Arthur Russell: A Tribute

By Colleen “Cosmo” Murphy 

To most dance music enthusiasts, Arthur Russell is known as a quirky musician who produced some of the most outlandish disco records that were actually played in clubs. Songs like “Number 5 Go Bang!”, “Is It All Over My Face”, “Tiger Stripes” and “Wax The Van” didn’t sound like any other disco records produced at the time. This is partly because Arthur brought in sounds and ideas from other parallel music scenes in downtown New York City. It may also be one of the reasons Arthur was never greeted with the commercial success he sometimes craved. Today’s dance producers and musicians are feeling Arthur more than ever. Des Morgan of YamWho feels Arthur’s music is still relevant and inspiring “due to the originality, quality and depth of the songs which I think is missing in a lot of modern dance music. His constant mixing of different musicians and genres has influenced countless producers and bands and keeps his music sounding fresh even by today’s standards. In short, he had a sound which is truly individual, way ahead of its time and that deserves to be heard.”

Robin Lee of Faze Action is more inspired by Arthur’s lesser-known works such as “World Of Echo”, “First Thought Best Thought” and “Another Thought”, a posthumous compilation released by Philip Glass. Commenting upon Arthur’s non-dance material and its importance today, Lee states, “They don’t have a clear cut purpose. Rather they are his artistic expressions and I think in a way that is the reason why he has become important in the year 2010. This is a time where there is a lot of change in the world of music. Music can’t be produced to satisfy a market anymore because that market or purpose doesn’t exist. There will always be a use for music outside of aesthetic (for example it is part of human nature to have the need to dance) but Arthur Russell has reminded us that it’s okay to make music just as an expression of how you feel without having to pander to the current fashion or taste. Arthur Russell was a Buddhist. He was a composer. I think he was striving to create music in the moment. Arthur Russell isn’t inviting you to like or dislike his music. He is just saying, ‘This is me in this moment and this is how I feel’.”

Currently there is a big spotlight on Arthur. There is Matt Wolf’s gorgeous film “Wild Combination: A Portrait of Arthur Russell”, as well as the newly published book by Tim Lawrence “Hold On To Your Dreams: Arthur Russell and The Downtown Music Scene 1973 – 1992”. There are posthumous album releases such as “The World of Arthur Russell” on Soul Jazz Records and “World Of Echo” and other re-issues on Audika. Arthur’s Landing is an Arthur Russell cover band comprised of former colleagues and cohorts of Arthur with an album due on Strut and Electric Minds produced a compilation of Arthur material reinterpreted by current dance acts such as YamWho, Face Action and Pocketknife. If you want to find out more about why Arthur Russell is such an important figure to today’s music scene, please check out the Cosmodelica Arthur Russell Radio Tribute where I interview author Tim Lawrence and we discuss Arthur’s life, his music and how it all fit into the eclectic downtown music scene of 1970’s and 1980’s New York City. 

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