Arthur Russell

Active in a wide array of New York’s musical circles in the ’70s and ‘80s, Arthur Russell was so creative and productive that the scope of his genius was only realised years after his death of AIDS-related illnesses in 1992. Born in Iowa in 1951, Russell studied experimental and Indian classical music before connecting with a diverse array of collaborators that included poet Allen Ginsberg, composer Philip Glass and DJ Larry Levan. Musically restless, Russell made forays into avant-garde music, disco, pop and folk, creating his own hybrids in the process. The connective thread in Russell’s music was the mix of joy, melancholy and sheer beauty that permeates works as different as “#5 (Go Bang!)”, the quirky club hit he released as Dinosaur L in 1981, and 1986’s World Of Echo, a more delicate showcase of his voice and cello playing. Posthumous releases like 2008’s country-influenced Love Is Overtaking Me revealed even more sides to Russell’s talent.