The Contortions
1977–1980·New York, NY
James Chance's NYC no wave band. Took James Brown funk, ran it through a blender of free jazz and downtown art-punk, and delivered the result as if the crowd had personally offended the singer. Chance was known for attacking audience members at shows as a matter of course. Buy on ZE Records in '79 is the essential document. Four songs on No New York for historical heft.
People
James Chance
saxophonevocalskeyboards
The Contortions' frontman and saxophone assailant. Played James Brown funk covers the way James Brown would play them during a nervous breakdown. Violent on stage, confrontational on record, the direct ancestor of every singer who ever slammed their head into the PA. Died in 2024.