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Artist News
Mira Calix dies
By Andy Malt | Published on Tuesday 29 March 2022
Producer, composer and artist Mira Calix has died, her label Warp has confirmed. She was 51.
“We are devastated to learn about the death of our dear Mira Calix”, said the label. “Mira was not only a hugely talented artist and composer, she was also a beautiful, caring human who touched the lives of everyone who had the honour of working with her”.
“Mira has been a huge part of Warp’s family and history, as one of the first female artists signed to the label and releasing six albums from ‘One On One’ in 2000 to ‘Absent Origin’ in 2021”, it went on.
“We are so proud of her immense creative output; her artwork, videos and music were a true reflection of what an innovative, pioneering and wonderful soul she was”, it continued. “She pushed the boundaries between electronic music, classical music and art in a truly unique way. She will be terribly missed by everyone at the label, staff and artists alike”.
Born Chantal Passamonte in South Africa in 1970, Calix moved to London in 1991, working at a record shop, then the 4AD record label and then Warp, where she was originally a publicist before signing to the label as an artist. She released her debut album, ‘One On One’, in 2000.
Originally making electronic music, she then began integrating classical instrumentation into her work, collaborating with the London Sinfonietta in 2003.
Her creative projects subsequently branched out into installations, theatre, dance and more, making work that managed to be both experimental and inclusive. For example, in 2016, she created Moving Museum35 – a sound artwork installed on a commuter bus in Nanjing, China, which ran for three months.
In recent years, she also returned to making music released through more traditional means, including her 2019 EP ‘Utopia’, which was her first release on Warp for a decade, and last year her final album, ‘Absent Origin’.
