COUNTER-CULTURE AND ARTS COLLIDE AS MÜ MAGAZINE LAUNCHES - TO POWER THE QUESTIONING CREATIVE
Legendary producer, bassist and creative polymath Youth is among South London Arts Lab co-founding collective
Just as the seasonal blues are setting in, a group of creative visionaries including Youth have co-founded and announced the launch of MÜ Magazine. The magazine is set to be a tonic for our times, with a synthesis of interviews with established artists and mavericks including cover star Jarvis Cocker, alongside Alan Moore, Audrey Grant, Helaine Blumenfeld, Penny Rimbaud, as well as new emerging artists like Big Joanie, Stephen Towns and Dawn Okoro coupled with inspirational slabs of restorative counter-culture theatre, art, poetry and music.
A quarterly print publication which has already sold out its first print run, MÜ has risen from the magical cauldron of South London Arts Lab, a salon for diverse creatives, and turns the spotlight on exceptional individuals with the purpose of recapturing the meaning and purpose of life and inspiring creative individualism. The South London Arts Lab logo is designed by Jimmy Cauty (KLF), whose irreverence is a thread that also runs through MÜ Magazine.
“MÜ is fearless, irreverent and nonconformist, a necessity in these times. It will highlight the new generation of visionaries. You can find in MÜ anything from philosophical and existential questions about life, through to self-sufficiency, music, art, food. So turn on, tune in, and be prepared to be transported….”
MÜ Magazine
Co-founder, Youth added “The quality of writing, the combination of art, music, poetry and literature is mind-blowing and I can’t think of another magazine that’s ever done anything like this before, it’s exceptionally unique and innovative. Modern culture is suffocating the diversity of our creative communities. Our identity and creative individualism are straining under the weight of anonymity. The theme running through the first issue is to discover the mavericks who want to join us on this epic adventure.”
MÜ magazine’s core co-founders are Lisa Azarmi, Editor in chief and founder of Ravenous Butterflies Ltd, Maryann Morris, our in house photographer and art director and of course Youth. They came together through values, purpose and an “eyes open, mind open” attitude – the common thread that bound and motivated them to pursue this audacious quest to connect with a growing like-minded community via a unique, new magazine format.
The Creatives behind MÜ Magazine
Lisa Azarmi
Editor / Art & Lifestyle Director
Artist, Journalist, poet, influencer, art advisor to Coutts, curator, music and arts festival organiser and, founder of Ravenous Butterflies Ltd.
Lisa co-founded South London Arts Lab and MÜ Magazine, and has been instrumental in their growth, and creative development.
She is currently writing and illustrating a volume of autobiographical poetry, and is collaborating on a children’s picture book, with artist, Rufus Knight Webb, which will be published in 2021.
Lisa is planning on opening an online shop for Ravenous Butterflies next year, and will be publishing a book of art and prose for the launch.
Lisa lives in London, with her children and Cosmos, the wonder dog!
Youth
Deputy Editor
Youth is a writer/producer and a founding member and bassist of Killing Joke. Youth has been there, seen it and done it. He can go from the giddy heights of producing albums by the biggest superstars on the planet – from Paul McCartney and Pink Floyd on down to the deepest and weirdest underground dance scenes in dark basements and far flung corners of the planet.
He’s been a member of The Orb, Brilliant, Blue Pearl and, of course, Killing Joke, played bass for Kate Bush, and remixed everyone from U2 to Siouxsie & The Banshees, De La Soul, A Guy Called Gerald, Malcolm McLaren and Marc Almond.
As well as all these musical activities, he writes and paints constantly – indeed, he makes clear that “I don’t really see a distinction between the different things: I make art while I listen to music, and I think up music or poetry when I’m looking at art, they all feed into each other”.
Youth co-founded the South London arts lab and MU magazine, which is the arts lab inspired project. At the moment Youth is residing and working from his Space Mountain Studios in Spain!
Maryann Morris
Design, Art Direction & Photography
Maryann is a founding member of MÜ Magazine and is deeply involved with South London Arts Lab. MÜ’s in-house photographer, Maryann specialises in editorial, art, and commercial pieces. She’s driven by depicting the narrative behind the subject, naturally drawn to provocateurs and the intellectually challenging. Maryann’s freelance work recently involved making a series of portraits related to perception and reality. Her collective images often address hidden illness, loss, difficulties and obsession; they question the viewer with open honesty, and poignant gravitas.
Maryann prefers the analogue process and is fascinated by traditional methods. This has led to diversifying and experimentation with the alchemy of the chemical processes.
Currently she is making a series of wet collodion portraits, which will be published in 2021.
David Erdos
Literary Editor
David is a professional actor, writer, director, poet, playwright, critic, teacher, illustrator and filmmaker, with over 400 professional credits. He is a contributing editor to The International Times and has enjoyed close associations and collaborations with new and established artists, writers and musicians from Alan Moore, Heathcote Williams, Snoo Wilson, and Iain Sinclair (in whose THE LAST LONDON David is profiled) to a host of international contemporary artists and musicians.
David is a previous writer in residence at the Babylon arts festival, the cockpit theatre and a consultant for theatre schools and organisations across the world.
His books include EASY VERSES FOR DIFFICULT TIMES, OIL ON SILVER, THE SCAR ON THE CLOUD and with the photographer Max Reeves BYZANTIUM.
Giles
Music Editor
Giles is one of the founding members of MU and South London Arts Lab. He looks after MU’s music content and the Lab’s Academy workshops.
He’s also the founder of Hey Sunday, the experimental mindset agency which helps people to find positive change in their lives; as part of this, he hosts a podcast called I Wanna Jump Like Dee Dee where he talks to a wide range of inspirational musicians, DJ’s and producers about how they use an experimental mindset in their lives to amplify their own creativity, pursue new challenges, overcome fears and bounce back from mistakes.
