James Chance and the Contortions | |
|---|---|
 James Chance in Berlin, 1981 | |
| Background information | |
| Also known as | Contortions |
| Origin | New York City, U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Years active | 1977–2016[1] |
| Labels | ZE |
| Past members |
|
James Chance and the Contortions (initially known simply asContortions, a spin-off group is calledJames White and the Blacks) was a musical group led by saxophonist and vocalistJames Chance, formed in 1977. They were a central act of New York City's downtownno wave music scene in the late 1970s, and were featured on the influential compilationNo New York (1978).[2]
Their first recording, credited solely asContortions, was on the 1978 compilation,No New York, produced byBrian Eno.[3] The following year, two albums were issued almost simultaneously onZE Records;Buy andOff White under the monikerJames White and the Blacks. The same musicians recorded both records, though none are credited on the album covers. The Contortions appeared inRosa von Praunheim's filmDas Todesmagazin in 1979.
In 2016, Chance released his first single with his original Contortions band in nearly 30 years, entitled "Melt Yourself Down". A music video for the single was directed, filmed and animated by 19 year oldDylan Greenberg and is considered the first Contortions music video to make significant use of dramatic digital effects, such as Chance's face being manipulated to appear as if it were melting.[4]
Original Contortions guitaristPat Place went on to found the groupBush Tetras. Bass player George Scott played withLydia Lunch and Michael Paumgarten in8-Eyed Spy.[5] Shortly thereafter, guitaristJody Harris formedRaybeats with Don Christensen, George Scott III andPat Irwin. Keyboardist Adele Bertei formed the Bloods, after which she released a solo record,Little Lives, in 1988. In 1979 George Scott toured withJohn Cale, as documented on the albumSabotage Live. Scott died of a heroin overdose on August 5, 1980. Steven Kramer played organ and percussion in the second incarnation of the Contortions in 1979–80, and later led the Twin Cities MN funk/polka bandThe Wallets.[6] Some of the members of James White and the Blacks, notablyJoseph Bowie, separated from Chance and formed the bandDefunkt.
On November 30, 2010, James Chance, Pat Place, Don Christensen, Jody Harris,Adele Bertei, andRobert Aaron reunited as James Chance and the Contortions atLe Poisson Rouge for a single performance. Robert Aaron was not an original member but frequently collaborated with Chance.[7]
James Chance died on June 18, 2024 at the age of 71.[8]
The Contortions were featured in 2023 at theCentre Pompidou in a Nicolas Ballet curatedNo Wave exhibition entitledWho You Staring At: Culture visuelle de la scène no wave des années 1970 et 1980 (Visual culture of the no wave scene in the 1970s and 1980s).[9]
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Artists | |
