The collar that Martin Joseph Léonard Bresso dons while performing on stage as Tchami is a meaningful accessory. It is symbolic of the spirituality he’s...
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He’s spent the last seven years honing an undeniable sound. Now Tchami will unveil his first full-length album, ‘Year Zero’
As we enter a new decade, the ways in which we define electronic music styles are rapidly changing. Chal Ravens explores the etymological evolution of...
The multidisciplinary artist and composer was one of the first women to be signed to Warp in the ‘90s
In this series, Selections, we invite DJs, producers and label heads to dig into their digital crates and share the contents of their Bandcamp collections...
Wild Rumpus is just that: an insanely fun, out-of-control party on wax...
The brainchild of DJ Cosmo (Colleen Murphy) the Boston-born, New York raised, London dwelling disco / house music legend, and infamous leftfield guitarist Gary Lucas, who's played with Captain Beefheart, Lou Reed and Jeff Buckley, they make the kind of funky psychedelic rhythms that can only emanate from maverick minds. First single 'Musical Blaze Up' traverses the dub country route, while new cut 'Purple Somersault' is a bizarre and brilliant collision between cranked Kraut-rock drums, wigged surf guitar and scratchy funk. DJmag beckoned Murphy away from her surf board for a minute to talk names, grooves, and grand plans…
So why the name Wild Rumpus?!
"It's from a children's book called 'Where the Wild Things Are' by Maurice Sendak which I loved as a kid and which I read to my daughter. There is a great part of the story where the little boy and his monster friends are about to have a manic dance party underneath a full moon and it says, 'And now let the wild rumpus start'. It just had to be used."
It seems to be quite an unusual hook up, between you Cosmo, and Gary Lucas. How did you come to be working together?
"Gary and I have been friends for nearly 20 years and have talked about working together for ages. I used to do a few different radio shows on WNYU in NYC and had him up when he was relaunching his solo career in the late '80s. As most people in the UK know me for being a 'dance' DJ, many may think it is quite an unusual collaboration. However, most people don't know that I was first and foremost a rock chick and founded the first psychedelic / progressive rock show on my radio station and I was a huge Captain Beefheart fan before house music even existed!"
You seem to have a diverse taste - one minute dubbed out beats and rhymes, the next Krautrock surf music... Is there a grand Wild Rumpus plan?
"Wild Rumpus is about fusing different styles but in a way that works. It's also about having fun and being irreverent. And finally it's about being different. I spend a few hours at the record store and find that 99% of the music to which I am subjected to is derivative. It's so boring. Gary and I both have musically diverse backgrounds and we are able to use our musical heritage in a unique way. This is all music we love!"
What's a 'Purple Somersault'?
"It's a 'term' my daughter came up with. Her favourite colour is purple and 'purple' has also become an adjective that means something that is 'the best'. She likes being flipped upside down and would ask us to help her do an orange somersault, a black somersault (very sinister), a yellow somersault (happy!), etc. But the best was always the 'Purple Somersault'. Also, as this is a surf tune, the somersault refers to the somersaults one does underwater after a wipe-out."
Is there an album in the works? What can we expect?
"There is an album in the works. We have a lot of Gary's guitar tracks that we have recorded and now it's up to me to put it all together so I have quite a job in front of me. Gary is the most original guitarist and can do anything. When we're in the studio it's just so easy but the problem comes with the editing and arranging as sometimes there is almost too much! All I can say about the album is that it will be diverse but always psychedelic and soulful."
What's next for Wild Rumpus?
"Right now we're getting our live show, The Wild Rumpus Experience, together for the summer. We have performed in some wild places including India and are hoping to for some of the UK festivals. We work with visual artist Rob Rainbow who works with The Light Surgeons and Nitin Sawhney amongst others and have also worked with percussionists and a poi fire dancer! We have a show that reaches people on many dimensions so the visual element is really important. We just want to do something that is a bit different."
DJ Mag caught up with this inspirational figure at the end of another great year...
“I hear things in pieces.”
Kerri Chandler is on the phone in his studio, talking about how he processes music after thirty-plus years in the...
In 2002, Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter, producer, multi-instrumentalist and DJ Viktor Duplaix debuted his entry for K7! Records DJ-Kicks series, blending some of the best broken beat of the era. Here, Ben Cardew explores the compilation's lasting legacy
In the summer of 1989, DiY collective — one of the first house sound systems in the UK — emerged onto the rave scene. In this excerpt taken from founding member Harry Harrison's book, Dreaming in Yellow, he discusses DiY's role within that movement, and the importance of free parties during the '90s rave scene
Released on Tresor in 1992, Jeff Mills' debut LP ‘Waveform Transmission Vol. 1’ is a record that stands for repetition and filth, forged from wrought steel and imbued with scuffed-up funk. Here, 30 years after its release, Ben Cardew takes a deep dive into the sound, origins and legacy of an album that birthed a new breed of techno
Joining the dots between sounds from the UK, Ghana, South America and beyond, Mina makes tracks driven by a spirit of collaboration, demonstrated in her...
The latest and greatest DJs and producers rising to top this month. From new wave drum & bass, breaks and techno to experimental pop and...
Raves and Riots is an exhibition of Vinca Petersen’s work, currently showing at the Edel Assanti gallery in central London. Bringing together a collection of...
As a show of solidarity to support the artists and labels impacted through the global pandemic, we are launching a weekly roundup of the most...
The past 12 months have seen the worlds of dance music and gaming intertwine like never before, with major real-life DJs hosting in-game concerts. Sian...
Dance music culture has invaded gaming, and is blurring the line between the real and virtual world. Big gaming companies are recruiting dance music DJs...