DNA (No-Wave-Band)
DNA was a No Wave band that was formed in 1978 by guitarist Arto Lindsay and keyboardist Robin Crutchfield. Instead of playing their instruments in a traditional manner, they focused on the generation of unique and unusual noises. Their music has been described as sparse, noisy and angular and compared with that of Captain Beefheart or even Anton Webern.
History
DNA originally consisted of Lindsay, Crutchfield, Gordon Stevenson, and Mirielle Cervenka. The group name was taken from a title of Mars, another no- wave band. Mirielle Cervenka was the younger sister of the punk singer Exene Cervenka of X. This situation was, however, only very short and has never occurred. After Stevenson and Cervenka quickly disappeared, Lindsay and Ikue Mori Crutchfield hastily recruited ( that time under the name Ikue Ile) as a drummer, who still dominated the drumming at the time is not English.
With this line DNA occasionally played CBGB and Max's Kansas City and took on a 7'' single. Within its first year, the band had established its reputation as a paradigmatic no wave band; at that time chose Brian Eno them as one of the four groups of the LP " No New York " from the first recording that a public No Wave groups outside of Lower Manhattan presented. The other three bands on the album were The Contortions, Teenage Jesus and the Jerks and Mars.
Shortly after the recording of No New York Crutchfield left DNA to form a new band Dark Day. He was replaced by bassist Tim Wright of Pere Ubu. The fact that Crutchfield's keyboard has been replaced by a bass, and that Wright dominated the conventional technique, the sound of DNA changed dramatically. The music was still barren and square, and Wright's bass lines produced a sometimes downright threatening sound as a basis for Lindsay's scratchy, atonal guitar and Mori's irregular rhythms. Their song structures were scarce, firmer, more abstract.
The Lindsay - Mori -Wright lineup of DNA developed between 1979 and 1982 a kind of cult followers; but probably more fans came from the art world as from the rock listener. Live performances were often at this time, but hardly outside the circle to CBGB / Mudd Club / Tier 3 in Lower Manhattan.
The ten-minute debut album A Taste of DNA was taken in 1980 for Kip Hanrahans label American Clavé; later it appeared on Rough Trade. Some live recordings of DNA appeared on compilation albums, when the band still existed.
In 1982, Lindsay, Mori and Wright decided to dissolve the band. It is a sign of the cult followers of the band that the farewell concerts were sold out on three consecutive nights at CBGB. The last addition was a cover version of " Whole Lotta Love" ( Led Zeppelin). However, this is not included in the load Live at CBGB CD, which appeared more than ten years later, on John Zorn's Avant label.
The band appeared (as some other New and No Wave bands ) on the feature film New York Beat ( Downtown 81, with Jean -Michel Basquiat ).
DNA on DNA, a comprehensive CD chronicle of the band, was released in 2005 on No More Records.
Lindsay and Mori, and to a lesser degree Crutchfield, have remained active in the music industry.
Discography
Albums
- No New York: various artists ( DNA's four tracks) 1978 - Antilles, AN 7067 (LP)
- A Taste of DNA 1981 - American Clavé, AMCL 1003EP (12 ")
- The Fruit of Original Sin: various artists ( three DNA tracks) 1981 - Les Disques Crepuscule you, twi 035 ( 2xLP )
- American Clavé sampler: various artists ( a DNA track) 1993 - American Clave (USA), AMCL 1020/1026 ( 2xCD )
- DNA on DNA 2004 - No More Records, NoCD12
Singles
- " You & You" b / w " Little Ants" 1978 - pleasure / displeasure Music, 11 -CAN -234