Mute

Mute began in 1978 as the label founded by Daniel Miller, and it has kept a clear identity ever since: adventurous British independent music with room for pop instinct, experiment and left-field electronics.

Its catalogue links some very different artists through that sensibility, from Depeche Mode, Erasure and Yazoo to Cabaret Voltaire, Clock DVA, Swans, Nick Cave and Goldfrapp. What makes Mute distinct is how naturally those worlds sit together. It is a label where sharp songwriting, electronic invention and more unruly ideas have long been allowed to coexist without being flattened into a house style.