The I Start Counting duo were famed for their connections to London’s Spitalfields Market. The circle is completed, then, with the news that Mute Artists will be releasing two, limited edition, cassettes of demos from 1985 and 1986 at the 10th Anniversary Independent Label Market this weekend.
The event takes place on Sunday, 18 July 2021, on Carnaby Street in the West End of London. There are only 150 copies of the tapes, signed by the band, and if there are any left over they will be on Mute Bank and Bandcamp from 3 September 2021.
We were super proud that Dave Baker and Simon Leonard appeared on stage for Cold War Night Life in their last show as Komputer+, reprising many of their songs as I Start Counting, as well as material from their time as Fortran 5 and Komputer. They have been closely embedded in the Mute sound and ethos since the 1980s, when Daniel Miller took them under his wing. Their uniquely British sensibility and love of electronics combined to produce some of the most touching and dynamic songs of that period, and the demos they presented to Miller only hinted at their potential.
Here is the track listing for the cassettes.
Re-fused CSTUMM178
Talk About The Weather
You And I
625
Grass Snake
Pretty Too
Birmingham
The I Can’t Express
Lose Him
Say Something
Ejected CSTUMM193
Charlie
Modern Sunbathing
Is She On Her Own
Cooler Than Calcutta
Red Car
My Sister’s Friend
Million Headed Monster
I’m A Murderer
You Can’t Write That Down
Rawhide
And here is a sample. “Talk About the Weather” isn’t a Red Lorry Yellow Lorry cover, but a different take on a very British theme.