Mute, Jan Blomqvist's third studio album, was released last Friday via his own label, Disconnected, in partnership with long-time collaborator Armada Music, and arrived amidst an eponymous live tour. The twelve-track album, crafted while on tour and completed in Berlin, invites listeners to embrace moments of quiet contemplation in an increasingly chaotic world. The purpose of this new project, which is summed up in his track Underwater, is to remind us that, despite the circumstances, we are stronger than we think we are. “We are resilient creatures; we can find strength in adversity and turn the impossible into reality,” he says.
After bringing his Mute Album Tour to Hamburg and Istanbul in the last few days, among other European cities, the electronic music pioneer and live-performance virtuoso now gets ready to land in North America with confirmed shows in more than ten cities, from New York and Washington to Los Angeles and Vancouver. If you don't want to miss out on this experience, you can get your ticket here!
Jan, the last time we spoke was in 2019, after the release of your album Disconnected. “Musically, this city has a huge input still, you can feel it in every corner. But I can't say much about what's in the underground scene right now because I honestly haven't been there in the last years,” you told us back then when we asked you about the creative and musical scene in Berlin, where you were based. Have you had the chance to explore it a little more in-depth in recent years?
In a nutshell, not much has changed. I recently moved away from Berlin, so I see even less from the city than back in 2019. Berlin was crucial to my development as a musician and still has a special place in my heart, but I grew out of it in the past decade.
You also told us in our last conversation that you didn't have much time to listen to many of the artists on the scene that you found interesting due to your busy agenda. Is there any profile or music project you'd like to recommend to our readers?
This time around there are actually a lot of people that I would recommend. I started to do many more collabs with other artists and find this work deeply rewarding and inspiring. See how someone else approaches similar problems and ideas; that’s freshening things up for me... But to get to the name-dropping, the people who have contributed to my album would be the first ones I’d name. Please check out Beobé, who’s actually also opening the European concerts of the Mute tour, Natasha Polké, Bondi, and of course, Mr. Rodriguez Jr. Although the last one probably does not need an introduction.
Let's talk about the new project you're releasing today, Mute. This is your third studio album, and it's available now via your own label, Disconnected, in partnership with long-time collaborator Armada Music. How do you feel now that you've finally shared this project with your audience?
This is the third album, yes. Being done with an album is always a relief because the last weeks before the deadline are always very stressful. I’m also very proud that it’s done, and Mute can now, hopefully, conquer the world.
The album saunters through deep house, melodic techno, and dreamy synth wave while exploring themes of disconnection in a hyper-connected world. When did you start working on this LP, and how has the development project been?
Mute took us, my studio partner Felix and me, much longer than Remote Control or Disconnected. The reason is that I was touring a lot after the forced Corona break and didn’t have longer periods to work in the studio and actually finish tracks. Some of the MUTE tracks dated back a couple of years when we came back to them, and they did not meet our professional standards anymore. We needed to rework some parts. This was time-consuming because it’s sometimes easier to start from scratch. Anyway, we did it, and I’m very happy with the album, which feels much more grown up to me than the ones before.
“This latest work invites listeners to embrace moments of quiet contemplation in an increasingly chaotic world,” you said not long ago. This is something increasingly visible in the current overstimulated society; we receive too much information at the same time. What do you do to reconnect with yourself amid this chaos? Do you have any hobbies that help you stay balanced?
I don’t really have hobbies, but my family, being in nature, hiking, seeing friends, and cooking always grounds me. It’s not a very interesting answer, I know. It’s also very important to disconnect from social media from time to time and mute the constant humming it makes in the background to be able to hear your thoughts more clearly.
Does the complicated moment the world is going through right now make you anxious or scared? Are you optimistic when you think about the future of human beings and our planet?
I’m rather anxious, I have to admit. But angst often paralyses, and I think it’s very important now to keep moving and to try to counteract the feeling of helplessness, even if it’s just on the micro level of your own life. Meet the hate with softness and love, and care about others because they might be scared too. Isn’t hate the strongest reaction to being afraid? In the end, my answer goes in both directions: the status of the world is frightening at the moment, but we need to stay optimistic. We are stronger than we think and can make a difference if we stick together.
The eponymous live show has already begun across Europe, already boasting a string of sell-out dates, and is headed to North America through March. How have these first shows in Germany been, and what can the audience who have not yet had the opportunity to attend this show except from this experience?
The first shows have been amazing. I’m so honoured that so many shows have been sold out! Thanks to all of you who showed up. It means a lot. The European shows have been amazing so far. Everything worked out perfectly. I’m especially proud of the visuals that beautifully enhance the tracks. When we played the first show in Berlin, we weren’t sure if it would work out. But it did. Thanks to my visual team, Shan Blume and Telekollegen, for making this happen once again.
Looking back, when you think that you've graced stages at Coachella three times, drawing massive crowds at festivals and club shows with up to a hundred concerts per year, what do you feel? Are you aware of all the unique moments you've experienced, or is it sometimes difficult to assimilate these important milestones in your career?
It’s both. There are moments I will never forget and will always cherish. But with the huge amount of shows that I play, a lot of them also merge into one big show moment. I can’t really remember if one detail still in my head happened at one place or the other. What stays in all of those shows is the bigger picture of how it feels to be on stage and not the details that happened before, during, and after the show. This is not a bad thing, though. I can’t remember everything. This would be another unhealthy form of overstimulation.
And in this complicated moment that we are experiencing on a global scale, with many international conflicts on the agenda and certain sectors of society promoting hate speech, what message would you like to send to the world?
I think one of my tracks on Mute, Underwater, sums this up pretty nicely: Do not give up; you are stronger than you think you are. We are resilient creatures; we can find strength in adversity and turn the impossible into reality.
