The Sound Of Konk



KONK were formed in New York in 1980. They played an important part in the link between New York’s Disco scene (Paradise Garage/Loft/Gallery etc) and the New York No Wave/Post-Punk scene (Liquid Liquid, ESG, James White etc).
KONK’s pioneering interest in electronic and musical technology also put them at the forefront of the burgeoning worlds of Electro/Hip-Hop and House. Their use of DJ mixers (breaking down a track to it’s individual elements) predated the arrival of samplers and enabled DJs such as Larry Levan to extend their mixes to up to 25 minutes! At the same time KONK would just as likely find themselves on a Bronx mix-tape alongside Bambaata’s "Planet Rock" and Mantronix "Put the Needle to the Groove" with Break-dancing and Body-popping being a regular feature at their live gigs (check out the live version of "Baby Dee").
This compilation brings together the classic KONK recordings in the 1980s from their releases on labels as diverse as Rough Trade, Sleeping Bag, 99 Records, Les Disques Du Crepuscle and Celluloid. As well as being a key group in New York’s Post-Punk dance scene where they regularly played alongside groups such as Liquid Liquid, Bush Tetras, ESG, The Peech Boys and The Lounge Lizards, KONK found favour with DJs such as David Mancuso and the legendary Larry Levan and were one of a select few bands to play at both the Paradise Garage and the Loft.
KONK featured in it’s line up members of Jean Michel Basquiat’s band Gray, Sonic Youth and members of Glenn Branca’s ensemble. Founding member Dana Vlcek later went on to work with Francois Kervorkian. The wide range of it’s members is reflected in the music which fuses Disco/Post-Punk/Electro/Latin and proto-House together.
em www.soundsoftheuniverse.com

'The Sound Of Konk' é um disco histórico e essencial para compreender os caminhos actuais do pós-punk, do disco e do electro, no contexto dos últimos vinte anos. Tem como factor adicional de interesse a possibilidade de ouvir a forma como o house - ainda nos seus primórdios - é trabalhado em conjunto com o afrobeat, resultando num ritmo invulgar, antecessor afastado do broken beat.
('Alien Jam' dá-lhe com toda a força)
Consequência da modernidade: o caminho é efectuado do presente para o passado. Como sempre, a visão posterior do ouvinte do século XXI perde em sentido de urgência, o que ganha em distanciamento.
+ MP3's