By Lewis Bunney (@bunneylewis)
Finding its origins in the Brighton club scene just two years ago, Mute has become a force to be reckoned with in the party scene, expanding their club nights to include venues across London and Manchester.
With several heavyweight acts signed up for their second birthday celebrations, including UK garage and grime pioneer DJ Slimzee, TLE thought it would be a great time to catch up with Co-Founder and Director of Mute, Jack Lydon.
TLE: Congratulations for making it to two years! So tell us, how much has Mute grown in that time?
Thank you! We’ve come a long way from our first night. That was a disco/house night in a tiny 200 cap basement, but it wasn’t until our third or fourth night when we found our feet and progressed down the grime/bass/club path! Now we’ve got a monthly residency at Brighton’s leading underground club Patterns, regular shows in London and a great base of people supporting what we’re trying to do.
TLE: We’ve seen a lot of big names at your nights; Kahn & Neek and DJ Slimzee. Do you see this as a reflection of your success?
By all means, we’ve got to a stage when we can start booking out bigger, more well-known names. Sometimes it’s not a question of money but a question of reputation from the agent’s point of view, so it’s nice to see we’ve gained respect and trust in that manner.
TLE: A lot of people dream of running a successful club night, but we know a lot them don’t last long. How is it, do you think, you’ve managed to keep going this long?
It’s just passion. Some people dream of running a successful club night because they think it may be a way to make a quid buck. Let me tell you now, it’s not! If you’re in it for the right reasons then you’ll last.
TLE: With that in mind, how do you feel about the rate in which clubs are being closed in London? Is it making it harder to be successful?
It’s making it harder to get some of the more creative ideas I have off the ground! I have a million and one ideas that I’d love to do but there are so many restrictions out there that limit what we can do. Until the clubs we use shut, I can’t say it’s had a massive impact on myself, however I know promoter friends that are in danger at the moment and that’s not cool; there needs to be room to create.
TLE: Finally, what makes a good Mute party so popular
This is the hardest question as there are so many variables! The main thing is the people. The promoter can only do so much. They can book the best selection of DJs, have the best sound system installed, whatever, but if the dance floor is empty then the party sucks! The people are what makes the party! We’re lucky at Mute to have built a reputation that makes people want to come and party with us and I guess that’s down to the DJs we’ve booked and the care we’ve taken over making sure the system is popping! The only advice I can give is don’t get carried away with booking your favourite DJ and forget the simple things!
Mute celebrates its second birthday with events in both Brighton and London, kicking off tonight (13/11) at south London’s Lightbox, featuring the likes of Slimzee, Commodo, Gantz and many more.
For more info head to their Facebook page.