“How Damo lived his life is a stark reminder to be true to one’s self, look to the future, not the past, move creatively within your own space, on your own terms with kindness and a broad smile.” – Daniel Miller
When the news came through on Saturday that Damo had left us the day before, coupled with the overriding sadness of his passing, was a sense of optimism about this beautiful, kind and creative soul that lived life on his own terms. Like so many, we first came to know of Damo through his work with Can from 1971 to 1973, but how he lived his life following that was the most inspirational: picking up on his life before Can as a wandering musical wizard, travelling the world, and playing music with anyone and everyone that wanted to play music with him.
At Mute, we’ve been lucky enough to release Can’s music since the late ‘80s, playing a small part in keeping the music and mystery of Can in the present as much as it was possible, because Can and Damo will always be from the future, never the past and nearly impossible to tie down to the now.
Our thoughts are with Damo’s family and our love goes out to everyone who was inspired by his spirit and will be inspired by it in the future.