Arthur Russell's "Go Bang! (#5)": How 1979 Performances Fused Avant-Garde and Disco
By
Philip Sherburne
Summary
A review of Arthur Russell's track "Go Bang! (#5)" from his 1979 performances that fused avant-garde minimalism with disco. The article explores how Russell's seemingly contradictory career—spanning avant-garde experimentation, disco, Zen Buddhist mantras, and country pop—was actually a cohesive continuum. A pair of 1979 shows are highlighted as a turning point where he merged compositional rigor with dancefloor energy, serving as the genesis of this track.
Source
PitchforkArthur Russell's "Go Bang! (#5)": How 1979 Performances Fused Avant-Garde and Discopitchfork.comKey quotes
· 3 pulledArthur Russell's career, for all its seeming contradictions—avant-garde minimalism and lascivious disco, Zen Buddhist mantras and winsome country pop—was a continuum.
Gaze back over the broad sweep of his work and it comes to resemble a river: forever changing, forever the same.
Fusing avant-garde provocation and compositional rigor with lusty dancefloor energy, they would serve as the genesis of one of his
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