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!

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

Posted on 04/01/2019 by Parklifer in Preview and tagged Daniel Miller, Durham, free tickets, GAS, house, industrial, Kimbra, Martin Gore, Matthew Dear, Moogfest, Moogfest 2019, new wave, North Carolina, synthesizer, synthpop, Thomas Dolby, ticket giveaway, Tim Hecker, US Girls.

Martin Gore (Photo by Travis Shinn)

You can win a pair of general admission tickets to go with Parklife DC!

Music Park: Psychic TV @ Moogfest — 5/19/18

Posted on 05/24/2018 by Mickey McCarter in Live Review and tagged Genesis P-Orridge, Manchester, Moogfest, Moogfest 2018, music festival, psychedelic, Psychic TV.

Genesis P-Orridge fronts Psychic TV at The Carolina Theatre in Durham, North Carolina, during Moogfest on May 19, 2018.

Genesis P-Orridge is rather a lovely human being.

Not knowing what to expect upon my first experience seeing Psychic TV in concert, I was unprepared for a straight-forward psychedelic romp led by the gender-defying musician, who was quite warm and grounded at The Carolina Theatre in Durham, North Carolina, last week.

Music Park: Alex Zhang Hungtai @ Moogfest — 5/19/18

Posted on 05/24/2018 by Mickey McCarter in Live Review and tagged Alex Zhang Hungtai, avant-garde, Dirty Beaches, Durham, jazz, Moogfest, Moogfest 2018, music festival, North Carolina, The Carolina Theatre.

Alex Zhang Hungtai in a video still from “Pierrot” (Photo courtesy WFS Communicatons)

Alex Zhang Hungtai, the nomadic musician formerly known as Dirty Beaches, settled down for at least an evening at Moogfest 2018 recently to play a set of avant-garde jazz.

Music Park: Little Boots @ Moogfest — 5/18/18

Posted on 05/23/2018 by Mickey McCarter in Live Review and tagged disco, Durham, England, house, Little Boots, Los Angeles, Moogfest, Moogfest 2018, music festival, North Carolina, synthpop.

Little Boots performs at The Carolina Theatre in Durham during Moogfest on May 18, 2018. (Photo by Mickey McCarter)

When last I saw Little Boots in DC, I recommended Moogfest book the triple threat performer, DJ, and businesswoman, giving her opportunities to sing, spin, and lecture. Last week, she fulfilled part of that destiny with a live concert and a DJ set, crediting Moogfest for inspiring her to “rebuild” a live show after a successful year or so behind the decks.

Music Park: Tess Roby @ Moogfest — 5/18/18

Posted on 05/23/2018 by Mickey McCarter in Live Review and tagged ambient, Canada, Durham, Montreal, Moogfest, Moogfest 2018, music festival, North Carolina, synthpop, Tess Roby.

Tess Roby performs at Motorco Music Hall during Moogfest on May 18, 2018. (Photo by Mickey McCarter)

In her first concert in the United States, Canadian Tess Roby played expressive yet crystalline synthpop at Motorco Music Hall for Moogfest 2018 in Durham, North Carolina.

Ticket Giveaway: Moogfest @ Durham, NC — 5/17-5/20/18

Posted on 04/16/2018 by Mickey McCarter in Live Review and tagged Durham, free tickets, Genesis P-Orridge, house, industrial, Jon Hopkins, Kelela, KRS-One, Little Boots, Moogfest, Moogfest 2018, Mouse on Mars, music conference, music festival, North Carolina, Psychic TV, R&B, synthesizer, synthpop, ticket giveaway, Wes Borland.

Moogfest headliner Kelela (Photo courtesy Paradigm Agency)

Moogfest 2018, scheduled for May 17-20 in Durham, North Carolina, is the premier urban music festival dedicated to the synthesizer. This year, a slew of electronic musicians joins headlining artists Kelela, Mouse on Mars, KRS-One, Chelsea Manning, Jon Hopkins. You can win tickets to attend with Parklife DC.

Music Park: Zola Jesus @ Moogfest — 5/19/17

Posted on 05/30/2017 by Mickey McCarter in Live Review and tagged chamber pop, Durham, hypnagogic pop, Moogfest, Moogfest 2017, Motorco Music Hall, music festival, trip hop, Wisconsin, Zola Jesus.

Zola Jesus performs at Motorco Music Hall in Durham, North Carolina, during Moogfest 2017 on May 19.

Touring sporadically in recent months, Nika Roza Danilova, better known as Zola Jesus, dropped by Moogfest 2017 recently to perform a haunting set at Motorco Music Hall in Durham, North Carolina. Intense and introspective as ever, Zola Jesus performed some new songs in the outdoor venue as she weaved her body into her music.