Arthur Russell – The World Of Arthur Russell

This essential collection of Russell’s most potent productions is as comprehensive an introduction to his work as you’re likely to find. Intelligent and immaculately produced, this is demanding dance music which, like Russell himself, blurred the boundaries between the avant-garde and the Downtown New York club scene of the eighties.

On the one hand, Russell was very much part of the club scene, alongside the likes of Larry Levan and Walter Gibbons, both of whom provide remixes for this record. On the other hand, Russell embodied the cities flourishing avant-garde as a shy, obscure and perennially distracted cellist who spread himself zealously across genres. It is a testament to the compilers at Soul Jazz records that they manage to display all sides of Russell’s musical character in a way that makes them appear not incongruous, but as natural parts of a complex whole.

The triple LP begins with the infectious Dinosaur L classic “Go Bang”, remixed by Francois Kevorkian, before dipping into Lola’s “Wax The Van” and the seminal and subversive burner “Is It All Over My Face?” by Loose Joints, one of Russell’s many projects.

Loose Joints – “Is It All Over My Face?”

Arthur Russell was never one to dwell on his achievements, and part of his genius lay in the honesty of his compositions. “Keeping Up” and “A Little Lost” which feature his unique cello and voice are more like the personal sketches of a tortured, essentially romantic disposition. It is bittersweet avant-pop adapted for an instrument and a voice unsuited to the pretentions of the mainstream music industry.

However, the jewel of this crown sits right in the middle. Rescued from archival obscurity, “In The Light Of The Miracle” commands the whole of side three. It is a fourteen minute journey of lush psychedelic disco, which builds and simmers as different elements come in and out of focus. The distant voices, echoes of a horn section, tantalizing vocals and keyboard jabs are insistently driven onwards by a powerful and percussive cowbell-led bassline, hinting at the genre’s future in house music.

Discovering the world of Arthur Russell was like imagining a colour that didn’t yet exist. Impossible to predict, yet a seamless part of the spectrum.

Get it from DISCOGS or AMAZON