Mute

Mute on vinyl: Depeche Mode, Erasure and synth-pop from London

In short: Mute Records is the home of synth-pop, EBM and industrial. Daniel Miller founded it in London in 1978. With Depeche Mode, Yazoo, Erasure, Nitzer Ebb and Nick Cave, Mute became one of Europe’s most important independent labels. The Vinyl Room currently has 143 Mute records, mainly from the eighties to the 2000s.

What makes Mute special?

Mute started as a one-man project: the first release was Daniel Miller’s own single “T.V.O.D. / Warm Leatherette”, released under the name The Normal. In 1981 Depeche Mode joined Mute and stayed for decades. Two more Mute successes grew out of the band: after the first album, Vince Clarke founded Yazoo and later Erasure. Alongside them are the hard beats of Nitzer Ebb, the songs of Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds and later Moby and Goldfrapp. In the nineties, NovaMute was added as a sister label for techno. EMI took over the label in 2002; since 2010 Mute has been independent again.

12-inch, remix, country of pressing

Many of our Mute records are 12-inch singles. With Depeche Mode in particular, it pays to check the catalogue number: UK 12-inches carry numbers such as 12BONG, limited remix editions often start with L12BONG. Many Mute records weren’t only pressed in England – in Germany they came out under licence on Intercord, and there are separate editions from Scandinavia and other countries, often with different mixes or sleeves. Catalogue number, runout matrix and label together tell you whether you have a UK first pressing.

From our stock

Mute first pressings

Synth-pop

EBM & industrial

House & techno

New in

→ Depeche Mode · Electronic on vinyl · How to spot a first pressing · Grading explained · Plattenparty on YouTube

FAQ

Who founded Mute Records? Daniel Miller, in London in 1978. The first release was his own single as The Normal.

Are Depeche Mode on Mute? Depeche Mode released their records on Mute from 1981, in the US on Sire. Since 2013 new albums have come out on Columbia.

What do 12BONG and L12BONG mean? They are catalogue numbers of Depeche Mode 12-inch singles on Mute. L12BONG stands for limited editions, often with extra remixes.

What is NovaMute? Mute’s techno sister label from the nineties.