New York Noise:
Dance Music from the New York Underground 1978-1982
No Wave and it's aftermath, A.K.A. Punk meets Funk. To paraphrase the rather detailed liner notes for this compilation, this is a collection of acts from the New York downtown scene in the late 70's/early 80's. Many creative and artistic people were involved in this scene, and their soundtrack reflects the coming together of several musical movements. Songs range from funky to noisy with many combinations in between. This is a fascinating survey of a place and time in music, there are rewarding tracks for just about any broad minded music fan.
1) **Cowbell break intro, choppy vocals over percussion and bass
2) **Congas and sythesizer mixed together with afro-groove horns
3) *Up tempo with cartoony sound effects and female vocals
4) Down tempo with plodding bass and guitar, fuzzy synth, TV dialogue
5) *Funky guitar and bass
6) Noisy with echo-y guitars and inebriated lyrics
7) *Down tempo hip-hop. Interesting note, the original 12" issue of this was #1 on the Ego Trip's Book of Hip-Hop lists for most expensive hip-hop record, mostly due to it's original artwork cover by the record's producer Jean Michel Basquiat. It's also been sampled an assload of times by the Beastie Boys
8) Frenetic shout from the James Brown of punk rock
9) **Long, building shoe-gazer instrumental
10) Mildly cheesy girl funk
11) Choppy, dreamy meanderings
12) Rat-a-tat-tat intro, building guitars. Hollering male vocals, lovingly disheveled with tempo changes
13) Semi-pissed off sounding female vocals, abrupt ending
14) Lo-fi with up-tempo surfy guitars and nearly incoherent female vocals
15) *Bass and stuccato vocals, up-tempo and funky
16) *Funky acapella intro. Slap bass
Tom Purcell, February 2004