch-Amerikanische Freundschaft
Deutsch Amerikanische Freundschaft or D.A.F. is an influential German electropunk/NDW band from Düsseldorf, formed in 1978 featuring Gabriel "Gabi" Delgado-López , Robert Görl , Kurt "Pyrolator" Dahlke , Michael Kemner and Wolfgang Spelmans...
(D.A.F.), who had recently moved to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. The band's 1980 album, Die Kleinen Und Die Bösen, was the first album released by the new label. The album had the catalogue prefix, "Stumm", a play on the record label's name, meaning "mute" in German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
. This prefix would continue to be used through most of the label's album catalogue.
Also in 1980, Miller recorded and released the cover single, "Memphis Tennessee", under the name Silicon Teens
Silicon Teens
Silicon Teens were a virtual British electronic new wave pop group. The project was the creation of Mute Records founder Daniel Miller.-Background:...
. The band was Miller’s realisation of a dream Mute Records group, whose main instruments were synthesisers. In mid-1980, Mute Records released the Silicon Teens' album, titled Music For Parties.
Around this time the artist Fad Gadget
Fad Gadget
Fad Gadget is the stage name of Francis John Tovey , a British avant-garde electronic musician and vocalist. He was a proponent of both New Wave and early Industrial music....
had begun recording new demos
Demo (music)
A demo version or demo of a song is one recorded for reference rather than for release. A demo is a way for a musician to approximate their ideas on tape or disc, and provide an example of those ideas to record labels, producers or other artists...
, including the track "Back To Nature". This was released as a single in 1980, followed by the next single "Ricky's Hand
Ricky's Hand
"Ricky's Hand" is a song by Fad Gadget, released as a single in 1980. It was the second Fad Gadget single, following "Back to Nature" the previous year. The track was not included on any studio album, predating a debut LP by several months, but does appear on several compilations...
" and the album Fireside Favourites
Fireside Favourites
Fireside Favourites is an album released by Frank Tovey, better known as Fad Gadget, in September 1980. The music developed the primitive industrial sound of his first recordings, the singles "Back to Nature" and "Ricky's Hand"...
recorded at Blackwing Studios
Blackwing Studios
Blackwing Studios was an English recording studio, most notable for early Depeche Mode and Yazoo recordings in the early 1980s.-Background:The Blackwing Studios complex was housed inside a deconsecrated church in South-East London. All Hallows church was partly destroyed during The Blitz in 1941...
.
September 1980 saw the release of the double-holed, multi-speed 7" single
Gramophone record
A gramophone record, commonly known as a phonograph record , vinyl record , or colloquially, a record, is an analog sound storage medium consisting of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove...
by Non & Smegma, one of the first experimental noise releases from the label. Boyd Rice
Boyd Rice
Boyd Blake Rice is an American experimental sound/noise musician using the name of NON since the mid-1970s, archivist, actor, photographer, author, member of the Partridge Family Temple religious group, co-founder of the UNPOP art movement and current staff writer for Modern Drunkard...
(Non) went on to release several more recordings with Mute Records. After touring with Daniel Miller as Robert Rental
Robert Rental
Robert Rental was the stage name of Robert Donnachie , a pioneer of the post punk DIY industrial electronic music scene in the United Kingdom.-Biography:...
& The Normal
The Normal
The Normal is the recording artist name used by English music producer Daniel Miller, a film editor at the time, who is best known as the founder of the record label Mute Records.-Background:...
, Robert Rental released his only Mute Records single, "Double Heart", a rare, remaining trace of this late electronic music
Electronic music
Electronic music is music that employs electronic musical instruments and electronic music technology in its production. In general a distinction can be made between sound produced using electromechanical means and that produced using electronic technology. Examples of electromechanical sound...
pioneer.
Miller approached Depeche Mode
Depeche Mode
Depeche Mode are an English electronic music band formed in 1980 in Basildon, Essex. The group's original line-up consisted of Dave Gahan , Martin Gore , Andy Fletcher and Vince Clarke...
in 1980, after seeing them perform in London, wanting them to record a single for his label; that first single was "Dreaming of Me
Dreaming of Me
"Dreaming of Me" is the debut single by Depeche Mode recorded at Blackwing Studios, originally released on February 20, 1981 in the UK. The single was not commercially released in the United States....
". Emerging out of the British electronic pop scene, Depeche Mode quickly asserted themselves as a radio-friendly pop group, and had hits with their next three singles, including the UK top ten
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
single, "Just Can't Get Enough". Their loyalty to Mute was reciprocated by the label’s rapid expansion to cope with their success. In defiance of the major recording labels predictions of failure, Depeche Mode became a successful charting band worldwide. The band's consistency was unbroken even by the departure of principal songwriter Vince Clarke
Vince Clarke
Vince Clarke is an English synthpop musician and songwriter. Clarke has been involved with a number of successful groups, including Depeche Mode, Yazoo, The Assembly and Erasure....
. Martin Gore
Martin Gore
Martin Lee Gore is an English songwriter, lyricist, singer, guitarist, keyboardist, remixer and DJ. He is a founding member of Depeche Mode and has written the vast majority of their songs...
took over the main songwriting role, opening the band up to different influences and sustaining their creativity as a band.
Mute continued to support other experimental artists, such as NON, releasing an album of Boyd Rice's pre-NON recordings, titled Boyd Rice. 1982 began with the release of the 12-inch single
12-inch single
The 12-inch single is a type of gramophone record that has wider groove spacing compared to other types of records. This allows for louder levels to be cut on the disc by the cutting engineer, which in turn gives a wider dynamic range, and thus better sound quality...
, "Rise", by Boyd Rice, released under the name NON.
Fad Gadget released his third album for the label, titled Under the Flag
Under The Flag
Under The Flag is an experimental electronic album released in 1982 by Fad Gadget.Written by Frank Tovey for the most part concerning his fear for the future of the world, in light of having just become a father. He was apparently afraid of the world his son was going to grow up in...
, influenced by the current Falklands War
Falklands War
The Falklands War , also called the Falklands Conflict or Falklands Crisis, was fought in 1982 between Argentina and the United Kingdom over the disputed Falkland Islands and South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands...
and the feeling of being British in the most unseemly of times. The album spawned the singles "For Whom the Bells Toll" and "Life on the Line".
Mute Record's big commercial success of 1982 was the band Yazoo
Yazoo (band)
Yazoo are a British synthpop duo from Basildon, Essex. They had a number of Top 10 hits in the UK charts in the early 1980s...
, the duo of Vince Clarke
Vince Clarke
Vince Clarke is an English synthpop musician and songwriter. Clarke has been involved with a number of successful groups, including Depeche Mode, Yazoo, The Assembly and Erasure....
and Alison Moyet
Alison Moyet
Alison Moyet , is an English singer, songwriter and performer noted for her bluesy voice.Her UK album sales have reached a certified 2.3 million, with 800,000 singles sold, all in the UK, where all seven of her studio albums and three compilation albums have charted in the Top 40 UK Album Chart,...
. After leaving Depeche Mode, Clarke had set up a studio in the Blackwing Studios complex, where he recorded the singles "Only You
Only You (Yazoo song)
-Track listing:7": Mute/7 MUTE 20 # "Only You" - 3:10# "Situation" - 3:447": Sire/9 2-98447 # "Only You" - 3:10# "Winter Kills" - 4:0112": Mute/12 MUTE 20 # "Only You" - 3:10# "Situation" - 5:20CD: Mute/CD MUTE 20...
" and "Don’t Go
Don't Go (Yazoo song)
"Don't Go" is the second single taken from the British New Wave band Yazoo's debut album, Upstairs at Eric's. Released in the UK in July of 1982, the song peaked at #3 on the UK singles chart, becoming Yazoo's second top five hit. In the US, where the band was known as Yaz, the song was their...
".
That year, Mute licensed the single, "Fred Vom Jupiter", from the German record label Atatak. The track was recorded by Holger Hiller
Holger Hiller
Holger Hiller is a German musician.Holger Hiller studied art at the art school in Hamburg, where he met Walter Thielsch and Thomas Fehlmann and recorded first works with them. With Fehlmann he later founded the band Palais Schaumburg in 1980, of which he was the singer. At the same time his solo...
, Andreas Dorau and the schoolgirl Marinas. Also from Germany was the single, "Los Ninos Del Parque", by Liaisons Dangeruses, later released by Mute. Liaisons Dangeruses included Chrislo Hass, who had previously been in the German band DAF.
After returning from a world tour in 1983, Depeche Mode release the industrial
Industrial music
Industrial music is a style of experimental music that draws on transgressive and provocative themes. The term was coined in the mid-1970s with the founding of Industrial Records by the band Throbbing Gristle, and the creation of the slogan "industrial music for industrial people". In general, the...
-influenced hit single "Everything Counts
Everything Counts
"Everything Counts" was Depeche Mode's eighth UK single and third US single , from the then upcoming album Construction Time Again...
". Bruce Gilbert
Bruce Gilbert
Bruce Gilbert is an English musician. One of the founding members of the influential and experimental art-punk band Wire, Gilbert branched out into electronic music, performance art, music production, and DJing during the band's extended periods of inactivity...
and Graham Lewis
Graham Lewis
Graham Lewis is an English musician.Lewis is the bassist with punk rock/post-punk band Wire, a band formed in 1976...
, of the band Wire
Wire (band)
Wire are an English rock band, formed in London in October 1976 by Colin Newman , Graham Lewis , Bruce Gilbert , and Robert Gotobed...
(who had been working together under the name Dome
Dome (band)
Dome was a musical group consisting of Bruce Gilbert and Graham Lewis .-Background:...
), teamed up with Daniel Miller to form a project known as Duet Emmo, an anagram
Anagram
An anagram is a type of word play, the result of rearranging the letters of a word or phrase to produce a new word or phrase, using all the original letters exactly once; e.g., orchestra = carthorse, A decimal point = I'm a dot in place, Tom Marvolo Riddle = I am Lord Voldemort. Someone who...
of Mute and Dome. They released an album and 12-inch single, both titled Or So It Seems. Miller also secured the rights to the back catalogue of the experimental band Throbbing Gristle
Throbbing Gristle
Throbbing Gristle were an English industrial, avant-garde music and visual arts group that evolved from the performance art group COUM Transmissions...
.
During 1983, the Australian band The Birthday Party
The Birthday Party (band)
The Birthday Party were an Australian rock band, active from 1973 to 1983.Despite being championed by John Peel, The Birthday Party found little commercial success during their career...
transferred from 4AD
4AD
4AD is a British independent record label that was started in 1979 by Ivo Watts-Russell and Peter Kent, funded by Beggars Banquet Records, and is still active today...
to Mute Records. The band broke up after releasing their final 12-inch single, "Mutiny". Birthday Party's singer, Nick Cave
Nick Cave
Nicholas Edward "Nick" Cave is an Australian musician, songwriter, author, screenwriter, and occasional film actor.He is best known for his work as a frontman of the critically acclaimed rock band Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, established in 1984, a group known for its eclectic influences and...
, stayed with Mute and released his debut single as Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds are an Australian alternative rock band, formed in Melbourne in 1983. The band is fronted by Nick Cave and has featured international personnel throughout their career.-Formation and early releases :...
. The single was a cover of the song, "In the Ghetto
In the Ghetto
"In the Ghetto" is a song recorded by Elvis Presley and published by Elvis Presley Music in 1969. It was written by Mac Davis and made famous by Elvis Presley who had a major comeback hit with the song in 1969. It was released in 1969 as a 45 rpm single with "Any Day Now" as the flip side...
", by Mac Davis
Mac Davis
Mac Davis is a country music singer, songwriter, and actor originally from Lubbock, Texas who has enjoyed much crossover success...
, previously made famous by Elvis Presley
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. A cultural icon, he is widely known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King"....
. Yazoo released the album You and Me Both
You and Me Both
You and Me Both is the second, and final, album released by British synthpop duo Yazoo in 1983. As was their debut, the record was produced by Yazoo members Vince Clarke and Alison Moyet along with E.C. Radcliffe...
that year, and disbanded. Vince Clarke then began working at Blackwing Studios under the name The Assembly
The Assembly
The Assembly were a synthpop project formed in 1983 in Basildon, England by:* Vince Clarke * Eric Radcliffe...
. The project's first single, "Never Never
Never Never (The Assembly song)
"Never Never" is the title of the only single released by the Vince Clarke project, The Assembly, in 1983.The song features Feargal Sharkey of The Undertones on vocals; Sharkey's performance on "Never Never" was a total departure from the punk sound of The Undertones. The song peaked at number four...
", was a hit, featuring Feargal Sharkey
Feargal Sharkey
Feargal Sharkey is a singer from Northern Ireland who first found fame as the lead vocalist of pop punk band The Undertones...
on vocals.
D.A.F.
Deutsch-Amerikanische Freundschaft
Deutsch Amerikanische Freundschaft or D.A.F. is an influential German electropunk/NDW band from Düsseldorf, formed in 1978 featuring Gabriel "Gabi" Delgado-López , Robert Görl , Kurt "Pyrolator" Dahlke , Michael Kemner and Wolfgang Spelmans...
split up, and in 1983, ex-member Robert Görl released the single "Mit Dir" on Mute. He recorded the album, Night Full of Tension, the following year, including the single "Darling Don’t Leave Me", featuring Annie Lennox
Annie Lennox
Annie Lennox, OBE , born Ann Lennox, is a Scottish singer-songwriter, political activist and philanthropist. After achieving minor success in the late 1970s with The Tourists, with fellow musician David A...
. In 1984, Depeche Mode had one of their biggest hits in the UK with the single "People Are People
People Are People
"People Are People" is Depeche Mode's tenth UK single it was their first hit single in the US and the first single for the Some Great Reward album....
". Their album that year, Some Great Reward
Some Great Reward
Some Great Reward is the fourth album by the British electronic group Depeche Mode, released in 1984. The album peaked at #5 in the UK and at #51 in the US. The title comes from the last lines of the bridge in "Lie to Me" when it repeats near the end....
, reached number one in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
and became their first hit in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
Mute released an album of archive material from the German band Einstürzende Neubauten
Einstürzende Neubauten
Einstürzende Neubauten is a German post-industrial band, originally from West Berlin, formed in 1980. The group currently comprises Blixa Bargeld , Alexander Hacke , N.U...
, titled Strategies Against Architecture '80–'83, compiled by Jim Thirlwell
J. G. Thirlwell
James George Thirlwell , aka Clint Ruin, aka Frank Want, aka Foetus, is an Australian vocalist, composer and record producer...
. Mute used Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
as a recording location at this time. Einstürzende Neubauten member F.M. Einheit contributed on the recording of the Fad Gadget album, Gag, along with Rowland S. Howard
Rowland S. Howard
Rowland Stuart Howard was an Australian rock musician, guitarist and songwriter, he played electric guitar in the post-punk group The Birthday Party. Howard died of liver cancer in December 2009, aged 50 years....
(ex-guitarist for The Birthday Party), who also contributed to the 1983 Fad Gadget single, "I Discover Love". Einstürzende Neubauten's Blixa Bargeld
Blixa Bargeld
Blixa Bargeld is a composer, author, actor, singer, musician, performer and lecturer in a number of artistic fields...
began working with Nick Cave at this time, playing guitar with Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. The resulting 1984 album, From Her to Eternity
From Her to Eternity
From Her to Eternity is the debut album released by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds in 1984. The title is a pun on the book/movie From Here to Eternity.-Background and production:...
, included a cover of Leonard Cohen
Leonard Cohen
Leonard Norman Cohen, is a Canadian singer-songwriter, musician, poet and novelist. Cohen published his first book of poetry in Montreal in 1956 and his first novel in 1963. His work often explores religion, isolation, sexuality and interpersonal relationships...
's song, "Avalanche
Avalanche (song)
"Avalanche" is a song by Leonard Cohen. It appears on his third album, Songs of Love and Hate, released in 1971.The lyrics are based on a poem he had previously written...
".
In 1984, Bruce Gilbert
Bruce Gilbert
Bruce Gilbert is an English musician. One of the founding members of the influential and experimental art-punk band Wire, Gilbert branched out into electronic music, performance art, music production, and DJing during the band's extended periods of inactivity...
extended his field of music into dance after a commission to write music for dancer Michael Clark
Michael Clark (dancer)
Michael Clark is a Scottish dancer and choreographer.-Early life:Michael Clark was born in Aberdeen and began traditional Scottish dancing at the age of four. In 1975 he left home to study at the Royal Ballet School in London, and on his final day at the school he was presented with the Ursula...
. Gilbert recorded with engineer John Fryer
John Fryer (music)
John Fryer is an English record producer. Best known for his production work, he also branched out as a musician as one of only two constant members of This Mortal Coil , providing keyboards, strings and synthesizer sequencing for the band, and its offshoot, The Hope Blister.- Career :Starting out...
at Blackwing Studios. The recordings were documented by Mute on the album, This Way.
The synth duo I Start Counting released their debut single, "Letters to a Friend", in June 1984, produced by Daniel Miller. 1984 ended with the long delayed release of Easy Listening for the Hard of Hearing
Easy Listening for the Hard of Hearing
Easy Listening for the Hard of Hearing is a collaboration album between Boyd Rice and Frank Tovey, recorded in 1981, but released in 1984 on Mute Records, and is composed on 12 tracks labeled "extractions" 1-12. Each extraction is a minimalist noise song, none of which use any conventional musical...
by Frank Tovey
Fad Gadget
Fad Gadget is the stage name of Francis John Tovey , a British avant-garde electronic musician and vocalist. He was a proponent of both New Wave and early Industrial music....
and Boyd Rice. The album was originally recorded at Blackwing Studios in May 1981, using sounds created from non-musical appliances, and other studio-generated sounds. The recordings were engineered by John Fryer and Eric Radcliffe
Eric Radcliffe
Eric Radcliffe is a recording engineer and producer who worked with New Wave and synthpop bands in the early 1980s in Basildon, England...
.
In 1985, a new incarnation of Simon Bonney
Simon Bonney
Simon Bonney is an Australian rock musician, best known as the lead singer in Crime and the City Solution. The band was formed in 1977 in Sydney, Australia as an outlet for Bonney's songs and had a number of different line-ups throughout their history, with Bonney as the only constant member...
's Crime and the City Solution
Crime and the City Solution
Crime and the City Solution was a rock music band formed by Australian singer and songwriter Simon Bonney.They had four distinct line-ups: Sydney in 1977–78, Melbourne in 1979, and two groupings in Berlin from 1985–1990. The only common member in all four line-ups was Bonney.Other members included:...
formed, including ex-Birthday Party members Mick Harvey
Mick Harvey
Michael John Harvey , is an Australian rock musician, composer, arranger and record producer. He is best known for his long-time collaboration with the singer and songwriter Nick Cave...
and Rowland S. Howard. The new line-up released the EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
, The Dangling Man, and later the mini-album
Mini-LP
A Mini-LP or Mini-album is a short album, usually retailing at a lower price than an album that would be considered "full-length".-History:...
, Just South of Heaven. Mute released the single, "Hypnotized", in May 1985, by newly-signed artist Mark Stewart
Mark Stewart (musician)
Mark Stewart is a British musician and founding member of The Pop Group. A pioneer of industrial hip-hop, he has recorded for On-U Sound Records and Mute Records.-Career:...
, produced by Adrian Sherwood
Adrian Sherwood
Adrian Sherwood is an English record producer best known for his work with dub music as well as for remixing a number of popular acts such as Coldcut, Depeche Mode, The Woodentops, Primal Scream, Pop Will Eat Itself, Sinéad O'Connor, and Skinny Puppy...
. Stewart recorded his first album for Mute, As the Veneer of Democracy Starts to Fade, in November 1985, also produced by Sherwood, under the name Mark Stewart and the Mafia. Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds are an Australian alternative rock band, formed in Melbourne in 1983. The band is fronted by Nick Cave and has featured international personnel throughout their career.-Formation and early releases :...
released their second album, The Firstborn Is Dead
The Firstborn Is Dead
The Firstborn Is Dead is the second studio album released by the post-punk band Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. It was first released in 1985. On this record, singer Nick Cave continued his fascination with the American South, with its references to Elvis Presley and bluesmen like Blind Lemon Jefferson...
, recorded at the Berlin recording studio, Hansa Tonstudio
Hansa Tonstudio
Das Hansa Tonstudio is a recording studio located on Köthener Strasse in the Kreuzberg district of Berlin, Germany. Amongst English-performing musical acts it used to be known as 'Hansa Studio By the Wall', 'Hansa by the Wall', or 'The Great Hall by the Wall' in reference to the fact that it was...
, co-produced by Flood.
Fad Gadget began recording as Frank Tovey in 1985, and released the single "Luxury" in August that year, co-produced with Daniel Miller. Vince Clarke and Andy Bell
Andy Bell (singer)
Andrew Ivan "Andy" Bell is the lead singer of the English synthpop duo Erasure. He also has a solo career, with the albums Non-Stop and Electric Blue.-Early life:Andy Bell originates from the Dogsthorpe area in Peterborough...
began recording as Erasure
Erasure
Erasure are an English synthpop duo, consisting of songwriter and keyboardist Vince Clarke and singer Andy Bell. Erasure entered the music scene in 1985 with their debut single "Who Needs Love Like That"...
in 1985, and released their debut album the next year.
Frank Tovey
Fad Gadget
Fad Gadget is the stage name of Francis John Tovey , a British avant-garde electronic musician and vocalist. He was a proponent of both New Wave and early Industrial music....
released his first album under his own name, after leaving his Fad Gadget moniker behind him. The new album was titled Snakes and Ladders. The initial release included a twelve inch single containing four Fad Gadget
Fad Gadget
Fad Gadget is the stage name of Francis John Tovey , a British avant-garde electronic musician and vocalist. He was a proponent of both New Wave and early Industrial music....
tracks.
To celebrate five years of Depeche Mode
Depeche Mode
Depeche Mode are an English electronic music band formed in 1980 in Basildon, Essex. The group's original line-up consisted of Dave Gahan , Martin Gore , Andy Fletcher and Vince Clarke...
, Mute released a compilation album of the band's singles, The Singles 81→85. A remaster
Remaster
Remaster is a word marketed mostly in the digital audio age, although the remastering process has existed since recording began...
ed edition was issued in October 1998 with additional tracks, including an original version of the song "Photographic", released on Some Bizzare Records
Some Bizzare Records
Some Bizzare Records is a British independent record label owned by Stevo Pearce. The label was founded in 1981, with the release of Some Bizzare Album, a compilation of unsigned bands including Depeche Mode, Soft Cell, The The, Neu Electrikk and Blancmange.-1981-1989:One of the first bands that...
. Wire member Graham Lewis
Graham Lewis
Graham Lewis is an English musician.Lewis is the bassist with punk rock/post-punk band Wire, a band formed in 1976...
launched his project in 1985, known as He Said
He Said
He Said was the name used by Wire member Graham Lewis for his solo record releases in the 1980s.-Background:The first He Said album titled Hail was released by Mute Records in October 1986. It was produced by Graham Lewis and John Fyer and recorded at Blackwing Studios in London...
, with Mute releasing the project's debut single, "Only One I". Lewis released his debut album the following year after two more singles.
Erasure released the single, "Sometimes
Sometimes (Erasure song)
"Sometimes" is a song by British synthpop duo Erasure, released in October 1986 as their fourth single overall.After three commercial flops from their debut album Wonderland, "Sometimes" became Erasure's first bonafide hit, peaking at number one in South Africa, number two in their native United...
", in 1986, a UK top ten hit. I Start Counting finished recording their debut album that year, My Translucent Hands. Wire
Wire (band)
Wire are an English rock band, formed in London in October 1976 by Colin Newman , Graham Lewis , Bruce Gilbert , and Robert Gotobed...
re-grouped to record a 12-inch single, "Snakedrill
Snakedrill
Snakedrill was an EP released by Wire in 1986. The album features the return of the band after their five-year hiatus, and foreshadows their extensive use of electronic instrumentation on following albums, particularly on "'A Serious of Snakes...'", which contains multiple layered synth and...
", produced by Daniel Miller and Gareth Jones
Gareth Jones
Gareth Jones may refer to:* Gareth Stedman Jones , British historian* Gareth Jones * Gareth Jones * Gareth Jones * Gareth Jones...
. Band member Bruce Gilbert
Bruce Gilbert
Bruce Gilbert is an English musician. One of the founding members of the influential and experimental art-punk band Wire, Gilbert branched out into electronic music, performance art, music production, and DJing during the band's extended periods of inactivity...
went on to produce the 12-inch single, "Just Talk", for A.C. Marias.
Two Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds are an Australian alternative rock band, formed in Melbourne in 1983. The band is fronted by Nick Cave and has featured international personnel throughout their career.-Formation and early releases :...
albums were released in 1986. The first was Kicking Against the Pricks
Kicking Against the Pricks
Kicking Against the Pricks is the third album released by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. First released in 1986, the album is a collection of cover versions...
, a collection of covers including All Tomorrow's Parties
All Tomorrow's Parties
"All Tomorrow's Parties" is a song by The Velvet UndergroundAll Tomorrow's Parties may also refer to:* All Tomorrow's Parties , an annual festival in England...
and Something's Gotten Hold of My Heart
Something's Gotten Hold of My Heart
"Something's Gotten Hold of My Heart" is a popular song written by Roger Greenaway and Roger Cook.Originally recorded by David and Jonathan, and then Gene Pitney in 1967, the song reached #5 on the UK singles chart but failed to chart in the USA...
. The second album released in November 1986 was Your Funeral… My Trial.
Mute signed the American, female singer Diamanda Galás
Diamanda Galás
Diamanda Galás is an American avant-garde composer, vocalist, pianist, organist, performance artist and painter.Galás has been described as "capable of the most unnerving vocal terror", with her three and a half octave vocal range. She often screams, hisses and growls...
who in her first year with Mute released two albums The Divine Punishment
The Divine Punishment
The Divine Punishment is the third full-length album by avant-garde performer Diamanda Galás, and the first installment of her "Masque of the Red Death Trilogy" about the AIDS epidemic...
, and later in the year Saint of the Pit
Saint of the Pit
Saint of the Pit is the fourth full-length album by avant-garde performer Diamanda Galás, and the second installment of her "Masque of the Red Death Trilogy" about the AIDS epidemic. In this installment, she focuses on musical settings of poems by French Decadents.-Track listing:-Personnel:*F. M...
.
Mute carried out a licensing deal with the Japanese company Wave. This gave Mute the rights to release the Japanese financed album titled Oben Im Eck by Holger Hiller
Holger Hiller
Holger Hiller is a German musician.Holger Hiller studied art at the art school in Hamburg, where he met Walter Thielsch and Thomas Fehlmann and recorded first works with them. With Fehlmann he later founded the band Palais Schaumburg in 1980, of which he was the singer. At the same time his solo...
; the album was released in November 1986.
Crime and the City Solution
Crime and the City Solution
Crime and the City Solution was a rock music band formed by Australian singer and songwriter Simon Bonney.They had four distinct line-ups: Sydney in 1977–78, Melbourne in 1979, and two groupings in Berlin from 1985–1990. The only common member in all four line-ups was Bonney.Other members included:...
released new material in 1986 including the album Room of Lights and the twelve inch single Kentucky Click/Adventure. The new album won the band acclaim in the European press showing the Australian bands growing popularity across Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
.
The end of 1986 saw Mute Records sign the Yugoslav band Laibach
Laibach (band)
Laibach is a Slovenian avant-garde music group associated with industrial, martial, and neo-classical musical styles. Laibach formed June 1, 1980 in Trbovlje, Slovenia . Laibach represents the music wing of the Neue Slowenische Kunst art collective, of which it was a founding member in 1984...
. The following year Mute released the bands album Opus Dei
Opus Dei (album)
Opus Dei is the fourth album by Laibach, released in 1987. It features "Geburt einer Nation", a German cover of Queen's "One Vision" and two reworkings of Austrian band Opus' sole hit single "Live Is Life". The Opus song became the German language "Leben heißt Leben" and the English language "Opus...
, which included the cover single, Life is Life. Also at the end of 1986 the band Wire
Wire (band)
Wire are an English rock band, formed in London in October 1976 by Colin Newman , Graham Lewis , Bruce Gilbert , and Robert Gotobed...
returned to the studio with producer Gareth Jones
Gareth Jones (music producer)
Gareth Jones is an English music producer and engineer notable for working with Depeche Mode, Einstürzende Neubauten, Wire and Erasure.-Background:Gareth Jones is married and currently living in North London....
. In 1987 Mute released the result of the studio sessions, the album The Ideal Copy
The Ideal Copy
The Ideal Copy is the fourth studio album album by the English rock group Wire. It was the first full-length recording following the band's hiatus of 1980–1985....
.
1987 saw Depeche Mode
Depeche Mode
Depeche Mode are an English electronic music band formed in 1980 in Basildon, Essex. The group's original line-up consisted of Dave Gahan , Martin Gore , Andy Fletcher and Vince Clarke...
recording and working with a new producer Dave Bascombe
David Bascombe
David Bascombe is an English music producer and mix engineer. He has worked with many bands and musicians, such as Tears for Fears, Depeche Mode and Suede.-Selected engineering, production, mixing and remixing:*Tears for Fears - Songs From the Big Chair...
. In September, Mute released Music for the Masses
Music for the Masses
Music for the Masses is the sixth studio album by Depeche Mode. It was released by Mute Records on September 28, 1987, and was supported by the Music for the Masses Tour.-Mainstream success in the United States:...
. The album was supported by a world tour
Music for the Masses Tour
Music for the Masses Tour was a 1987/1988 concert tour by English electronic group Depeche Mode in support of the band's sixth studio album, Music for the Masses, which was released in September 1987....
. During the promotional tour for the new album, Depeche Mode became increasingly popular in the musical mainstream. The 101st concert they performed was recorded and made into a film, documenting one of their largest attended concerts. A live album of the concert was released in 1989 titled 101
101 (album)
-Disc one:A Side# "Pimpf" – 0:58# "Behind the Wheel" – 5:55# "Strangelove" – 4:49# "Something to Do" – 3:54# "Blasphemous Rumours" – 5:09B Side# "Stripped" – 6:45# "Somebody" – 4:34...
. The Music for the Masses tour saw new Mute artists Nitzer Ebb
Nitzer Ebb
Nitzer Ebb is a British EBM group formed in 1982 by Essex school friends Vaughan "Bon" Harris , Douglas McCarthy , and David Gooday .-Band name:...
performing as a supporting act. They had already released two singles with Mute before releasing their debut album, That Total Age
That Total Age
That Total Age is the debut album of the British EBM group Nitzer Ebb. After its release, it spawned the hit single "Join in the Chant," which hit #9 on the US dance chart in 1987.-LP: Mute / Stumm 45 :# "Fitness to Purpose" – 5:03...
, in May 1987.
1990–2001
Mute released Mark StewartMark Stewart (musician)
Mark Stewart is a British musician and founding member of The Pop Group. A pioneer of industrial hip-hop, he has recorded for On-U Sound Records and Mute Records.-Career:...
's album, Metatron, in May 1990, which included the single, "Hysteria". Stewart continued working with producer Adrian Sherwood. Mute signed Goldfrapp
Goldfrapp
Goldfrapp are an English electronic music duo, formed in 1999 in London, England, that consists of Alison Goldfrapp and Will Gregory ....
in August of that year, consisting of Alison Goldfrapp
Alison Goldfrapp
Alison Elizabeth Margaret Goldfrapp is an English singer-songwriter and record producer, best known as the lead singer of the electronic music duo Goldfrapp. Goldfrapp has a soprano vocal range.-Early life:...
and Will Gregory
Will Gregory
William Owen Gregory is best known as a songwriter, and the lead keyboards/synthesizer player & producer of the electronic music group Goldfrapp. Originally a classical music student at the University of York, Gregory is the son of an actress and an opera chorus-line singer...
. The duo began recording their debut album, Felt Mountain
Felt Mountain
Felt Mountain is the debut album by English electronic duo Goldfrapp. It was released in the United Kingdom on 11 September 2000 by Mute Records...
, in a hired cottage in Wiltshire
Wiltshire
Wiltshire is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset, Somerset, Hampshire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire. It contains the unitary authority of Swindon and covers...
, South West England
South West England
South West England is one of the regions of England defined by the Government of the United Kingdom for statistical and other purposes. It is the largest such region in area, covering and comprising Bristol, Gloucestershire, Somerset, Dorset, Wiltshire, Devon, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly. ...
. Goldfrapp completed the recording after six months, and the album was released in September 2000.
Mute was one of the first British record labels to have an Internet presence, entitled Mute Liberation Technologies. This started out running as an FTP
File Transfer Protocol
File Transfer Protocol is a standard network protocol used to transfer files from one host to another host over a TCP-based network, such as the Internet. FTP is built on a client-server architecture and utilizes separate control and data connections between the client and server...
site, Telnet
TELNET
Telnet is a network protocol used on the Internet or local area networks to provide a bidirectional interactive text-oriented communications facility using a virtual terminal connection...
site and a bulletin board system
Bulletin board system
A Bulletin Board System, or BBS, is a computer system running software that allows users to connect and log in to the system using a terminal program. Once logged in, a user can perform functions such as uploading and downloading software and data, reading news and bulletins, and exchanging...
in 1994. They continued to be run in tandem for a number of years until they were shut down. Mute Liberation Technologies has been running as a website since 1995. A newer version of the site was launched in July 2004.
In 2001, Rough Trade Records
Rough Trade Records
Rough Trade Records is an independent record label based in London. It was formed in 1978 by Geoff Travis who had opened a record store off Ladbroke Grove...
celebrated the twenty fifth anniversary of the opening of their first retail shop. To mark the anniversary, Mute released the Rough Trade Shops 25 Years four CD box set. The album release coincided with ten days of special live events across London. Tracks appearing on the box set were carefully chosen to represent some of the most popular records sold during the past twenty five years at Rough Trade shops; these included recordings by Nick Cave
Nick Cave
Nicholas Edward "Nick" Cave is an Australian musician, songwriter, author, screenwriter, and occasional film actor.He is best known for his work as a frontman of the critically acclaimed rock band Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, established in 1984, a group known for its eclectic influences and...
, Joy Division
Joy Division
Joy Division were an English rock band formed in 1976 in Salford, Greater Manchester. Originally named Warsaw, the band primarily consisted of Ian Curtis , Bernard Sumner , Peter Hook and Stephen Morris .Joy Division rapidly evolved from their initial punk rock influences...
and Stereolab
Stereolab
Stereolab are an alternative music band formed in 1990 in London, England. The band originally comprised songwriting team Tim Gane and Lætitia Sadier , both of whom remained at the helm across many lineup changes...
.
2002–2009, the EMI Years
In May 2002, Mute Records was bought by EMIEMI
The EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major...
for £23m. The deal was finalized even though one in four acts signed by EMI faced being dropped by the label after job cuts in March 2002. Daniel Miller remained in charge of the company’s global activities.
Mute released the single "Dirty Sticky Floors
Dirty Sticky Floors
"Dirty Sticky Floors" is the first solo single by Depeche Mode vocalist Dave Gahan and is the lead track on his 2003 debut album, Paper Monsters. It was released in late May 2003 as the lead single from that album, reaching #18 in the UK Singles Chart . The song would also reach #5 in Billboard...
" in May 2003, from Depeche Mode singer Dave Gahan's debut solo album, Paper Monsters
Paper Monsters
Paper Monsters is the solo debut album by Depeche Mode lead singer Dave Gahan. It was released by Mute Records on June 2, 2003 in Europe. The album was produced by Ken Thomas, who is best known for his work with Icelandic band Sigur Rós...
. Gahans debuted as a songwriter on the album, written and recorded along with Gahan's friend, Knox Chandler
Knox Chandler
Knox Chandler is mostly known as a session guitarist and cellist, he has worked with such acts as Depeche Mode , Lori Carson, The Golden Palominos, The Psychedelic Furs, Ultra Vivid Scene, The Creatures and R.E.M....
. Mute released another Depeche Mode solo project that year, Counterfeit²
Counterfeit²
Counterfeit² is the first solo LP by Martin Gore, the primary songwriter for the band Depeche Mode, and his second release ....
by Martin Gore
Martin Gore
Martin Lee Gore is an English songwriter, lyricist, singer, guitarist, keyboardist, remixer and DJ. He is a founding member of Depeche Mode and has written the vast majority of their songs...
, a collection of cover songs recorded at Gore's home studio. The eleven tracks on the album included songs that were recorded originally by Iggy Pop
Iggy Pop
Iggy Pop is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. Though considered an innovator of punk rock, Pop's music has encompassed a number of styles over the years, including pop, metal, jazz and blues...
, John Lennon
John Lennon
John Winston Lennon, MBE was an English musician and singer-songwriter who rose to worldwide fame as one of the founding members of The Beatles, one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music...
, and Brian Eno
Brian Eno
Brian Peter George St. John le Baptiste de la Salle Eno , commonly known as Brian Eno or simply as Eno , is an English musician, composer, record producer, singer and visual artist, known as one of the principal innovators of ambient music.Eno studied at Colchester Institute art school in Essex,...
.
2010
GoldfrappGoldfrapp
Goldfrapp are an English electronic music duo, formed in 1999 in London, England, that consists of Alison Goldfrapp and Will Gregory ....
released their fifth album, Head First
Head First (Goldfrapp album)
Head First is the fifth studio album by English electronic duo Goldfrapp. It was released in the United Kingdom on 22 March 2010 by Mute Records. The album's lead single, "Rocket", was released on the iTunes Store on 5 March 2010...
, in March 2010. Recorded in 2009 in Bath and London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, the album included the singles "Rocket
Rocket (Goldfrapp song)
"Rocket" is a synthpop song by English duo Goldfrapp from their fifth studio album, Head First. Written and produced by Alison Goldfrapp and Will Gregory, with additional production by Pascal Gabriel, the song was released as the album's lead single on 8 March 2010. To promote the single release,...
" and "Alive
Alive (Goldfrapp song)
"Alive" is a synthpop song by English duo Goldfrapp from their fifth studio album, Head First. Written and produced by Alison Goldfrapp and Will Gregory, with additional production by Richard X, the song was released as the album's second single on 7 June 2010. The music video premiered on YouTube...
".
The American band Liars
Liars (band)
Liars is a three-piece band formed in 2000 consisting of Angus Andrew , Aaron Hemphill , and Julian Gross...
also released a new album in March 2010, Sisterworld
Sisterworld
Sisterworld is the fifth studio album by experimental rock trio Liars, released on March 9, 2010. The album was written and recorded in Los Angeles with assistance from Tom Biller...
, which included the single "Scissor", as a digital download.
In September 2010, EMI and Daniel Miller reached an agreement in which EMI would support Miller in the establishment of a second record label. The Mute brand once again became an independent record label. The new label will operate under the Mute trademark, which will be licensed by EMI and will be supported by EMI via services such as sales, licensing, and distribution. Daniel Miller was given full control of the new label, leaving EMI with a minority equity interest in the company. To help fund the new label, EMI licensed part of the Mute back catalogue, also giving support in areas such as royalty administration and business affairs. Current Mute artists such as Depeche Mode
Depeche Mode
Depeche Mode are an English electronic music band formed in 1980 in Basildon, Essex. The group's original line-up consisted of Dave Gahan , Martin Gore , Andy Fletcher and Vince Clarke...
and Goldfrapp
Goldfrapp
Goldfrapp are an English electronic music duo, formed in 1999 in London, England, that consists of Alison Goldfrapp and Will Gregory ....
remain signed to and marketed by EMI Music. Many other bands will move over to Miller's new independent label.
October 2010 saw the release of Dust Lane by the French artist Yann Tiersen
Yann Tiersen
Yann Tiersen is a musician from France. His musical career is split between studio albums, collaborations and film soundtracks with a distinctive sound that is always involved...
. The album incorporated vintage electronic sounds and textures recorded over two years in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
. In November Mute released Einstürzende Neubauten
Einstürzende Neubauten
Einstürzende Neubauten is a German post-industrial band, originally from West Berlin, formed in 1980. The group currently comprises Blixa Bargeld , Alexander Hacke , N.U...
s fourth album
Strategies Against Architecture IV
Strategies Against Architecture IV is a compilation album by Einstürzende Neubauten released on December 7, 2010.This album featured a retrospective overview of the band's work between 2002 and 2010...
in the Strategies Against Architecture series. The album continues with an archive compilation of the band's output from 2002 to 2010.