Bored by predictable career prospects, classically trained musicians such as Jill Kroesen and Arthur Russell broke new ground in New York City in the mid-1970s. Together with non-musicians and performers, they blurred the boundaries between music and art.
Most of those involved in what critics would call no wave in 1978 shared a nihilistic mindset. Inspired by prevailing styles such as punk, hip-hop, disco, dub and world music, and driven by a DIY attitude, they explored areas ranging from abrasive noise to mutant disco.
In their conversation No Wave Time Warp, visual artist and noise musician Joseph Nechvatal and Paul Paulun focused on the noisier terrain explored by this movement. This mix features what else was important back then.
44-minute mix featuring tracks by Boris Policeband, Bush Tetras, Jill Kroesen, Konk and others.
Featured cover art: Compilation No New York (1978)
Playlist
Boris Policeband – Tow Away
Performance artist, classically trained violist and one-man act Mark Perelman, alias Boris Policeband, was fascinated by cop culture and used fragments from police radio messages in his music. (1979, Vacuum Records)
Jill Kroesen – I’m Sorry I’m Such A Weenie
Jill Kroesen studied at Mills College in Oakland with Terry Riley and Robert Ashley. She combined music, performance and cabaret in a variety of theatre collaborations and avantgarde productions, as well as in her solo work. (1982, Lovely Music Ltd.)
3 Teens Kill 4 – Hut / Bean Song
Visual artist David Wojnarowicz worked with found sounds, voices and material from the radio and, together with the band 3 Teens Kill 4, explored the potential of handheld cassette recorders. The result is neither rock nor punk, but rather like a film that you perceive with your ears. (1982, Point Blank Records)
Walter Steding – Shout
The visual artist, who also developed his own electronic musical instruments, was both a one-man band and a bandleader, performing as an opening act at CBGB, in art galleries and at Andy Warhol’s Factory. (1980, Red Star Records)
Suicide – Mr. Ray
As early as 1970, the duo of Alan Vega and Martin Rev used the term punk to describe their groundbreaking music, characterised by pulsating, minimalist electronic instrumentation and murmuring, nervous vocals. (1980, Island Records)
Konk – What U Want
With a blend of post-punk and disco, influenced by Afrobeat, jazz, funk and hip-hop, Konk made their mark on dance music in New York City in the early 1980s. Released on the dance music label Sleeping Bag Records by avantgarde composer Arthur Russell. (1984, Sleeping Bag Records)
John Giorno – Stretching It Wider
The performance artist and advocate of psychedelic poetry angrily describes the hopeless situation from the perspective of someone who has managed to walk away from it. (Giorno Poetry Systems, 1982)
Teenage Jesus And The Jerks – The Closet
Lydia Lunch hated punk, but used the typical instrumentation of rock bands when she formed Teenage Jesus And The Jerks in 1976 at the age of 16. After the band broke up three years later, their recorded legacy comprised 15 tracks with a total playing time of about 20 minutes. (1978, Antilles)
Ike Yard – Motiv
Transforming the gloomy and dystopian atmosphere of New York City into sound. (1981, Les Disques Du Crépuscule)
Bush Tetras – Snakes Crawl
With the aim of promoting tribal elements, Bush Tetras combined manic and funky grooves with post-punk. (1980, 99 Records)
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