Ike Yard

More reviews of Ike Yard 1980-82 Collected ...
'Ike Yard, whose baleful, relentlessly chittering tunes at their best sounding like some dream merger of DAF and PIL' Simon Reynolds, Rip It Up And Start Again.Discog 2
'Ike Yard just might be the darkest and most experimental music Factory ever laid their hands on. Yes they had the cold metallic radiance of Joy Division and A Certain Ratio but their coming from a different place. New York City , to be exact.' Tiny Mix Tapes
'The 1982 Factory Album features numerous cuts wuth deep head nodding grooves evoking rainy nights in a NY during an era when it was actually dangerous to go outside onto the streets' Downtown Music Gallery
'20 years ahead of their time' Woebot
IKE YARD is back. Although IKE YARD dissolved by the beginning of 1983, the band reformed as a three piece unit with original members Stuart Argabright, Kenneth Compton, and Michael Diekmann. Ike Yard is currently writing and rehearsing new material, and has begun performing again in 2007. Listen to examples of new songs recorded during '07 & '08, as well as older songs from the early 1980's. A career spanning compilation was released on the Acute label in 2006 (see below for details).
The name comes from Anthony Burgess's novel "A Clockwork Orange". You know the scene where Alex is in the record shop ...
In NYC Spring 1980 Stuart Argabright, founder/drummer/vocalist of the FUTANTS, began sessions with Kenneth Compton on bass/vocals at Kristian Hoffman's rehearsal Studio on the edge of Chinatown. The group was completed when Fred Szymanski (synthesizers/ programming /treatments) and Michael Diekmann (guitar, synthesizer), with their interest in experimental electronic music and techniques, joined in August 1980.
Although NO WAVE as a musical aesthetic had just peaked in NYC before the formation of IKE YARD, the initial influences were more European: British post-punk and Krautrock. Soon after, non-rock genres such as funk, nascent hip-hop, and experimental electronic were evident in the stylistic approach to composition.
IKE YARD began with a lineup that included guitar, synthesizer, bass, drums and percussion. The additional percussion was often ‘found’ scrap metal: brake drums, sheet metal, and other debris from the streets and vacant lots of the Lower East Side. During 1982, with the guitar and finally bass being replaced fully by a four-piece synthesizer set up, IKE YARD’s sound transformed into a music bleached of flesh, reduced to a glistening skeleton – the music of machines haunted by ghosts.
The band’s modular analog synthesizer set up included gear by Korg (MS-20, MS-50, SQ-10, VC-10), Roland (TR-909, TR-606, TR 808, TB-303, MC-202, CSQ-600), Arp (Solus, Axxe), the EMS Synthi-AKS, and the Buchla Modular 112 keyboard controller. IKE YARD's stark soundscapes were engendered through a combination of the unique contributions of the band members and the availability of new music-making instruments and emerging technologies of that time.
In Spring 1981, IKE YARD recorded an EP for Belgium’s Crepuscule records (which was named single of the week in Melody Maker upon its release in November 1981). IKE YARD was the first US group to record for the Manchester UK’s prestigious Factory label; an album “A FACT A SECOND” was released on Factory America in September 1982. The band performed with NEW ORDER at Ukrainian National Home, SECTION 25 at Peppermint Lounge & Maxwell’s, SUICIDE and 13:13 (w/Lydia Lunch) at Chase Park, and with the DEL BZYZENTEENS (w/Jim Jarmusch) at CBGB’s and the Music for Millions festival. In addition, the band played at Danceteria, the Mudd Club, the Pyramid Club and Tier 3.
Discography:
"Night After Night" 12" EP on Disque du Crepuscule TWI 39. Recorded April 1981, released November 1981. Tracks:
1). Night After Night. 2). Sense of Male. 3). Infra-ton. 4). Cherish. 5). Motiv.
Untitled album (often referred to as "A Fact A Second" - the catalog number) on Factory America. Recorded May 1982, released September 1982. Tracks:
1). M. Kurtz. 2). Loss. 3). NCR. 4). Kino. 5). Cherish 8. 6). Half a God.
In August of 2006, Acute Records (via Carpark) released a career-spanning compilation, "1980-82 Collected" ACT008. Tracks:
1). Night After Night. 2). Sense of Male. 3). Infra-ton. 4). The Whistler. 5). Cherish. 6). Motiv. 7). M. Kurtz. 8). Loss. 9). NCR. 10). Kino. 11). Cherish 8. 12). Half a God. 13). Nocturne. 14). 20. 15). War=Strong. 16). We Are One. 17). Dancing and Slaving. 18). Wolfen.
Reviews of "1980-82 Collected"
From Pitchfork:
Ike Yard 1980-82 Collected [Acute; 2006] Rating: 7.3
"The NYC-based art rock collective Ike Yard emerged during the waning days of the No Wave movement, eventually becoming most noteworthy for being the first American group signed to Factory Records and for the fact that bass player Kenneth Compton reportedly once dated Madonna. But now-- as part of an ongoing mission to illuminate all the dark, neglected corners of the post-punk era-- Acute Records presents Ike Yard 1980-82 Collected. This comprehensive overview includes Ike Yard's self-titled LP for Factory America, their earlier Night After Night EP, and a generous assortment of previously unreleased live and studio rarities. And though it would probably be inaccurate to declare Ike Yard's work to have been particularly influential, on this collection their music appears to have aged quite well, as many of their jittery, post-industrial rhythms closely anticipate the thuggish motions of contemporary acts like Black Dice or Liars.
Cribbing their name from a record sleeve in A Clockwork Orange, Ike Yard sculpted a doom-laden experimental sound that drew heavily upon first wave Krautrock (particularly Can and Faust) and the post-punk dub maneuvers of PiL and Joy Division. Unlike No Wave's many unschooled or self-taught musicians, however, Ike Yard's Michael Diekmann and Fred Szymanski both had an academic background in music, studying Stockhausen and modern composition at the McColl Studio of Electronic Music at Brown. It's perhaps due to these academic origins, then, that much of Ike Yard's work matches their sinuous, bass-heavy grooves with a rather dry, formalistic precision. This sense of clinical detachment is often accentuated by Stuart Argabright's clipped, semi-spoken vocals, his monochromatic announcements often struggling helplessly to compete against the dark music's forceful technological currents.
Recorded virtually live with few overdubs, the Night After Night EP was originally released on the Belgian label Les Disques du Crépuscule in 1981. At this time the group were experimenting with various instrumental line-ups, and beginning to incorporate early Roland and Korg MS-20 drum machines with Argabright's live scrap metal percussion. Combined with Compton's loping, dub-inflected bass lines, the interactive rhythms of tracks like opening "Night After Night" or the instrumental "Motiv" contain the echoes of Miles Davis' edgy 70s jazz-funk as well as Can's shapeshifting beat action. But tracks like the clattering, dissonant "Cherish" give a better hint at the direction Ike Yard would soon take, as their sound grew increasingly dependent upon the stark, alien textures of their modular analog electronics.
This evolution is apparent immediately on "M. Kurtz" and "Loss", the opening tracks from Ike Yard's 1982 Factory LP. On these later tracks, the music's cell structure is completely governed by the group's overlapping synthesized rhythms, with all other sonic and lyrical elements rooted in the tiny cracks between Ike Yard's densely compacted electronic pulsations. The Expressionist propulsion of "Kino" is shrouded by black veils of dense insect noise, while the aggressive minimalism of "Half a God" updates Suicide, with its lyrics ("We hear the drums again and fall back in step again") obedient to the music's martial gravity. One can only imagine what Madonna must have made of this onslaught. According to Michael Diekmann's exhaustive liner notes, Ike Yard continued to write and record music at a ferocious pace following the release of their sole Factory album, but the group began to disintegrate before they could get the label interested in another release. This collection features four unreleased studio tracks, as well as an live track that was mixed live by New Order's Peter Hook while the two groups were on tour together. While these additional tracks do contain the occasional tantalizing song fragment or idea, they do little to improve upon the bulk of Ike Yard's slim discography, and will likely be only of interest to true diehards. Upon Ike Yard's dissolution in early 1983, the group's members went on to front various underground dance and hip-hop projects, but largely abandoned their collective's avant-garde techniques and innovations. And judging by the documents gathered on 1980-82 Collected, this would seem to be our small loss. -Matthew Murphy, September 28, 2006"
From Boomkat:
"I can't say I've ever heard Ike Yard before a recent flurry of interest on some key blogs I've been reading, but thankfully Acute records have packaged up their modest output into one easy package for those like me who need desperately to be educated on this evidently important act. Formed in 1980 in New York City, the band were heavily influenced by the local no-wave scene but also took their cues from 70s Kraut rock pioneers Can and Neu! Building a sound which was one part Joy Division and one part looping Kraut textures, with a bleakness and an overt experimental outlook which set them into a place of their own very quickly. The first six tracks are from the band's debut EP 'Night After Night' and are easily the most out and out 'commercial' tracks on the compilation, ranging from dark vocal post-pop ('Night After Night') to distorted drums, bass and drone ('Infra-ton'). With this EP the band showed that they were a force to be reckoned with, and while the songs have obvious connections to various musical genres, bands and artists.
The band had started to sound like nobody else I can bring to mind. The next six tracks on the compilation are taken from their Factory Records released self-titled album and surprisingly take their sound into a totally different and shockingly experimental direction. The no-wave punk songs are disposed of, the drums are replaced by machines, guitars are swapped for synthesizers and vocals are mostly processed through masses of effects. Obviously this wasn't a commercially sound move, but these 'songs' really seem to be the stuff of electronic legend, bringing to mind the darker moments of John Foxx or the more experimental (and less bombastic) end of the EBM scene. I would almost say that many of the tracks exhibit proto-acid qualities as looped step-sequenced synthesizers squelch behind echoing drum machines... there's definitely a hint of Richie Hawtin's Plastikman albums in there somewhere, I'm sure I'm not imagining it! The compilation is neatly rounded off with a handful of unreleased rarities making the disc pretty much indispensable for old fans and new converts alike. Ike Yard deserve some extra exposure and this collection of tracks shows just how pioneering the band were - if you want to hear some really jaw dropping experimental rock music, then here it is... they just don't make 'em like this anymore."
From: San Francisco Bay Guardian:
"Ike Yard may be the most innovative band you hear this year, although their only album was recorded more than 20 years ago. Yet another example of artists cheated of the recognition they deserve, Ike Yard were, among other things, the only American group signed to Factory Records. They shared bills with the likes of Suicide and New Order, and the band’s Stuart Argabright would go on to form Dominatrix and Death Comet Crew. Ike Yard’s new compilation, 1980–1982 Collected, brings together everything the group released — the 1981 EP Night after Night (les Disques du Crepuscule) and 1982 LP A Second a Fact (Factory) — and adds additional odds and ends. The material that makes up "Night after Night" is cased in heavy, dark dub with scraping guitars and swirling synth sounds. It's so good it may make you pause the next time you automatically reach for PiL's Second Edition or Joy Division's Unknown Pleasures.
On A Second a Fact, however, the electronics take over. You can hear traces of D.A.F., Cluster, and what would become Detroit techno, with Argabright arbitrarily singing like an entranced street shaman. "Loss" merges the infinite arpeggios of Ashra with Grauzone and Throbbing Gristle. It's really what you wanted last year's Black Dice album to be. The brilliant "NCR," meanwhile, predates Autechre by about two decades and outdoes them to boot. Whether or not these reference points mean anything to you, this group deserves its legendary status. And you need to hear them."
Alexis Georgopoulos . August 23, 2006
Also well worth investigating:
Anti-NY
Gomma 2001
This CD surveys NYC's Mudd Club scene of the late 70's early 80's. Includes: "NCR" from the Factory album, as well as a remix of that song by Funkstorung.
New York Noise 3
Souljazz 2007
This third CD in Souljazz's incomparable New York Noise series highlights the eclectic New York music scene in the 1979-84 period, focusing on the electronic dance/post-punk mutations and proto-electro music that originally came out on mainly small D-I-Y labels. Produced by Ike Yard's Stuart Argabright. Includes: "Loss" from the Factory album. plus "A Dull Life" - an unreleased track.
1980's reviews
A.R.M. ‘82
“The music here is a dense molding of rhythm boxes, drums, bass, synthesizer and other percussion instruments. All instruments seem to be playing slightly different beats that combine to create a wall of sound that is both impressive and disturbing.”-From: Minimal:
"Founded in 1979 in New York, they recorded for labels like Disques des Crepuscules and Factory. Ike Yard dissolved at the beginning of 1983. Their only album, 'A Fact A Second' (on Factory in 1982) is still a classic in the minimal genre and stood the test of time very easily. __Vinyl Magazine '82 __'Ike Yard's album is the first release on Factory America , the domestic offshot of the label that brought us Joy Division, New Order and A Certain Ratio. In the manner of many of New York 's minimalist composers, Ike Yard (that's a group) builds 'melodies' out of volume and overlapping synthdrum rhythms, occasionally broken by sinewave drones or random synthsizer bursts. Bass and acoustic percussion, like the vocals,tend to get absorbed. __This isn't exactly upbeat music, but it is in tune with the times. It's also far closer to a rock version of minimalist music than anyone, Glenn Branca and Laurie Anderson included, has yet come.
Alec Ross . Vinyl mag
"Factory Records has picked a surprising band for their first American release. Ike Yard, an experimental band from NYC has none of the usual disco or angst appeal of most records on this label. All instruments seem to be playing slightly different beats that combine to create a wall of sound that is both impressive and disturbing. Vocals are mainly the subliminal type, almost more whispered then spoken which tends to lend an almost sinister appeal to the all-over sound . As with most Factory Records, very little information is included making it impossible to tell who is doing what but these guys seem to have it down. __Overall the record is quite accessible and doesn't go out of it's way to alienate the listener the way a lot of new music does. I would recommend this for even people who do not like this type of music.' __'And yet the surprise of the year comes in a nick of time. The second release from the American Group Ike Yard. There has been no change of lineup between the first and second records, but the concept has changed radically. With "Night After Night" ('81 Crepescule EP) the emphasis lay on the melancholic inertia with heavy bass , on the new one, everything is served by the electronic rhythm. Two comparisons spring to mind. Firstly DAF due to the dry rhythmically directed use of synthesizers and the modern disco element. Secondly, Suicide, through the monotonous super-cool sensuality in the vocal parts and the ‘big-city atmosphere.’ But in my modest opinion everything that DAF and Suicide have ever achieved has been surpassed a hundred times by Ike Yard. Almost all melodic contrasts on the Album arise from the rhythm patterns. That in itself is hardly remarkable; the emphasis on the rhythmic element can finally be seen as the big trend in modern pop of the last two years. It only becomes special through the weighed out (and extremely swinging way) in which the adjacent, pushing counter-rhythms grow into a really adventurous sound spectrum. Every rhythm - tick - whether it comes from a synthesizer, a bass guitar , accelerated tape loops or an electronically filtered drum - is inserted with so much care that the sum of the parts is thrust forward from the first beat , to become an oppressed melody line, which can only be released in the mind of the listener. The relative diffrences between the long pieces on the Album can mainly be found in nuances. Only after intensive listening can the nuances really obtain a function. But the refined cadences of Ike Yard already work unconsciously through to the nervous system and intestinal systems at a much earlier stage. You are grabbed without having to be seriously into it , and you have to keep listening to find out what is causing it."
Melody Maker Review 1981:
"Night After Night" is a five track EP that draws the listener into a deranged, nocturnal underworld. Rippling with tension and nervous concern, Ike Yard create violent urban landscapes, urban laments. Wired to the hilt , the title track is a sweeping tracking shot along dark, suspicious streets. Kenny Compton's bass lines hold the centre of the frame with ominous conviction while Michael Diekmann's guitar cuts across the mix in cold, heartless slashes. Above the mayhem, Stuart Argabright delivers a menacing monologue that owes as much to the Velvet's "Murder Mystery" as it does to De Niro's famous tirade against the 'scum' that crowd the NYC sidewalks in "Taxi Driver". "Sense Of Male" is darker still , with sirens screaming and belly rumbling bass setting up Diekmann's fiercely twitching outbursts; the final result recalls the epic spasms of something like Can's "Augmn". "Cherish", is a brief excursion into the territory marked by Suicide on "Frankie Teardrop". Ike Yard , come in wherever you are."