Biography
Avant-garde cellist and composer Arthur Russell, recording as Dinosaur with a circle of New York City collaborators, delivered Sire’s debut disco single in 1979. Titled “Kiss Me Again,” the track included guitar by David Byrne of Talking Heads, bass from seasoned session hand Wilbur Bascomb Jr., drums by journeyman Allan Schwartzberg whose résumé already featured work with Yoko Ono, Bob James, and Tom Verlaine, vocals by Myriam Naomi Valle of Desmond Child & Rouge, and Russell’s own cello and production. Though the striking release never registered commercially, it joined the rest of Russell’s disco output as an underground club staple, propelled in large measure by Paradise Garage DJ Larry Levan.
In the early 1980s Russell issued additional singles under his own name as well as in association with Loose Joints, Lola, and Indian Ocean. He and William Socolov launched the Sleeping Bag label in 1982; the imprint later became a key independent force in rap through releases by Mantronix and EPMD. Its first project, however, was Dinosaur L’s album 24 24 Music, whose cut “Go Bang” surfaced as a 12-inch featuring a François Kevorkian remix that left a strong imprint on the New York club scene. Russell’s dance-music activity receded in the latter half of the decade, yet he remained active in avant-garde contexts until his death in 1992.
In the early 1980s Russell issued additional singles under his own name as well as in association with Loose Joints, Lola, and Indian Ocean. He and William Socolov launched the Sleeping Bag label in 1982; the imprint later became a key independent force in rap through releases by Mantronix and EPMD. Its first project, however, was Dinosaur L’s album 24 24 Music, whose cut “Go Bang” surfaced as a 12-inch featuring a François Kevorkian remix that left a strong imprint on the New York club scene. Russell’s dance-music activity receded in the latter half of the decade, yet he remained active in avant-garde contexts until his death in 1992.
Albums