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No wave

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No Wave
Stylistic originsPunk rock, Avant-garde[1], Jazz, Funk, Blues, Alternative Rock, Experimental Rock
Cultural origins1970s New York City[1]
Typical instrumentsGuitar - Bass - Drums - Keyboard
Other topics
Timeline of alternative rock- Timeline of punk rock

No Wave was a short-lived but influential art music and art scene that had its beginnings during the 1970s in New York City and continued through the 1980s and into the early '90s alongside the punk subculture.[1] The term No Wave is in part satiric wordplay rejecting the commercial elements of the then-popular New Wave genre. The term also highlights the music's experimental nature; No Wave music belonged to no fixed style or genre.

In many ways, No Wave is not a clearly definable musical genre with consistent features. Various groups drew on such disparate styles as funk, jazz, blues, punk rock, avant garde, and experimental. There are, however, some elements common to most No Wave music, such as abrasive atonal sounds, repetitive driving rhythms, and a tendency to emphasize musical texture over melody. No wave lyrics often focused on nihilism and confrontation. No Wave is often better defined in terms of the artistic environment in which it thrived and the character of performances typical to its context. No Wave performances drew heavily on performance art and as a result were often both highly theatrical and minimalistic in their renditions.

Also during this time, there was a period of No Wave Cinema which was an underground film movement in the East Village. No Wave filmmakers included Amos Poe, John Lurie, Vivienne Dick, Scott B and Beth B, and led to the Cinema of Transgression and work by Nick Zedd and Richard Kern.

No Wave had a notable influence on noise and industrial bands who formed after, like Big Black, Lev Six, Helmet, and Live Skull. The Theoretical Girls heavily influenced early Sonic Youth, who then emerged from this scene by creating music that eventually reached mass audiences and critical acclaim. Also for new bands like Liars, Ex Models, Neptune, Erase Errata the influence of the No Wave scene was important. The Brian Eno-produced album No New York is perhaps the best example of this genre, featuring songs by Mars, Teenage Jesus & the Jerks, DNA and The Contortions.[3]

Simon Reynolds, author of Rip It Up and Start Again: Postpunk 1978-1984, wrote:

And although "affection" is possibly an odd word to use in reference to a bunch of nihilists, I do feel fond of the No Wave people. James Chance's music actually stands up really well, I think; there are great moments throughout Lydia Lunch's long discography, and Suicide's records are just beautiful. (Listen to James Chance & the Contortions, "Contort Yourself," 1979; and Suicide, "Touch Me," 1980.)[4]

In the late 80s and early 90s, a second wave of No Wave bands emerged. Many were picked up by the Kill Rock Stars Label including: Free Kitten, Nation of Ulysses, and Tourttes.

The No Wave movement continues to have a far-reaching impact on the American anti-culture music scene. In a foreword to the book No Wave, Weasel Walter wrote of the movement's ongoing influence,

I began to express myself musically in a way that felt true to myself, constantly pushing the limits of idiom or genre and always screaming "Fuck You!" loudly in the process. It's how I felt then and I still feel it now. The ideals behind the (anti-) movement known as No Wave were found in many other archetypes before and just as many afterwards, but for a few years around the late 1970s, the concentration of those ideals reached a cohesive, white-hot focus.[5]

In 2004 Scott Crary made a documentary, Kill Your Idols about the No wave scene. [6] In 2008, three books on the No Wave scene were published: Soul Jazz's New York Noise[7], Marc Masters' No Wave[8], and Thurston Moore and Byron Coley's No Wave: Post-Punk. Underground. New York. 1976-1980"[9].

List of No Wave artists

Compilations

Documentary

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c Romanowski, P., ed. (1995) [1983]. The New Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock & Roll. H. George-Warren & J. Pareles (Revised edition ed.). New York: Fireside. pp. p. 717. ISBN 0-684-81044-1. {{cite book}}: |edition= has extra text (help); |pages= has extra text (help); Cite has empty unknown parameters: |1= and |month= (help)
  2. ^ Romanowski, p.717: "It seemed to have had its short lifespan built in from its inception."
  3. ^ http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/article/feature/31364/Interview_Interview_James_Chance
  4. ^ Rip It Up and Start Again. - By Stephen Metcalf and Simon Reynolds - Slate Magazine
  5. ^ Masters, Marc. (2007) No Wave London, UK: Black Dog Publishing
  6. ^ Kill Your Idols (2004)
  7. ^ Soul Jazz Records — New York Noise Book — Art and Music from the New York Underground 1978-88
  8. ^ No Wave: - All Books - Black Dog Publishing
  9. ^ Harry N. Abrams, Inc. :: No Wave :: Abrams Image :: Thurston Moore, Byron Coley
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