A R Kane
Encyclopedia
A.R. Kane were a British
dream pop
duo consisting of Alex Ayuli and Rudy Tambala that formed in 1986. Their name was partially derived from their first names, the "A" in Alex and the "R" in Rudy. The duo hailed from East London
. Ayuli and Tambala were also part of the one-off recording collective M/A/R/R/S
, which included the group Colourbox
, in 1987. Their song "Pump Up the Volume
" became a surprise worldwide number one chart hit.
, trip hop
, acid house
, and post-rock
. Their lyrics which frequently dealt with such topics as water/oceans, love, colours, childhood, and dreams were often surrealist. Their music was usually danceable, due in part to its strong dub
influence, and ethereal.
Alex was formerly an advertising copywriter, one of the very few black creatives working in the London ad business (1983–1990). He started his ad career at JWT
before moving on to TBWA
where he was associated with the creation of two pan-European Lego tv commercials. The director of one of these commercials, Matt Forrest, invited Alex and his art director team mate to write a music video for Stephen "Tin Tin" Duffy's
track "Unkiss that Kiss". The music video was filmed inside and outside the historic L'Escargot
restaurant in London's Soho.
).
The duo then released a string of singles and two ground-breaking albums on Rough Trade Records
- 1988's sixty-nine and 1989's "i". Critics found both albums difficult to define, genre-wise. sixty-nine was more consciously rock-based, and its sound could be likened to the nascent shoegaze movement; "i" was more slick/poppy, covering a wide variety of styles over twenty-six tracks (ten of which were short noise interludes). "i" also spawned what is arguably A.R. Kane's best-known song, "A Love From Outer Space". Both albums achieved wide critical acclaim, particularly in UK magazine Melody Maker
, where they were championed especially by critic Simon Reynolds
. The 6-track rem"i"xes EP featured remixes of songs from the "i" LP, done by Robin Guthrie
of Cocteau Twins
and by A R Kane themselves.
Rough Trade went bankrupt in 1991, hindering the band's momentum and leaving them label-less. In 1992, David Byrne
's record label, Luaka Bop
, released a 15-song U.S. retrospective of the band's work, entitled Americana.
After an early-1990s hiatus, follow-up album New Clear Child (1994) was not received as well due to a seeming lack of a coherent direction and a feeling that the ideas were merely re-hashes of works that were completed more succinctly in the earlier two albums.
A.R. Kane's first two albums were reissued in the U.S. by One Little Indian in 2004, and New Clear Child was reissued by 3rd Stone in 2000.
. Tambala is currently working for Ministry of Sound
as Head of New Media, and has previously worked for Virgin Digital
in non-musical related roles. He current records as MusicOne.
Ayuli was known to be a museum curator in the U.S. He put out releases under the name Alex!. In 2006, Ayuli contributed vocals on two tracks ("Soulsong" and "Passage") of the album "Primario" by the Mexican record label Static Discos artist Fax. He will also appear on Fax's forthcoming album, Zig Zag. Ayuli appears in Beautiful Noise
, the documentary on the shoegazing
music scene of the 1990s
Bands such as Long Fin Killie
, Slowdive
, Dubstar
, The Veldt
, Apollo Heights
and Seefeel
have cited A.R. Kane as an influence.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
dream pop
Dream pop
Dream pop is a subgenre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom in the mid-1980s, when bands like The Passions, Dif Juz, Lowlife and A.R. Kane began fusing post-punk and ethereal experiments with bittersweet pop melodies into dreamy, sensual soundscapes. The term was almost...
duo consisting of Alex Ayuli and Rudy Tambala that formed in 1986. Their name was partially derived from their first names, the "A" in Alex and the "R" in Rudy. The duo hailed from East London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. Ayuli and Tambala were also part of the one-off recording collective M/A/R/R/S
MARRS
MARRS was a 1987 one-off recording act formed by the groups A.R. Kane and Colourbox which only released one commercial disc...
, which included the group Colourbox
Colourbox
Colourbox were an English electronic musical group on the 4AD label, releasing a number of records between 1982 and 1987. The band was formed by brothers Martyn and Steve Young, along with guest singers, until Lorita Grahame joined as a permanent member in 1983....
, in 1987. Their song "Pump Up the Volume
Pump up the Volume (song)
"Pump Up the Volume" is a song and the only single by British recording act MARRS. It was a number-one hit in many countries and is generally regarded as a significant milestone in the development of British house music and music sampling....
" became a surprise worldwide number one chart hit.
History
Critic Jason Ankeny describes A.R. Kane as "arguably the most criminally under-recognized band of their era," suggesting that the duo's innovate music was a seminal influence on later developments such as dream popDream pop
Dream pop is a subgenre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom in the mid-1980s, when bands like The Passions, Dif Juz, Lowlife and A.R. Kane began fusing post-punk and ethereal experiments with bittersweet pop melodies into dreamy, sensual soundscapes. The term was almost...
, trip hop
Trip hop
Trip hop is a music genre consisting of downtempo electronic music which originated in the early 1990s in England, especially Bristol. Deriving from "post"-acid house, the term was first used by the British music media and press as a way to describe the more experimental variant of breakbeat which...
, acid house
Acid house
Acid house is a sub-genre of house music that emphasizes a repetitive, hypnotic and trance-like style, often with samples or spoken lines rather than sung lyrics. Acid house's core electronic squelch sounds were developed around the mid-1980s, particularly by DJs from Chicago who experimented with...
, and post-rock
Post-rock
Post-rock is a subgenre of rock music characterized by the influence and use of instruments commonly associated with rock, but using rhythms and "guitars as facilitators of timbre and textures" not traditionally found in rock...
. Their lyrics which frequently dealt with such topics as water/oceans, love, colours, childhood, and dreams were often surrealist. Their music was usually danceable, due in part to its strong dub
Dub music
Dub is a genre of music which grew out of reggae music in the 1960s, and is commonly considered a subgenre, though it has developed to extend beyond the scope of reggae...
influence, and ethereal.
Alex was formerly an advertising copywriter, one of the very few black creatives working in the London ad business (1983–1990). He started his ad career at JWT
JWT
JWT is one of the largest advertising agencies in the United States and the fourth-largest in the world. It is one of the key companies of Sir Martin Sorrell's WPP Group and is headquartered in New York. The global agency is led by Worldwide Chairman and Global CEO Bob Jeffrey who took over the...
before moving on to TBWA
TBWA
TBWA Worldwide is an international advertising agency whose headquarters are in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, United States. The Agency is a unit of Omnicom Group, the world's largest advertising agency holding company. It was founded in 1970 in Paris, France, by William G...
where he was associated with the creation of two pan-European Lego tv commercials. The director of one of these commercials, Matt Forrest, invited Alex and his art director team mate to write a music video for Stephen "Tin Tin" Duffy's
Stephen Duffy
Stephen Anthony James Duffy is an English singer/songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist. He was a founding member and vocalist/bassist of Duran Duran. He went on to record as a solo performer under several different names, and is the singer and songwriter for The Lilac Time with his older brother...
track "Unkiss that Kiss". The music video was filmed inside and outside the historic L'Escargot
L'Escargot
L'Escargot is a restaurant on Greek Street, in the Soho district of central London. , the restaurant holds one star in the Michelin Guide.-External links:*...
restaurant in London's Soho.
Recordings
A.R. Kane began by releasing two 12" singles, each on a trend-setting U.K. indie label (One Little Indian and 4AD4AD
4AD is a British independent record label that was started in 1979 by Ivo Watts-Russell and Peter Kent, funded by Beggars Banquet Records, and is still active today...
).
The duo then released a string of singles and two ground-breaking albums on Rough Trade Records
Rough Trade Records
Rough Trade Records is an independent record label based in London. It was formed in 1978 by Geoff Travis who had opened a record store off Ladbroke Grove...
- 1988's sixty-nine and 1989's "i". Critics found both albums difficult to define, genre-wise. sixty-nine was more consciously rock-based, and its sound could be likened to the nascent shoegaze movement; "i" was more slick/poppy, covering a wide variety of styles over twenty-six tracks (ten of which were short noise interludes). "i" also spawned what is arguably A.R. Kane's best-known song, "A Love From Outer Space". Both albums achieved wide critical acclaim, particularly in UK magazine Melody Maker
Melody Maker
Melody Maker, published in the United Kingdom, was, according to its publisher IPC Media, the world's oldest weekly music newspaper. It was founded in 1926 as a magazine targeted at musicians; in 2000 it was merged into "long-standing rival" New Musical Express.-1950s–1960s:Originally the Melody...
, where they were championed especially by critic Simon Reynolds
Simon Reynolds
Simon Reynolds is an English music critic who is well-known for his writings on electronic dance music and for coining the term "post-rock". Besides electronic dance music, Reynolds has written about a wide range of artists and musical genres, and has written books on post-punk and rock...
. The 6-track rem"i"xes EP featured remixes of songs from the "i" LP, done by Robin Guthrie
Robin Guthrie
Robin Guthrie is a musician best known as co-founder of the Cocteau Twins. During his career Guthrie has played guitar, bass guitar, keyboards, drums and other musical instruments, in addition to programming, sampling and sound processing...
of Cocteau Twins
Cocteau Twins
Cocteau Twins were a Scottish alternative rock band active from 1979 to 1997, known for innovative instrumentation and atmospheric, non-lyrical vocals...
and by A R Kane themselves.
Rough Trade went bankrupt in 1991, hindering the band's momentum and leaving them label-less. In 1992, David Byrne
David Byrne
David Byrne may refer to:*David Byrne , musician and former Talking Heads frontman**David Byrne , his eponymous album*David Byrne , Irish footballer*David Byrne , English footballer...
's record label, Luaka Bop
Luaka Bop
Luaka Bop is a world music-oriented record label established by David Byrne, former guitarist, singer-songwriter and producer of the art rock/new wave band Talking Heads. It has been a wholly independent label since leaving V2 in 2006. Previous distribution relationships included Warner and Virgin...
, released a 15-song U.S. retrospective of the band's work, entitled Americana.
After an early-1990s hiatus, follow-up album New Clear Child (1994) was not received as well due to a seeming lack of a coherent direction and a feeling that the ideas were merely re-hashes of works that were completed more succinctly in the earlier two albums.
A.R. Kane's first two albums were reissued in the U.S. by One Little Indian in 2004, and New Clear Child was reissued by 3rd Stone in 2000.
Post-breakup and influences
Since the dissolution of A.R. Kane, Tambala made ambient- and dub-based music with his sister Maggie under the alias Sufi and released the 1995 album Life's Rising on Caroline RecordsCaroline Records
Caroline Records started out as a subsidiary of Richard Branson's Virgin Records label during the early to mid 1970s. The label originally specialized in putting out budget price LPs by mainly progressive rock and jazz artists generally not considered to have a great deal of 'mainstream' or...
. Tambala is currently working for Ministry of Sound
Ministry of Sound
Ministry of Sound London, commonly referred to as simply Ministry of Sound or MoS, is a nightclub based in London, United Kingdom and an associated record label. It was ranked fourth in the 2010 DJ Magazine top 100 clubs poll 2010. As well as the nightclub in London, there is another in Egypt and...
as Head of New Media, and has previously worked for Virgin Digital
Virgin Digital
Virgin Digital was an online music store operated in the United Kingdom and United States by the Virgin Group. It launched on 2 September 2005 in the UK, and was refreshed in November 2006 to run through an internet browser, rather than the former Virgin Digital Player...
in non-musical related roles. He current records as MusicOne.
Ayuli was known to be a museum curator in the U.S. He put out releases under the name Alex!. In 2006, Ayuli contributed vocals on two tracks ("Soulsong" and "Passage") of the album "Primario" by the Mexican record label Static Discos artist Fax. He will also appear on Fax's forthcoming album, Zig Zag. Ayuli appears in Beautiful Noise
Beautiful Noise (film)
Beautiful Noise is a forthcoming documentary about the shoegazing music scene of the late 1980s and 1990s. It is written and directed by Eric Green...
, the documentary on the shoegazing
Shoegazing
Shoegazing is a subgenre of alternative rock that emerged from the United Kingdom in the late 1980s. It lasted there until the mid 1990s, with a critical zenith reached in 1990 and 1991...
music scene of the 1990s
Bands such as Long Fin Killie
Long Fin Killie
Long Fin Killie was a Scottish experimental rock/post-rock band, which released three albums and several EPs on the British avant-rock label Too Pure in the 1990s.-History:...
, Slowdive
Slowdive
Slowdive were an English shoegaze band that formed in 1989. The band formed in Reading, Berkshire and primarily consisted of Nick Chaplin , Rachel Goswell , Neil Halstead , and Christian Savill...
, Dubstar
Dubstar
Dubstar are an English band, performing mostly dream pop and indie dance music, as well as occasional pop ballads and, on later releases, guitar-heavy rock with an industrial influence. The group was formed in 1992 by Steve Hillier and Chris Wilkie in Newcastle-upon-Tyne...
, The Veldt
The Veldt
"The Veldt" is a short story written by Ray Bradbury that was published originally as "The World the Children Made" in the September 23, 1950 issue of The Saturday Evening Post, later republished in the anthology The Illustrated Man in 1951...
, Apollo Heights
Apollo Heights
Apollo Heights are an American shoegazer band that was formed in New York City in 2002. Consisting mainly of twin brothers, Daniel and Danny Chavis, they play experimental rock music. They cite AR Kane and My Bloody Valentine as a major inspiration...
and Seefeel
Seefeel
Seefeel are a British electronic/post-rock band formed in the early 1990s. They are currently signed to Warp Records.-Biography:Seefeel formed during 1992 in London, England; with Mark Clifford on guitar, Mark Van Hoen on bass, Justin Fletcher on drums and Sarah Peacock on vocals and guitar. During...
have cited A.R. Kane as an influence.
Albums
- sixty-nine69 (album)69 is a 1988 album by A.R. Kane.-Track listing:All tracks by A.R. Kane.# "Crazy Blue" – 3:26# "Suicide Kiss" – 3:36# "Baby Milk Snatcher" – 3:16# "Scab" – 3:25# "Sulliday" – 6:33# "Dizzy" – 3:47...
CD/LP - 1988 - Rough Trade, Rough 119 (Reissued on One Little Indian, 2004) - "i""i" (A.R. Kane album)"i" is a 1989 album by A.R. Kane. The album was highly influential, with allmusic saying that "it's inconceivable to imagine that electronica and post-rock could ever have blossomed without it." -Reception:...
CD/LP - 1989 - Rough Trade, Rough 139 (Reissued on One Little Indian, 2004) - New Clear Child CD/LP - 1994 - Luaka Bop, (Reissued on 3rd Stone, 2000)
EPs, Singles
- When You're Sad 12" - 1986, One Little Indian, 12 TP 2
- Lollita 12" - 1987, 4AD, BAD 704
- Up Home! 12" - 1988, Rough Trade, RTT 201
- Listen Up! 12" - 1988, Rough Trade, 229
- Love-Sick 12" - 1988, Rough Trade, 231
- Pop CD/12" - 1989, Rough Trade, RT 239
- rem"i"xes CD/12" - 1990, Rough Trade Deutschland, RTD 171 (Germany/ U.K.)
- A Love From Outer Space CD/12" - 1992, Luaka Bop/ Sire
External links
- Myspace site
- [ Allmusic entry]
- Trouser Press entry
- Whatever Happened To... A R Kane (from January 1999 issue of Q magazine)
- A.R. Kane fansite
- A.R. Kane entry on Discogs.com