Acclaimed producer, composer, and multi-disciplinary artist Mira Calix has died, her label Warp Records has confirmed. She was 51-years-old.
In a statment, Warp said: “We are devastated to learn about the death of our dear Mira Calix (Born Chantal Passamonte).
“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.”
— Warp Records (@WarpRecords) March 28, 2022
The statement continued: “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.
“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.
“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 as Chantal Passamonte in Durban, South Africa in 1970, Calix worked as a publicist for Warp in the 1990s before the release of her debut album ‘One On One’. Starting out as an electronic producer, she went on to incorporate classical composition and multidisciplinary art into her ambitious work.
Her death prompted tributes from across the industry. Fellow Warp artist Onehotrix Point Never said: “She was so talented and honestly one of the funniest people I ever met,” while BBC 6 Music DJ Maryanne Hobbs described the news as “heartbreaking”, remembering Calix as “an ingenious, pioneering artist.. always questioning, always pushing..”
heartbreaking to hear of the passing of Mira Calix..
such an ingenious, pioneering artist..
always questioning, always pushing..
hugely supportive of the programmes i've made on @BBC6Music especially 'Art is Everywhere'
RIP you beautiful* woman
🌹
m/a..x pic.twitter.com/xJrjOyQPB1— maryanne hobbs (@maryannehobbs) March 28, 2022
💔🫂she was so talented and honestly one of the funniest people I ever met. a delightful human being. sending my love to mira’s fam.
— oneohtrix point never (@0PN) March 28, 2022
The musician Gwenno described the news as “a terrible loss of an incredible talent,” while composer Daniel Pemberton penned a lengthy tribute, calling her “an amazing artist who had a huge impact on me personally in ways she probably never knew.” You can see those, and further tributes below.
a terrible loss of an incredible talent. Condolences to all of Mira’s friends and family. x https://t.co/19YRg4tQ21
— Gwenno (@gwennosaunders) March 28, 2022
I wanted to write something about Mira Calix who I always knew as Chantal Passamonte. I sadly learned she is no longer with us. She was an amazing artist who had a huge impact on me personally in ways she probably never knew. Very sad to learn. https://t.co/SUeOYTnPRx pic.twitter.com/lTkQ77LCkY
— Daniel Pemberton (@DANIELPEMBERTON) March 28, 2022
RIP Mira Calix https://t.co/Oiun2Fg7XG
— LoneLady (@LoneLadyHQ) March 28, 2022
This is such sad news, I first knew Chantal when she was a PR in the 90s before she morphed into the artist Mira Calix. Such a talent, pushing boundaries at the margins of electronic music, & one of the first women to sign to the mighty Warp. This is a huge loss. RIP https://t.co/aIhkxrxVNL
— Carl Loben 💙 🇺🇦 (@CarlLoben) March 28, 2022
RIP my friend Chantal Passamonte aka @miracalix The world is a worse place without you xxxhttps://t.co/wX7BlZii91
— DJ Food (@djfood) March 28, 2022
The darkness continues. So sad to read about the passing of my old friend Chantal, otherwise known as Mira Calix on @WarpRecords – we met when she was producing music nights back in the early 1990s electronica scene and were friends ever since. Utterly heartbreaking 😌 pic.twitter.com/tjM1nu9Lhi
— Robin Rimbaud – Scanner (@robinrimbaud) March 28, 2022