Gigolo A Go Go - Episode 3

In the late 1970s, No Wave - a funky and free, avant-garde music movement - started in NYCs East Village and Lower East Side as a counterpoint to the neighborhood's punk rock scene.  These bands embraced free-form dance, jazz, and funk rather than the recycled Rock 'n Roll that they dismissed punk bands, like The Ramones and The Voidoids, for playing.

No Wave forms the foundation of this mix, highlighting some of the finest bands of that time and place.

The mix also follows many of the musical arcs influenced by this movement.  A personal favorite is Cavern by Liquid Liquid, a No Wave song that would later be sampled into the iconic hip-hop classic, White Lines.

I dig how the dance elements of No Wave crossed racial divides, morphed in the South Bronx and Harlem, and then circled back to light up downtown's club scene.  This, in turn, paved the way for future dance artists, like Madonna.  I hope you can pick up on that thread.

The mix also includes some rock bands from the downtown NYC scene of the early 2000s.  The Rapture, The Walkmen, and Les Savy Fav helped define the sound of 9/11-era Lower Manhattan.  The influence of No Wave bands, who walked those same streets a generation earlier, is unmistakable.

Lastly, you'll find a scattering of songs included for no other reason than sounding good.


Here is the playlist:

Wawa by Lizzy Mercier Descloux

One Life To Live by Out Hud

Clean On Your Bean #1 by Dinosaur L

House Of Jealous Lovers by The Rapture

Ladyfinger by The Fever

The Rat by The Walkmen

Cavern by Liquid Liquid

Do Dada by The Dance

Sunshower (Vox) by Nami Shimada

Black Jub by Mock & Toof

Elephant by Konk

Reduction by Material

Disco Drive by Les Savy Fav

Dance by ESG

War Dance (Tom Moulton Mix) by Kebekelektrik

Underwater (Original 1979 Version) by Harry Thurmann

This and other episodes of Gigolo A Go Go can be found on Mixcloud.