Apparat "A Hum of Maybe"
Six years after his Grammy-nominated LP5, Sascha Ring – aka Apparat – takes a bold dive into the complexities of life with his sixth studio album.
A Hum Of Maybe is detailed, finely crafted, and wonderfully unpredictable. At its core, the record is about love – for himself, his wife, and his daughter – and holding onto it, protecting it, and constantly recalibrating as it is in a constant state of flux. As the title suggests, the songs explore being stuck in between: not a clear yes or no, but A Hum Of Maybe.
Ring elegantly combines the perspectives of an electronic producer and a classical composer, working closely with long-time collaborators Philipp Johann Thimm (cello, piano, guitar) – who also co-wrote and co-produced the record – Christoph “Mäckie” Hamann (violin, keyboard, bass), Jörg Wähner (drums), and Christian Kohlhaas (trombone). The album also features Armenian-American artist KÁRYYN – Apparat’s Mute labelmate – on ‘Tilth’, and Berlin-and Rome-based musician Jan- Philipp Lorenz (aka Bi Disc) on ‘Pieces, Falling’.
A Hum Of Maybe is complex, deeply personal, and embraces a state of limbo, marking an exciting new chapter for Apparat.
Feslmann + Tiley "Protomensch"
Mute welcomes German synthesizer and producer duo Felsmann + Tiley to the roster with the release of their new album Protomensch. Out February 13, 2026 on limited edition black vinyl packaged in a special gatefold sleeve featuring a mirror foil lamination on the inner panel revealing a ‘self-portrait of the protomensch.’
On Protomensch (German for “proto-human”), Felsmann + Tiley blend shimmering synthwave, pounding trance, and introspective IDM with synth-pop-infused tracks featuring guest vocalists including London’s Pet Deaths and Australian artists The Kite String Tangle, Woodes, and Laius.
This juxtaposition between sentient beings and machines permeates the whole album – right from the duo’s manifesto introducing us the highly intelligent yet irrevocably shortsighted and downright tragic character of Protomensch – the cover artwork featuring turtleneck wearing chimpanzee, futuristic music videos, and stark social media aesthetics to seated, next-level live-shows involving collaboration with dozens of visual artists.
Despite their online ubiquity, sparked in part by their viral reinterpretation of label-mate M83’s “Solitude,” which has been used over 1 million times on TikTok and high-profile syncs on shows including Young Royals (season two), the BAFTA-winning crime thriller Top Boy (season three), and Amazon’s The Better Sister, Felsmann + Tiley have lingered largely on the periphery, their origins cloaked in quiet anonymity, until now. With the release of Protomensch, Felsmann + Tiley present their fully realized artistic vision and step into the spotlight.
The Paranoid Style "Known Associates"
Handsome Jack "Barnburners"
Handsome Jack, a roots rock trio from Lockport, NY, channels the spirit of classic American music into a sound that’s as timeless as it is electrifying. Drawing from the deep wells of rock n’ roll, R&B, blues, and old-school boogie, the band crafts songs that feel both refreshingly raw and instantly familiar—music that could just as easily be echoing from a backwoods juke joint as reverberating through a packed club. Their live shows are sweat-soaked affairs, fueled by Jamison Passuite’s soulful vocals and scorching guitar work, and powered by the tight rhythm section of Joey Verdonselli and Bennie Hayes.