No New York
No New York is a seminal compilation album of no wave music, released in 1978 by Antilles Records and curated and produced by Brian Eno, featuring four tracks each from the New York bands James Chance and the Contortions, Teenage Jesus and the Jerks, Mars, and DNA.[1][2] The album captures the raw, avant-garde energy of the late 1970s New York underground scene, recorded at Big Apple Studio in spring 1978 with a lo-fi approach that preserved the bands' abrasive live performances.[2][1] No wave, the genre it exemplifies, emerged around 1977 as a reaction against punk and new wave, blending elements of free jazz, noise rock, and Dadaist experimentation in venues like CBGB and Max's Kansas City.[1] Key tracks include the Contortions' frenetic "Dish It Out" and "I Can't Stand Myself," Teenage Jesus and the Jerks' minimalist assaults like "Burning Rubber," Mars' surreal "Helen Fordsdale," and DNA's angular "Egomaniac's Kiss."[2] Widely regarded as the definitive document of the no wave movement—a short-lived but influential phenomenon that largely dissipated by 1982—the album influenced subsequent artists in noise rock, post-punk, and downtown jazz scenes, including Sonic Youth.[1] Its reissue in 2005 by Lilith Records renewed interest in the genre's chaotic innovation and cultural defiance.[1]Background
Origins of the no wave scene
The no wave scene emerged in downtown New York City between 1976 and 1978 as a radical avant-garde movement in music and art, primarily as a reaction against the commercialism and formulaic structures of mainstream punk and new wave. Musicians sought to dismantle rock traditions by blending dissonant noise, free jazz improvisation—influenced by artists like Albert Ayler—and experimental avant-garde elements, creating abrasive, atonal sounds that rejected melody and rhythm conventions.[3][4][5] This underground movement thrived in key venues that supported experimental performances, including CBGB, which had opened in 1973 and initially hosted punk acts before shifting toward noisier fare; Max's Kansas City, a hub for art-rock and proto-punk; and Artists Space, a nonprofit gallery that became a nexus for interdisciplinary shows. Influential early figures like Lydia Lunch, James Chance, and Glenn Branca, along with proto-no wave bands such as DNA—formed in 1977 with Ikue Mori on drums—and Mars, which began as a performance art collective in 1975, pushed boundaries through short, chaotic sets that incorporated visual and theatrical elements.[3][4][5] No wave was deeply intertwined with downtown Manhattan's bohemian art scene, drawing from performance art, visual installations, and a countercultural ethos that echoed the Velvet Underground's legacy while embracing nihilism and DIY aesthetics. The movement's rise was enabled by New York City's post-1975 fiscal crisis, which left the city bankrupt and neighborhoods like the Lower East Side riddled with abandoned buildings and cheap rents, attracting a diverse community of broke artists fleeing economic stagnation elsewhere. This urban decay fostered a fertile, lawless environment for experimentation, though the scene's intensity culminated in a pivotal 1978 event that amplified its visibility.[3][4][5]Artists Space festival
In May 1978, the Artists Space gallery in New York City's Tribeca neighborhood hosted a five-night no wave music festival organized by visual artists Michael Zwack and Robert Longo.[6][3] The event featured approximately ten bands performing over the course of the festival, with two acts per night, including notable groups such as DNA, the Contortions, Teenage Jesus and the Jerks, and Mars, alongside others like Theoretical Girls, Tone Death, and Daily Life.[7][8] The performances embodied the raw, experimental ethos of the emerging no wave scene, rooted in downtown New York City's avant-garde experimentalism, with sets characterized by improvisation, dissonance, and atonality that deliberately rejected conventional rock structures in favor of noise and texture.[7][3] Atmosphere: The atmosphere was one of intense, confrontational energy, with bands delivering brief, improvised sets typically lasting 10-15 minutes to heighten their abrasive impact and challenge audience expectations.[7][3] Brian Eno, who was in New York to produce Talking Heads' album More Songs About Buildings and Food, attended the festival and was immediately captivated by the music's innovation and extremity.[9] Inspired, Eno approached Island Records with a proposal to compile and produce an album documenting the scene, directly leading to the creation of No New York.[3][9]Production
Brian Eno's discovery and curation
Brian Eno, a pioneering figure in ambient and experimental music who coined the term "ambient" with his 1978 album Music for Airports and earlier works like Discreet Music (1975), relocated to New York City in 1978 for an initially planned short stay that ultimately lasted until 1983.[10][9] His move coincided with his production role on Talking Heads' second album, More Songs About Buildings and Food, where he introduced innovative techniques blending the band's art-punk with ambient and funk elements, marking a pivotal collaboration.[9] While in the city, Eno immersed himself in its vibrant artistic scene, living in Greenwich Village and seeking inspiration amid the post-punk ferment. In early May 1978, Eno attended a five-day no wave festival at Artists Space, a SoHo gallery known for experimental programming, where he encountered the raw, confrontational performances of emerging downtown bands.[11] Struck by the movement's extremism—characterized by atonal noise, free-jazz influences, and anti-commercial ethos—he envisioned capturing its essence for a broader audience, viewing the acts as "research bands" that pushed music to its conceptual and sonic edges, much like his own oblique strategies in composition.[11] Eno curated the compilation No New York by selecting four bands from the festival: the Contortions, Teenage Jesus and the Jerks, Mars, and DNA, each contributing four tracks to highlight their collective raw energy and avant-garde innovation.[1] He deliberately excluded other participants, such as Theoretical Girls, to maintain a focused representation of no wave's core intensity rather than diluting it with the broader scene.[1] With the intent to document and internationalize this underground phenomenon, Eno approached Island Records, securing a deal through their jazz-oriented imprint Antilles for the album's release later that year.[11] The curation process was not without hurdles, particularly with the Contortions' leader James Chance, who later expressed dissatisfaction with the recording quality and minimal production.[12] Despite such interpersonal strains, Eno's vision emphasized minimal intervention to preserve the performances' unpolished vitality, setting the stage for the compilation's enduring influence.[1]Recording process at Big Apple Studio
The recording sessions for No New York occurred in late May and June 1978 at Big Apple Recording studio in New York City, with Kurt Munkacsi and Vishek Woszcyk serving as engineers.[2] Brian Eno's production approach was deliberately hands-off and minimalist, prioritizing the capture of the bands' raw live energy over polished studio techniques. Most tracks were recorded live in the studio with few, if any, overdubs, resulting in a document-like fidelity that preserved the no wave scene's abrasive intensity. As James Chance of the Contortions recalled, the album "was done totally live in the studio, just like a document."[9] Arto Lindsay of DNA later described Eno's involvement as so detached that he was "reading some studio instrument magazine while we were recording."[9] This philosophy extended to subtle interventions that enhanced the material without altering its essence. For instance, on Mars' "Helen Fordsdale," Eno applied echo to the guitar part's click, triggering compression across the track and producing a helicopter-like blade sound effect.[13] Abrupt editing was also used to maintain brevity and urgency, aligning with the genre's rejection of conventional song structures. Band-specific logistics reflected their improvisational styles: the Contortions' sides were captured efficiently in single takes to retain their chaotic funk-punk drive, Teenage Jesus and the Jerks delivered concise, noise-laden performances in rapid sessions, and Mars contributed extended atonal explorations that were trimmed for the compilation.[9]Musical style
Defining elements of no wave
No wave music, as documented in the 1978 compilation album No New York, fundamentally rejected conventional rock aesthetics in favor of dissonance and atonality, blending the high-speed aggression of punk with the improvisational intensity of free jazz and the abrasive textures of noise experimentation.[14] This sonic palette often featured clashing, untuned guitars, erratic rhythms, and distorted instrumentation that prioritized raw texture over harmony, creating a sense of deliberate discomfort for the listener.[15] Tracks on the album averaged under three minutes in length, emphasizing brevity and urgency akin to punk's minimalism but amplified by noise's chaotic density.[14] Structurally, no wave avoided traditional song forms such as verses and choruses, opting instead for fragmented, non-repetitive compositions that mirrored the genre's anti-commercial ethos and embraced free-form improvisation.[15] This lack of resolution and emphasis on abrasion distinguished it from punk's anthemic simplicity, fostering an experience of unrelenting tension and sonic assault rather than cathartic release.[14] The recording process at Big Apple Studio preserved this unstructured chaos through minimal overdubs and direct captures of live energy, underscoring the genre's commitment to authenticity.[15] Thematically, no wave lyrics and vocal deliveries evoked urban alienation and bodily excess, channeling the squalor and isolation of late-1970s Lower East Side New York into expressions of visceral disgust and anti-establishment defiance.[14] Shouted or spoken-word vocals often conveyed a sense of personal and societal decay, rejecting commercial polish in favor of raw, confrontational intimacy that highlighted themes of excess and rejection of mainstream norms.[15] Through its curation of four bands' contributions, No New York exemplified no wave's collective rawness, positioning the genre as a radical departure from punk's street-level rebellion and new wave's pop accessibility by insisting on experimental extremity and discomfort as core principles.[14] This approach not only captured the scene's ephemeral intensity but also underscored its role in pushing post-punk boundaries toward noise and avant-garde territories.[15]Band contributions and track highlights
The Contortions, led by saxophonist James Chance, brought a sax-driven funk-punk chaos to No New York, blending abrasive free-jazz improvisation with tight, rhythmic grooves that distinguished them as the album's most accessible yet confrontational act.[1] Their tracks exemplify manic energy through relentless bass lines, skronking saxophone bursts, and shredded guitar riffs, as heard in "Dish It Out," which pulses with unyielding drive and technical precision.[3] Similarly, "Flip Your Face" highlights their punk-funk hybrid with mid-tempo beats overlaid by chaotic, implosive sounds, capturing Chance's provocative style that often spilled into live audience brawls.[1] Teenage Jesus and the Jerks, fronted by Lydia Lunch, embodied screamed minimalism and primal aggression, delivering claustrophobic, anti-suburban noise through tribal drumming, fuzzy guitars, and stark, repetitive structures that rejected melodic convention.[1] Their contribution underscored no wave's nihilistic edge, with short, frantic bursts emphasizing discomfort and raw intensity. "The Closet" serves as a key example, building tension through Lunch's gritty vocals and sparse instrumentation to evoke a sense of entrapment.[1] Meanwhile, "Red Alert," clocking in at just 34 seconds, distills their approach into a blistering rampage of screams and noise, amplifying the band's reputation for abrupt, visceral performances.[1] Mars offered abstract noise-rock with surreal, disjointed rhythms, employing moody guitar riffs, ambient vocals, and unconventional tunings to create dissonant, visionary soundscapes that influenced subsequent experimental acts.[1] As a boy-girl quartet led by Sumner Crane, they avoided punk's directness in favor of chaotic, atonal explorations. "Helen Fordsdale" stands out for its strafing guitar runs and eerie atmosphere, opening their section with a haunting, surreal pulse.[3] "Hairwaves," with its detuned shuffle and shouting chaos, further illustrates their fragmented style, blending ambient elements with unpredictable energy.[1] DNA, featuring Arto Lindsay on skewed vocals and guitar, introduced angular art-punk characterized by shrapnel-like fragmentation, catchy synth lines, and simple, propulsive drums that prioritized anti-melody and avant-garde dissonance.[1] Their tracks reflect a jittery, intellectual edge, evolving from early noise experiments shared with Mars and Teenage Jesus members. "Egomaniac's Kiss" exemplifies this with scowling yelps, jagged riffs, and a relentless synth hook, encapsulating their disjointed aggression.[3] Collectively, the four bands on No New York represent no wave's diverse spectrum—from the Contortions' rhythmic chaos and Teenage Jesus's minimal fury to Mars's abstract surrealism and DNA's fragmented art-punk—without stylistic overlap, collectively rejecting punk's conventions through brevity, dissonance, and raw experimentation.[1][3]Album contents
Track listing
No New York was originally released as a double-sided vinyl LP, with the first side featuring tracks by the Contortions and Teenage Jesus and the Jerks, and the second side by Mars and DNA. The sequencing groups each band's contributions together, reflecting their distinct no wave styles within the compilation's curation.[2]| No. | Artist | Title | Writer(s) | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Side one | ||||
| 1. | The Contortions | "Dish It Out" | James Chance | 3:15 |
| 2. | The Contortions | "Flip Your Face" | James Chance | 3:09 |
| 3. | The Contortions | "Jaded" | James Chance | 3:50 |
| 4. | The Contortions | "I Can't Stand Myself" | James Brown | 5:00 |
| 5. | Teenage Jesus and the Jerks | "Burning Rubber" | Lydia Lunch | 1:42 |
| 6. | Teenage Jesus and the Jerks | "The Closet" | Lydia Lunch | 3:45 |
| 7. | Teenage Jesus and the Jerks | "Red Alert" | Lydia Lunch | 0:32 |
| 8. | Teenage Jesus and the Jerks | "I Woke Up Dreaming" | Lydia Lunch | 3:06 |
| No. | Artist | Title | Writer(s) | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Side two | ||||
| 1. | Mars | "Helen Fordsdale" | Nancy Arlen, China Burg, Mark Cunningham, Sumner Crane | 2:27 |
| 2. | Mars | "Hairwaves" | Nancy Arlen, China Burg, Mark Cunningham, Sumner Crane | 3:38 |
| 3. | Mars | "Tunnel" | Nancy Arlen, China Burg, Mark Cunningham, Sumner Crane | 2:37 |
| 4. | Mars | "Puerto Rican Ghost" | Nancy Arlen, China Burg, Mark Cunningham, Sumner Crane | 1:00 |
| 5. | DNA | "Egomaniac's Kiss" | Arto Lindsay, Robin Crutchfield | 2:08 |
| 6. | DNA | "Lionel" | Arto Lindsay, Robin Crutchfield | 2:04 |
| 7. | DNA | "Not Moving" | Arto Lindsay, Robin Crutchfield | 2:35 |
| 8. | DNA | "Size" | Arto Lindsay, Robin Crutchfield | 2:10 |