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A.R. Kane

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A.R. Kane
Promotional image of A.R. Kane
Promotional image of A.R. Kane
Background information
OriginEast London,England
Genres
Years active1986–1994
LabelsRough Trade,4AD,One Little Indian,Luaka Bop
Past members
  • Alex Ayuli
  • Rudy Tambala
Websitearkane.co.uk

A.R. Kane(sometimesAR KaneorA.R.Kane) was a British musical duo formed in 1986 by Alex Ayuli and Rudy Tambala. Ayuli is believed to have coined "dream pop"to describe their sound in the late 1980s,[1]which drew on diverse sources such asdub,psychedelia,free jazz,andhouse.[2][3]After releasing two early EPs to critical acclaim, A.R. Kane topped theUK Independent Chartwith their album69(1988), with second album"i"(1989) also a top 10 hit. They also released the surprisedancehit "Pump Up the Volume"in 1987 as part of the one-off collaborationMARRS.

The group broke up in 1994. Though their work fell into relative obscurity in subsequent years, they have been characterized by critics as among the most innovative and underrated groups of their era.[4][2][5][6]In 2012,One Little IndianreleasedComplete Singles Collection,which compiled the group's single and EP releases.

History

Origins

Ayuli and Tambala first met as school children in an East London primary school. Ayuli is ofNigeriandescent, while Tambala was born to aMalawianfather and English mother. Both were involved in formative and culturally diverse music communities as adolescents.[7]In 1983, Ayuli became an advertising copywriter, one of few black creatives working in the London ad business. Attending a party in 1986, Tambala was asked how he and Ayuli knew each other; he lied that the two played together in a band, going on to describe their sound as "a bitVelvet Underground,a bitCocteau Twins,a bitMiles Davis,a bitJoni Mitchell".A week later, the two were contacted by a label on the strength of Tambala's fabrication.[2]The duo recorded theirdemowithout a drummer, using a guitar and two cassette players.[8]

1986–1994: Recordings

In 1986, A.R. Kane released their debut single "When You're Sad" onOne Little Indian.The duo were initially grouped with other "noise pop"acts, and were hailed in the press as" the blackJesus and Mary Chain",despite claiming to have never heard the work of that band.[9]The next year the group signed to4ADto release the follow-up 1987 EPLollita,which was produced byRobin Guthrieof Cocteau Twins and saw the duo meldingdubproduction, guitarfeedback,free jazzand studio experimentation.[2][9]While at 4AD, label chiefIvo Watts-Russellsuggested that Ayuli and Tambala team with roster matesColourbox,champion mixer Chris "C.J." Mackintosh, and London DJ Dave Dorrell to record a one-off single. Dubbing the collaborationM/A/R/R/S,the resulting single, "Pump Up the Volume"was a breakthrough effort heraldingsampling'sgradual absorption fromhip-hopintodance musicand ultimately the pop mainstream, reaching number 1 on theUK Singles Chartin September 1987.[9]

A.R. Kane followed with their highly anticipated debut album,69(1988), which topped the independent charts and received rave critical reviews from the UK music press.[5]Writing forMelody Maker,criticSimon Reynoldsdescribed69as "theoutstanding record of '88. "[10]A.R Kane's next release was 1989'sLove-SickEP, followed later that year by their second studio album,"i",in which they engaged more overtly with pop, dance and electronic styles. The duo, dismissive of the wildly disparate attempts by journalists to categorize their unique sound, eventually began referring to their music as "dreampop";the term was widely adopted by music critics thereafter.[11]Like its predecessor,"i"was released to moderate sales figures and topped the independent charts.[3]Also in 1989, Rough Trade released thePopEP.

In the early 1990s, the band went on hiatus. During this time, Ayuli and Tambala founded the label H.ark and released EPs by acts such as Papa Sprain andButterfly Child.[3]Rough Trade went bankrupt in 1991. In 1992,David Byrne's record label,Luaka Bop,released a 15-song US retrospective of the band's work, titledAmericana.Greg Kot ofThe Chicago Timesdescribed the compilation as "a chronicle of sonic innovation in which the boundary between melody and noise, pop and the avant-garde, is blurred continually."[12]The duo ended their hiatus thereafter to record a follow-up album,New Clear Child(1994), and then dissolved following its release.

1994–present: Post-breakup

Since the dissolution of A.R. Kane, Tambala has made ambient- and dub-based music with his sister Maggie under the alias Sufi[13]and released the 1995 albumLife's RisingonCaroline Records.Tambala serves as head of new media forMinistry of Sound,and previously worked forVirgin Digitalin non-musical roles. He currently records as MusicOne.[14]Ayuli was known to be a museum curator in the US. He put out releases under the name Alex!.[15]In 2006, Ayuli contributed vocals to two tracks ( "Soulsong" and "Passage" ) on the albumPrimarioby the Static Discos artist Fax, and also appeared on Fax's albumZig Zag.[16]Ayuli appeared inBeautiful Noise,a documentary on theshoegazingmusic scene of the 1990s[17]

A.R. Kane's first two albums were reissued in the US by One Little Indian in 2004, andNew Clear Childwas reissued by 3rd Stone in 2000.Complete Singles Collection,a compilation of the group's EPs and singles, was released in 2012.

In 2015, it was announced by Tambala that a quasi-reformation of A.R. Kane, bringing together new and old collaborators, would be taking place that year under the name #A.R.Kane and without the involvement of Ayuli.[18]

Legacy and influence

Critic Jason Ankeny described A.R. Kane as "arguably the most criminally under-recognized band of their era" and an important progenitor of such musical developments as shoegazing,trip hop,ambient dubandpost-rock.[6]The Guardianhas called their work "some of the 80s' most extraordinary music" and noted their influence on subsequent artists such asMy Bloody Valentine.[2]CriticSimon Reynoldstentatively referred to A.R. Kane as "the great lost group of the 80s," while pointing out that the group in fact enjoyed fervent support in certain circles of the press and surrounding music scenes during the period.[5]The group have been recognized for breaking stereotypes about the styles accessible to black musicians at a time when most popular black artists were relegated tosoul,reggaeandhip hop.[5][2]Pitchforkwrote that, "embracingdub,soul andpaisley pop,A.R. Kane pushed boundaries most of their contemporaries completely ignored. "[19]Simon Reynolds later wrote that "A.R. Kane weren’t a rock band in the conventional sense [...they] were more like an experimental guitar pop unit who loved to push the recording studio to its limits."[5]Their work has was characterized byfriezeas "dreamyexperimental pop."[20]

Bands such asSeefeel,Slowdive,Long Fin Killie,Dubstar,the VeldtandApollo Heightshave cited A.R. Kane as an influence.

Discography

Studio albums

EPs

  • Lollita12 "EP (July 1987,4AD)
  • Up Home!12 "EP (April 1988, Rough Trade)
  • Love-Sick12 "/7" EP (October 1988, Rough Trade)
  • rem "i" xesCD/12 "EP (1990, Rough Trade Deutschland)
  • A Love from Outer SpaceCD/12 "EP (1992, Luaka Bop/Sire)

Singles

  • "When You're Sad" 12 "single (August 1986, One Little Indian)
  • "Baby Milk Snatcher" 7 "single (June 1988, Rough Trade)
  • "Listen Up!" 12 "single (October 1988, Rough Trade)
  • "Pop" CD/12 "/7" single (July 1989, Rough Trade)
  • "Crack Up" 12 "single (1990, Rough Trade France/Virgin)
  • "Sea Like a Child" CD single (1994, 3rd Stone)

Compilation albums

  • AmericanaCD/LP (1992, Luaka Bop/Sire)
  • Complete Singles Collection2CD (2012, One Little Indian)

References

  1. ^King, Richard (2012).How Soon is Now?: The Madmen and Mavericks who made Independent Music 1975–2005.Faber & Faber. p. 206.ISBN978-0-571-27832-9.
  2. ^abcdefFitzpatrick, Rob (19 September 2012)."AR Kane: how to invent shoegaze without really trying".Theguardian.Retrieved31 July2017.
  3. ^abcReynolds, Simon."ReynoldsRetro".Reynoldsretro.blogspot.Retrieved31 July2017.
  4. ^Purdom, Tim."A love from outer space: dream-pop icons A.R. Kane interviewed".Fact Magazine.Retrieved25 August2016.
  5. ^abcdeReynolds, Simon."ReynoldsRetro".Reynoldsretro.blogpsot.Retrieved31 July2017.
  6. ^ab"A.R. Kane – Biography & History – AllMusic".AllMusic.Retrieved31 July2017.
  7. ^"The Quietus – Features – A Quietus Interview – The Future Came And Went: A. R. Kane Interviewed".Thequietus.Retrieved31 July2017.
  8. ^Eady, Will."A MOMENT IN MUSIC HISTORY: A.R. KANE AND THE BIRTH OF DREAM POP".I Am The Industry.Retrieved4 September2016.
  9. ^abc"A.R. Kane Biography & History".AllMusic.Retrieved10 February2017.
  10. ^Reynolds, Simon (1988)."A.R. Kane: Supercolourfragilelipsticksexyallahdosehush".Melody Maker.Retrieved14 July2016.
  11. ^"The official website for independent record label 4AD".4AD.Retrieved31 July2017.
  12. ^Kot, Greg."Noise Makers".The Chicago Tribune.Retrieved25 August2016.
  13. ^"SUFi – Listen and Stream Free Music, Albums, New Releases, Photos, Videos".Myspace.Retrieved31 July2017.
  14. ^"MusicOne – Listen and Stream Free Music, Albums, New Releases, Photos, Videos".Myspace.Retrieved31 July2017.
  15. ^"Alex! – Listen and Stream Free Music, Albums, New Releases, Photos, Videos".Myspace.Retrieved31 July2017.
  16. ^"cloudchamber".1 October 2009. Archived fromthe originalon 1 October 2009.Retrieved31 July2017.{{cite web}}:Unknown parameter|dead-url=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help)
  17. ^"Beautiful Noise".IMDb.Retrieved31 July2017.
  18. ^"Cult dream-pop act A.R. Kane announce first show in 20 years".Factmag.17 April 2015.Retrieved31 July2017.
  19. ^[1]
  20. ^"Craft of the Lost Art".frieze magazine.Retrieved21 August2016.
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