Interview: Daniel Miller of Mute Records (In Conversation with Alex Maiolo @ Moogfest 2019 — 4/26/19)

Posted on 05/03/2019 by Mickey McCarter in Interview and tagged Daniel Miller, Depeche Mode, England, Interview, London, Moogfest, Moogfest 2019, music festival, Mute Records, new wave, post-punk, synthesizer, synthpop.

Daniel Miller chats at Moogfest 2019 in the Carolina Theatre on April 26, 2019. (Photo by Mickey McCarter)

To commemorate the 40th anniversary of his label, Mute Records chief Daniel Miller chatted with musician and writer Alex Maiolo in a conversation at Moogfest 2019, held in an auditorium of the Carolina Theatre recently. During Moogfest, Daniel also performed two DJ sets — a pure techno set at the comfortable Fruit Company club and art space and an ambient set on modular synths at the 21c Museum Hotel in Durham, North Carolina.

Alex’s enthusiasm sparked Daniel’s brilliance, and the musical svengali reflected on his early days as a musician, how Mute came to be, and his enduring love of synthesizers.

Visit the Moogfest website for more information on the Moogfest conference and festival.

Interview: Martin Gore of Depeche Mode (In Conversation with Daniel Miller of Mute Records @ Moogfest 2019 — 4/26/19)

Posted on 04/30/2019 by Mickey McCarter in Interview and tagged Daniel Miller, Depeche Mode, England, London, Martin Gore, Moogfest, Moogfest 2019, music festival, Mute Records, new wave, synthpop.

Martin Gore chats at Moogfest 2019 on April 26, 2019. (Photo by Mickey McCarter)

Mute Records founder Daniel Miller first met Martin Gore of Depeche Mode in October 1980 at the Bridge House Pub in Canning Town, London, during a show when the young band supported Fad Gadget. For roughly 40 years now, Daniel and Depeche Mode often have worked closely together. The two old friends met again recently to talk about Martin’s music career at Moogfest 2019 at the Carolina Theatre in Durham, North Carolina.

Visit the Moogfest website for more information on the Moogfest conference and festival.

Preview: Moogfest 2019 @ Durham, NC, 4/25-4/28/19

Posted on 04/18/2019 by Parklifer in Preview and tagged Daniel Miller, Depeche Mode, Durham, Kimbra, Martin Gore, Moogfest, Moogfest 2019, music festival, Mute Records, North Carolina, Questlove, synthesizer, synthpop, Thomas Dolby.

Daniel Miller (Photo by Joe Dilworth)

Moogfest, the top synthesizer festival and conference, celebrates its 15th anniversary in Durham, North Carolina, on April 25-28, 2019. The festival will feature a keynote presentation by Martin Gore of Depeche Mode as well as Daniel Miller of Mute Records, along with performances by Thomas Dolby, Kimbra, GAS, Tim Hecker (performing with the Konoyo Ensemble), Matthew Dear, US Girls, and more.

Moogfest recently released the full schedule of events for this year’s festival. Here is our list of the Top 10 things to see and hear at Moogfest 2019!

Music Park: Parklife DC Top 10 Concerts of 2017 by Mickey

Posted on 12/21/2017 by Mickey McCarter in Live Review and tagged 9:30 Club, Adam Ant, Alison Moyet, Black Cat, Book of Love, Capital One Arena, Colin Hay, Depeche Mode, disco, Duran Duran, Earth Wind & Fire, Emily Haines, folk, Gary Numan, industrial, MGM National Harbor, Modern English, new wave, post-punk, punk, punk cabaret, Rock and Roll Hotel, Saint Etienne, Sixth & I, sophistipop, Squeeze, synthpop, The Birchmere, The Dresden Dolls, The Lincoln Theatre, The Regrettes, top 10, U Street Music Hall, Yelle.

Martin Gore performs with Depeche Mode at Capital One Arena on Sept. 7, 2017. (Photo by Ben Eisendrath /Instagram+Twitter: ConspiracyCaptures/GrillworksBen)

The year 2017 was a good year for revisiting old friends as they returned to remind us that they truly still “got it.” In the past year, Parklife DC reviewed a great deal of musicians and bands, and the performances that really distinguished themselves often came as something of a pleasant surprise.

Music Park: Depeche Mode @ Capital One Arena — 9/7/17

Posted on 09/11/2017 by Mickey McCarter in Live Review and tagged Andrew Fletcher, arena rock, Ben Eisendrath, Capital One Arena, Dave Gahan, Depeche Mode, industrial, London, Martin Gore, new wave.

Dave Gahan fronts Depeche Mode at Capital One Arena on Sept. 7, 2017. (Photo by Ben Eisendrath /Instagram+Twitter: ConspiracyCaptures/GrillworksBen)

Depeche Mode opened a stunning show with a new song called “Going Backwards” in DC on Thursday. But nearly 18,000 people at Capital One Arena (formerly Verizon Center) found themselves leaping forwards with renewed love and appreciation for a band that commands unparalleled admiration from a deeply loyal following.

For their part, Depeche Mode did not let anyone down, surpassing expectations in a blockbuster concert, where charismatic frontman Dave Gahan in particular blazed through a 22-song set with a brightness in his eye that often glittered more than his shiny rockstar boots.

Don’t Miss: Warpaint (Opening for Depeche Mode) @ Capital One Arena, 9/7/17

Posted on 08/31/2017 by Mickey McCarter in Live Review and tagged Capital One Arena, Depeche Mode, Los Angeles, psychedelic, shoegaze, Warpaint.

Warpaint (Photo courtesy Beggars Group)

Last year, Warpaint released Heads Up, their third studio album, and the shoegazing quartet took their album on the road in a successful tour that hit 9:30 Club. This year, ladies from Los Angeles return to DC as the opening act for Depeche Mode at Capital One Arena (formerly Verizon Center) one week from today on Thursday, Sept. 7. If you’re going to see Depeche Mode, get there early to catch Warpaint!

Don’t Miss: Careless Memories @ Dodge City, 8/10/17

Posted on 08/09/2017 by Mickey McCarter in Live Review and tagged Careless Memories, Daniel Miller, Depeche Mode, dj party, Dodge City, Erasure, Fad Gadget, Mute Records, The Normal, Vince Clarke, Yaz.

Only You (Photo by Sydney Wired)

As every fan of Depeche Mode knows, the band will perform at Capital One Arena (formerly Verizon Center) next month. To celebrate, we are exploring the early days of Mute Records, Depeche Mode’s long-time UK label, with a listening party at Dodge City on Thursday, Aug. 10.

Don’t Miss: Depeche Mode @ Verizon Center, 9/7/17

Posted on 05/15/2017 by Mickey McCarter in Live Review and tagged dark wave, Dave Gahan, Depeche Mode, England, London, synthpop, Verizon Center, Warpaint.

Depeche Mode (Photo by Anton Corbijn)

Depeche Mode have launched the Global Spirit Tour in support of their new album, Spirit, published March 17 via Columbia Records. The iconic band are touring Europe currently, with their next stop in Athens, Greece, on May 17, and they are due to arrive in North America in Salt Lake City, Utah, on August 23.

Depeche Mode will hit DC for a show at Verizon Center on Thursday, Sept. 7, and some tickets are still available. If that weren’t exciting enough, they are bringing along psych rock quartet Warpaint to open.