Ari Up
Encyclopedia
Ariane Daniele Forster better known by her stage name
Ari Up, was a German
-born vocalist, best known as a member of the English
punk
group
, The Slits
.
, Germany
, the granddaughter of a wealthy German newspaper proprietor. Her mother, Nora, was known in the music industry, as she was a friend of Jimi Hendrix
and dated Chris Spedding
for three years. Ari noted that Jon Anderson
, the singer of the group Yes
, was her godfather.
Nora would later date and marry the Sex Pistols
' lead singer, John Lydon
. Their home was known to be something of a punk
domain, where Nora would take in poor musicians. The constant presence of punk music led to Ari Up experimenting in it herself, learning guitar skills from The Clash
's Joe Strummer
.
Ari Up was fourteen years old when she formed The Slits
with drummer Palmolive
in 1976. Within a short time, guitarist Viv Albertine
joined the group and found herself deeply impressed by the young singer. "English was her second language," Albertine noted in an interview. "It was not easy for her and she had to fight to be taken seriously." She succeeded wildly: "Ari was the most dynamic woman I have ever known," said Albertine. "The way she carried herself was a revolution."
By the late seventies, The Slits were touring as the opening act for The Clash. Ari Up's love of reggae
led The Slits into a "jungly", dub
style. She was the most flamboyant member of the group. Her wild hair and crazy stage outfits became her trademarks. She can be seen briefly in The Clash
movie
, Rude Boy
, with the band backstage. Her 1977 performances with The Slits are featured in The Punk Rock Movie
, a 1992 release of various punk group club performances, principally at The Roxy
.
After The Slits split in 1981, she moved with her husband and twin children to jungle regions of Indonesia
and Belize
, living among indigenous people in those areas. Later, they moved to Jamaica
, eventually settling in Kingston
.
She continued to make music, first with the New Age Steppers
, then solo as Baby Ari, Madussa, and Ari Up. Despite growing up in England, Ari Up possessed an unusual accent, a cross between German, English and Jamaican. Her first full length solo album entitled Dread More Dan Dead was released in 2005.
. They released an EP
and later toured in Europe
, North America
, Australia
, and Japan
. She occasionally played solo concerts in New York, and toured the UK with her backing band 'The True Warriors'. She also recorded with the Jammyland All Stars
, Brave New Girl, Dubistry, and the German techno
-dancehall
outfit, Terranova.
Ari Up appeared on Lee "Scratch" Perry's 2008 album, Repentance
, and performed a duet
on a cover version
of The Yardbirds
' song "Mister You're a Better Man Than I" on Mark Stewart's
2008 album, Edit.
In July 2009, she performed with Perry and Austrian dub band Dubblestandart in Brooklyn, New York, just prior to the Central Park SummerStage festival. One of Ari's last recordings done in May 2010 in New York was on a track with Lee Scratch Perry recorded by Subatomic Sound System
and released in August 2010 on 7" vinyl called "Hello, Hell is Very Low" b/w "Bed Athletes". The Slits' final work, the video for the song "Lazy Slam" from Trapped Animal, was released posthumously in accordance with Ari Up's wishes.
Ari Up died aged 48 from cancer in Los Angeles
on 20 October 2010. Her death that morning was initially announced on her stepfather John Lydon
's homepage.
, Tessa Pollitt, and Hollie Cook and other former members of The Slits performed as well as members of the True Warriors, New Age Steppers, and friends from all over the world. A tribute 'A punky reggae tribute to Ari Up' was held in Bristol on 30 July 2011. The evening included performances by Tessa Pollitt
, Hollie Cook, Adrian Sherwood
(ON U Sound), Mark Stewart
(Maffia, The Pop Group), Viv Albertine
, and included a screening of the Slits Last Video "Lazy Slam" and other Slits footage and a special video presentation 'A Tribute To Ari' (featuring rare and unseen stills and video).
Stage name
A stage name, also called a showbiz name or screen name, is a pseudonym used by performers and entertainers such as actors, wrestlers, comedians, and musicians.-Motivation to use a stage name:...
Ari Up, was a German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
-born vocalist, best known as a member of the English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
punk
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
group
Band (music)
In music, a musical ensemble or band is a group of musicians that works together to perform music. The following articles concern types of musical bands:* All-female band* Big band* Boy band* Christian band* Church band* Concert band* Cover band...
, The Slits
The Slits
The Slits were a British punk rock band. The quartet was formed in 1976 by members of the bands The Flowers of Romance and The Castrators. The members were Ari Up , who died of cancer in October 2010, and Palmolive , with Viv Albertine and Tessa Pollitt replacing founding members, Kate Korus and...
.
Career
Ariane Daniele Forster was born in MunichMunich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, the granddaughter of a wealthy German newspaper proprietor. Her mother, Nora, was known in the music industry, as she was a friend of Jimi Hendrix
Jimi Hendrix
James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix was an American guitarist and singer-songwriter...
and dated Chris Spedding
Chris Spedding
Chris Spedding is an English rock and roll and jazz guitarist, best known for his session work. Allmusic states - "Spedding is one of the UK's most versatile session guitarists, and has had a long career on two continents that saw him tackle nearly every style of rock and roll, as well as...
for three years. Ari noted that Jon Anderson
Jon Anderson
Jon Anderson is an English singer-songwriter and musician best known as the former lead vocalist in the progressive rock band Yes...
, the singer of the group Yes
Yes (band)
Yes are an English rock band who achieved worldwide success with their progressive, art, and symphonic style of rock music. Regarded as one of the pioneers of the progressive genre, Yes are known for their lengthy songs, mystical lyrics, elaborate album art, and live stage sets...
, was her godfather.
Nora would later date and marry the Sex Pistols
Sex Pistols
The Sex Pistols were an English punk rock band that formed in London in 1975. They were responsible for initiating the punk movement in the United Kingdom and inspiring many later punk and alternative rock musicians...
' lead singer, John Lydon
John Lydon
John Joseph Lydon , also known by the former stage name Johnny Rotten, is a singer-songwriter and television presenter, best known as the lead singer of punk rock band the Sex Pistols from 1975 until 1978, and again for various revivals during the 1990s and 2000s...
. Their home was known to be something of a punk
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
domain, where Nora would take in poor musicians. The constant presence of punk music led to Ari Up experimenting in it herself, learning guitar skills from The Clash
The Clash
The Clash were an English punk rock band that formed in 1976 as part of the original wave of British punk. Along with punk, their music incorporated elements of reggae, ska, dub, funk, rap, dance, and rockabilly...
's Joe Strummer
Joe Strummer
John Graham Mellor , best remembered by his stage name Joe Strummer, was the co-founder, lyricist, rhythm guitarist and lead vocalist of the British punk rock band The Clash. His musical experience included his membership in The 101ers, Latino Rockabilly War, The Mescaleros and The Pogues, in...
.
Ari Up was fourteen years old when she formed The Slits
The Slits
The Slits were a British punk rock band. The quartet was formed in 1976 by members of the bands The Flowers of Romance and The Castrators. The members were Ari Up , who died of cancer in October 2010, and Palmolive , with Viv Albertine and Tessa Pollitt replacing founding members, Kate Korus and...
with drummer Palmolive
Palmolive (musician)
Palmolive was the stage name for Spanish-born drummer Paloma McLardy, née Paloma Romero. Palmolive was a songwriter and the original drummer for influential punk groups The Slits and The Raincoats....
in 1976. Within a short time, guitarist Viv Albertine
Viv Albertine
Viv Albertine is a British singer and songwriter, best known as the guitarist for the influential, all-female English punk group, The Slits....
joined the group and found herself deeply impressed by the young singer. "English was her second language," Albertine noted in an interview. "It was not easy for her and she had to fight to be taken seriously." She succeeded wildly: "Ari was the most dynamic woman I have ever known," said Albertine. "The way she carried herself was a revolution."
By the late seventies, The Slits were touring as the opening act for The Clash. Ari Up's love of reggae
Reggae
Reggae is a music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s. While sometimes used in a broader sense to refer to most types of Jamaican music, the term reggae more properly denotes a particular music style that originated following on the development of ska and rocksteady.Reggae is based...
led The Slits into a "jungly", 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...
style. She was the most flamboyant member of the group. Her wild hair and crazy stage outfits became her trademarks. She can be seen briefly in The Clash
The Clash
The Clash were an English punk rock band that formed in 1976 as part of the original wave of British punk. Along with punk, their music incorporated elements of reggae, ska, dub, funk, rap, dance, and rockabilly...
movie
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
, Rude Boy
Rude Boy (film)
Rude Boy is a 1980 British film directed by Jack Hazan and David Mingay and filmed in 1978 and early 1979.The film, part fiction, part rockumentary, tells the story of Ray Gange, a Clash fan who leaves his job in a Soho sex shop to become a roadie for the band...
, with the band backstage. Her 1977 performances with The Slits are featured in The Punk Rock Movie
The Punk Rock Movie
The Punk Rock Movie was assembled from Super 8 camera footage shot by Don Letts, the disc jockey at The Roxy club during the early days of the UK punk rock movement, principally during the 100 days in 1977 in which punk acts were featured at The Roxy club in London.-History:Roxy club disc jockey...
, a 1992 release of various punk group club performances, principally at The Roxy
The Roxy
The Roxy was a fashionable nightclub on Neal Street in London's Covent Garden, known for hosting the flowering British punk music scene in its infancy.-Brief history:...
.
After The Slits split in 1981, she moved with her husband and twin children to jungle regions of Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
and Belize
Belize
Belize is a constitutional monarchy and the northernmost country in Central America. Belize has a diverse society, comprising many cultures and languages. Even though Kriol and Spanish are spoken among the population, Belize is the only country in Central America where English is the official...
, living among indigenous people in those areas. Later, they moved to Jamaica
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
, eventually settling in Kingston
Kingston, Jamaica
Kingston is the capital and largest city of Jamaica, located on the southeastern coast of the island. It faces a natural harbour protected by the Palisadoes, a long sand spit which connects the town of Port Royal and the Norman Manley International Airport to the rest of the island...
.
She continued to make music, first with the New Age Steppers
New Age Steppers
New Age Steppers, one of the On-U Sound stable, under the creative direction of Adrian Sherwood, was a collective of musicians which varied over time...
, then solo as Baby Ari, Madussa, and Ari Up. Despite growing up in England, Ari Up possessed an unusual accent, a cross between German, English and Jamaican. Her first full length solo album entitled Dread More Dan Dead was released in 2005.
Later life and death
In 2006 Ari Up reformed The Slits with original bass player Tessa PollittTessa Pollitt
Tessa Pollitt was the bass guitarist for the punk rock outfit The Slits, between 1976 and 1981, when the band first split up. She returned to the band when it was reformed in 2006....
. They released an EP
Gramophone record
A gramophone record, commonly known as a phonograph record , vinyl record , or colloquially, a record, is an analog sound storage medium consisting of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove...
and later toured in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, and Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. She occasionally played solo concerts in New York, and toured the UK with her backing band 'The True Warriors'. She also recorded with the Jammyland All Stars
Jammyland
Jammyland Records is an independent music retailer in New York City. It was opened in 1993 at its location on 60 E 3rd Street in Manhattan, by owner Ira Heaps. The store specializes in Jamaican music, specifically the ska, rocksteady and reggae genres of the 60s and 70s recorded on vinyl, though ...
, Brave New Girl, Dubistry, and the German techno
Techno
Techno is a form of electronic dance music that emerged in Detroit, Michigan in the United States during the mid to late 1980s. The first recorded use of the word techno, in reference to a genre of music, was in 1988...
-dancehall
Dancehall
Dancehall is a genre of Jamaican popular music that originated in the late 1970s. Initially dancehall was a more sparse version of reggae than the roots style, which had dominated much of the 1970s. In the mid-1980s, digital instrumentation became more prevalent, changing the sound considerably,...
outfit, Terranova.
Ari Up appeared on Lee "Scratch" Perry's 2008 album, Repentance
Repentance (2008 album)
Repentance is the title of the fifty-fourth studio album by Jamaican musician and record producer Lee "Scratch" Perry. It was released on August 19, 2008...
, and performed a duet
Duet (music)
A duet is a musical composition for two performers. In classical music, the term is most often used for a composition for two singers or pianists; with other instruments, the word duo is also often used. A piece performed by two pianists performing together on the same piano is referred to as...
on a cover version
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
of The Yardbirds
The Yardbirds
- Current :* Chris Dreja - rhythm guitar, backing vocals * Jim McCarty - drums, backing vocals * Ben King - lead guitar * David Smale - bass, backing vocals...
' song "Mister You're a Better Man Than I" on Mark Stewart's
Mark Stewart (musician)
Mark Stewart is a British musician and founding member of The Pop Group. A pioneer of industrial hip-hop, he has recorded for On-U Sound Records and Mute Records.-Career:...
2008 album, Edit.
In July 2009, she performed with Perry and Austrian dub band Dubblestandart in Brooklyn, New York, just prior to the Central Park SummerStage festival. One of Ari's last recordings done in May 2010 in New York was on a track with Lee Scratch Perry recorded by Subatomic Sound System
Subatomic Sound System
Founded in 1999, Subatomic Sound System brought together musicians, producers, DJs and visual artists from a variety of backgrounds and traditions primarily based in New York City and Brooklyn to form a record label and collective that built on a combination of new music technology and traditional...
and released in August 2010 on 7" vinyl called "Hello, Hell is Very Low" b/w "Bed Athletes". The Slits' final work, the video for the song "Lazy Slam" from Trapped Animal, was released posthumously in accordance with Ari Up's wishes.
Ari Up died aged 48 from cancer in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
on 20 October 2010. Her death that morning was initially announced on her stepfather John Lydon
John Lydon
John Joseph Lydon , also known by the former stage name Johnny Rotten, is a singer-songwriter and television presenter, best known as the lead singer of punk rock band the Sex Pistols from 1975 until 1978, and again for various revivals during the 1990s and 2000s...
's homepage.
Posthumous
A tribute Punky Reggae Birthday Party was held in at the Music Hall of Williamsburg by Dunia Best, Aram Sinnreich and Vivien Goldman on Brooklyn on 16 January 2011. Neneh CherryNeneh Cherry
Neneh Mariann Cherry is a Swedish singer-songwriter, rapper, and occasional DJ and broadcaster...
, Tessa Pollitt, and Hollie Cook and other former members of The Slits performed as well as members of the True Warriors, New Age Steppers, and friends from all over the world. A tribute 'A punky reggae tribute to Ari Up' was held in Bristol on 30 July 2011. The evening included performances by Tessa Pollitt
Tessa Pollitt
Tessa Pollitt was the bass guitarist for the punk rock outfit The Slits, between 1976 and 1981, when the band first split up. She returned to the band when it was reformed in 2006....
, Hollie Cook, Adrian Sherwood
Adrian Sherwood
Adrian Sherwood is an English record producer best known for his work with dub music as well as for remixing a number of popular acts such as Coldcut, Depeche Mode, The Woodentops, Primal Scream, Pop Will Eat Itself, Sinéad O'Connor, and Skinny Puppy...
(ON U Sound), Mark Stewart
Mark Stewart
Mark Stewart is the name of:*Mark Stewart , British musician, founding member and vocalist of The Pop Group*Mark Stewart , New York City based multi-instrumentalist who has worked as a guitarist e.g...
(Maffia, The Pop Group), Viv Albertine
Viv Albertine
Viv Albertine is a British singer and songwriter, best known as the guitarist for the influential, all-female English punk group, The Slits....
, and included a screening of the Slits Last Video "Lazy Slam" and other Slits footage and a special video presentation 'A Tribute To Ari' (featuring rare and unseen stills and video).
Discography
- Slits, The – CutCut (The Slits album)Cut is the debut album by The Slits. It was originally released in September 1979 on the Island Records label in the UK and on Antilles in the U.S...
, Island 1979 - Slits, The – Return Of The Giant Slits CBS, 1981
- New Age SteppersNew Age SteppersNew Age Steppers, one of the On-U Sound stable, under the creative direction of Adrian Sherwood, was a collective of musicians which varied over time...
– The New Age Steppers, On-U Sound, 1981 - Slits, The – The Peel Sessions Strange Fruit, 1987
- V/A – Lipstick Traces Rough Trade, 1993
- V/A – Rough Trade Shop, Post Punk 01 (2xCD, Comp) Mute, 2003
- Ari Up – True Warrior / I'm Allergic (7") For Us, 2004
- Slits, The – Live At The Gibus Club Earmark, 2005
- Ari Up – Baby Mother (12") Collision: Cause Of Chapter 3, 2005
- Ari Up – Dread More Dan Dead (CD) Collision: Cause Of Chapter 3, 2005
- V/A – Girl Monster (3xCD, Comp) Chicks On Speed Records, 2006
- Slits, The – Revenge Of The Killer Slits 7" S.A.F. Records, 2006
- Dubblestandart vs. Ken Boothe vs. Ari Up – When I Fall In Love / Island Girl (12", Ltd) Collision: Cause Of Chapter 3, 2007
- Slits, The – Trapped Animal Narnack Records, 2009
- Subatomic Sound System Meets Ari Up* & Lee Scratch Perry – Hello, Hello, Hell Is Very Low / Bed Athletes (7") Subatomic Sound, 2010