Arthur Russell
Seminal avant-garde composer, singer-songwriter, cellist, and disco producer Arthur Russell prolifically created music that spanned both pop and the transcendent possibilities of abstract art. Though posthumously regarded as one of the most influential musicians of all time, his profound talent was never truly acknowledged before his untimely death in 1992.
His long time collaborators and friends included Philip Glass, Allen Ginsberg and David Byrne, the latter with whom he produced eccentric...
Seminal avant-garde composer, singer-songwriter, cellist, and disco producer Arthur Russell prolifically created music that spanned both pop and the transcendent possibilities of abstract art. Though posthumously regarded as one of the most influential musicians of all time, his profound talent was never truly acknowledged before his untimely death in 1992.
His long time collaborators and friends included Philip Glass, Allen Ginsberg and David Byrne, the latter with whom he produced eccentric disco hits under the moniker Dinosaur L which became pre Studio 54 hits.
Shunning the conventionality of ‘genre’ he became the master of minimalist symphonies (‘First Thought, Best Thought’) and experimental disco/new wave (‘Calling Out Of Context’).
As the long deserved praise continues to grow, 2007 saw the release of ‘Four Songs By Arthur Russell’ an EP of enchanting covers by contemporary artists such As Vera November and Taken By Trees. Whilst the film ‘Wild Combination: A Portrait Of Arthur Russell’ was released in 2008.
‘Love Is Overtaking Me’ (2008) reaches back further to Russell’s first compositions from the early `70s and spans forward to his very last recordings. Comprised of demos and home recordings of unreleased pop, folk and country songs, it is the fifth collection put together so lovingly by Audika Records.