Various Artists - Go Bang: A Tribute to Arthur Russell

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  • Arthur Russell was one of those rare musicians able to reside in the underground, the fringes and the mainstream while retaining not only his integrity but his uncompromising approach to music. He fused disco, soul, folk and classical with whatever technology he could get his hands on, and transformed it into something else altogether with his cello and his half-spoken, half-sung vocals. Everything was suffused with his unique touch and intimate thoughtfulness, giving his music an intensely personal feel. A key figure in '70s and '80s New York, he belonged at The Loft, but you wouldn't be surprised to see him at CBGBs, avant-garde poetry nights and hip-hop block parties. He died in 1992, aged just 40, but has been a paradigm for countless DJs, artists and individuals who do it their own way. Electric Minds doubtlessly understands this. Among my favourite promoters in London, they have regularly hooked up with the equally dependable Late Night Audio to present Arthur Russell's modern day descendants—Toby Tobias, Mock and Toof and Chicken Lips—in sweaty, undersized basements, the way it should be. In short, they know their stuff. Thus, on the face of it, Go Bang: A Tribute to Arthur Russell should be a fitting tribute, especially given that Yam Who? has been given five tracks alongside contributions from Max Essa and Faze Action. Considering the pedigree of the contributors, it should be unsurprising to find out that Go Bang is full of well-produced nu-disco and house. But the tracks here fail to dazzle. What feels like a larger betrayal, though, is that all the kinks and individuality—the things that make Arthur Russell's music so great—have been ironed out. As each track begins with a simple beat, you're left hankering for something else, a cello, a half-vocal, something you've never heard before. There's sadly little of that here. What we have instead are covers that only serve to make you want to return to Arthur as quickly as you can for a far more rich and rewarding listen. Go back, even, to previous covers such as Walter Gibbons' version of "Go Bang!" That track is rejigged here by Yam Who? and Faze Action, and the difference in quality is palpable. The covers of "In the Light of the Miracle" and "Wax the Van" will have you dancing, but so will a lot of other records on the shelf, and Arthur Russell was about much more than that. Only the first track really captures anything of the original spirit that makes Russell's music so enduring. My Tiger My Timing's take on of "Arm Around You" bubbles with a joy and optimism that ups the cuteness and adds a delightful drum pattern, a slight build-up and sweet licks. For the most part, though, we're stuck in the unwelcome realm of "tasteful," an eternal bugbear of nu-disco, and it couldn't be more misplaced. What you're left with is one of those albums that would sound perfect in a bar which markets itself on a kind of elegant sophistication—and far removed from the sweaty basements of Electric Minds' super-fun parties.
  • Tracklist
      01. My Tiger My Timing - Arm Around You 02. Steven Hall & Joyce Kirby - Lucky Cloud (Pocketknife Remix) 03. Yam Who? & Mary Moore - Make 1 2 04. Max Essa - Tiger Stripes 05. Pocketknife feat Joe Worricker - Get Around To It 06. Faze Action feat Yam Who? & Mary Moore - In the Light of a Miracle 07. Yam Who? - Wax The Van 08. Yam Who? feat Faze Action, Peter Gordon & Mary Moore - Go Bang 09. Yam Who? feat Natasha Watts - Kiss Me Again 10. Yam Who? - Pop Your Funk 11. Ilija Rudman - Wax The Van 12. Pocketknife feat. Joe Worricker - Get Around To It (Mark E Remix)
RA