Audika Records

01/07/2024

Friday July 12th brings two bi-coastal events celebrating the life and legacy of Arthur Russell and the publication of Travels Over Feeling: Arthur Russell, A Life by Richard King.

Celebrate Brooklyn New York presents the Worldless Music Orchestra performing Tower Of Meaning conducted by Bill Ruyle with DJ sets from Love Injection and Francois K
The event is free. More info + RSVP https://bricartsmedia.org/event/travels-over-feeling-celebrating-arthur-russell/?gad_source=1&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIuMrG9N-DhwMVUA-tBh3WjQyPEAAYASACEgJvLfD_BwE

In Portland OR Mississippi Records presents an evening of film and music at the landmark Hollywood Theatre.
Featuring the films Wild Combination: A Portrait of Arthur Russell by Matt Wolf and Terrace Of Unintelligibility a video by Phill Niblock.

With live tributes from Harlan Silverman, Dragging An Ox Through Water, Skyler Pia, and Half-Shadow.
Plus a discussion between MR’s Eric Isaacson and Arthur Russell’s archivist Audika Records Steve Knutson.

Proceeds from the evening to benefit Janus Youth in Portland for LGBTQ youth experiencing homelessness.

Link to tickets: https://hollywoodtheatre.org/show/travels-over-feelings-a-celebration-of-arthur-russell/

26/05/2024

Travels Over Feelings: Arthur Russell Tribute 7/12/24 Hollywood Theatre, Portland OR

A celebration of the life of Arthur Russell and the release of Richard King's book Travels Over Feeling.One of the 20th century’s true musical visionaries Arthur Russell (1951 – 1992) was a cellist, vocalist and composer known for his fusion of classical and popular music including Disco, folk, ...

21/02/2024

https://shop.mexicansummer.com/merch/442255-richard-king-travels-over-feeling-arthur-russell-a-life?goal=0_59b60f5799-77692a03f8-162027493&mc_cid=77692a03f8&mc_eid=48f5b5404f U.S. pre-order link.
Arthur Russell is one of the most soulful musicians I’ve ever met or played with. This brings him back to life in a way that very few books are able to do.”
— Laurie Anderson

Buy Travels Over Feeling: Arthur Russell, a Life by Richard King on Mexican Summer & Anthology.

02/02/2024

Turning Light is a 27 track Arthur Russell tribute compilation (and my personal favorite) featuring many PDX/PNW based artists.
Compiled by Portland OR based musician and audio engineer Skyler Pia for Oranj Discs

"All proceeds from this release are being redirected to Black and Pink, a volunteer-based organization supporting LGBTQ+ and HIV-positive prisoners and working toward prison abolition.
Those living with HIV need our support now just as much as in Arthur’s day, and the liberation of poor and incarcerated LGBTQ+ people is essential in order to ensure futures for new generations of brilliant q***r artists."
https://oranj.bandcamp.com/album/turning-light-a-tribute-to-arthur-russell

09/01/2024

"i had a deep affection for him!!
the result was that video” PN

Phill Niblock was arguably Arthur Russell’s most important collaborator.
Arthur performed multiple times in various ensembles throughout his years at EI.
Arthur loved Phill and looked up to him almost as a father figure, and Phill reciprocated in his feeling and support.
Phill and Arthur collaborated on the performance video “Terrace Of Unintelligibility” which led to the recording of World Of Echo at EI with Phill producing and Steve Cellum engineering.

In a recent email Phill told me that visiting Arthur in the hospital the night before he died was “maybe the most horrifying experience of my life”.
He also said Arthur was the most “self effacing” person he had ever met.
Arthur’s memorial service was held at EI.

Phill was exceptionally helpful to me throughout the years in assembling the World Of Echo reissue and DVD along with the Sketches for World Of Echo live release.
He was always generous with his support and I will be forever thankful for the time I got to spend with Phill sipping scotch at his crowded kitchen table.

The last time I saw Phill was here in Portland in 2016 where he gave an amazing thundering concert.
Later we had a pizza dinner and a bottle of wine or two.
He was a friend and supporter of so many many of us and his influence will remain unmeasurable.

30/12/2023

Much love and thanks to everyone for your support of Arthur Russell and his legacy.
Special thanks to Tom Lee for his continued faith and trust.
Heres to life and a happy healthy and safe 2024 for us all.
xo Steve
Thanks nina miuccia for the image use.

01/12/2023

Last Bandcamp Friday for 2023.
We have limited Picture Of Bunny Rabbit t-shirts in stock along with catalog vinyl, CDs, and exclusive live tapes. Picture Of Bunny Rabbit has begun to be included in several year end lists. It’s my most favorite Arthur project I’ve complied and I’m exceptionally proud of the results. Anticipating more surprises as 2024 progresses….
As ever, thank you everyone for your support!!!
Steve xo
https://arthurrussell.bandcamp.com/merch

21/11/2023

Four years ago Richard King and Dan Papps contacted me about an Arthur Russell book. What more was there to say? Actually plenty, and Richard has uncovered what may be the definitive word on Arthur’s creative life and methods. I’m so very proud to have been a part of the process and I’m already feeling nostalgic for our many hours chatting about Arthur over Zoom. Congratulations to Richard and Dan for all their hard work and diligence in making this book happen.

Today, Faber Books and Anthology Editions announce Travels Over Feeling: Arthur Russell, A Life — a landmark publication celebrating the life and work of the beloved late American musician and composer Arthur Russell — written by critically acclaimed writer Richard King, to be released April 16, 2024. Travels Over Feeling paints a portrait of Arthur Russell unlike anything that has come before, revealing a true picture of one of the most distinctive and influential artists of the last 50 years. Travels Over Feeling will be published in the United Kingdom by Faber on April 18 and Anthology Editions on April 16 in the U.S. (Pre-order links forthcoming)

The book combines largely unseen visual materials—handwritten scores, lyrics, photos, letters, and drawings—pulled from Russell’s archives at the New York Public Library as well as the personal collections of close confidants with new texts by King and extensive original interviews with Arthur’s collaborators, contemporaries, family, and friends. “Uncovering the riches of Arthur’s archives was as immersive and intimate an experience as listening to his music. I have endeavored to produce a book that provides the reader with a similar sense of discovery and wonder,” says King.

Russell’s eclectic music was often marked by adventurous production choices and his unique voice, defying classification. Pitchfork has said, “his distinctive music has the rare resilience to keep growing, connecting to more and more people because of its extraordinarily contemporary, even timeless, quality.” From his pioneering compositions as part of the Downtown NYC avant- garde scene (alongside the likes of Philip Glass, David Byrne, Laurie Anderson, John Cage, and Allen Ginsberg)

06/10/2023

PRE-ORDER ALERT. Now on t-shirt, Arthur Russell Picture Of Bunny Rabbit. Limited quantities.

Arthur Russell Picture Of Bunny Rabbit T-Shirt from Arthur Russell

10/08/2023

The New York City AIDS Memorial announces a free public outdoor concert of City Park, a controversial early work by maverick American composer, cellist, producer, and singer Arthur Russell (1951–1992), which integrates chamber music, electronics, concrete poetry, turntablism, and modern rock. The new, site-specific version at the Memorial, directed by Nick Hallett, features percussionist David Van Tieghem, who participated in the work’s premiere, and Peter Zummo, another primary Russell collaborator, in collaboration with a later generation of musicians invested in Russell’s legacy, including Nat Baldwin, Lea Bertucci, Shawn O’Sullivan, and Alex Waterman (ensemble subject to change).

The live concert will be presented as a part of the Memorial’s Fall Arts & Culture Season and the West Side Cultural Network’s first West Side Fest on September 30, 2023, at 4 PM. Free admission NYC AIDS Memorial Park at St. Vincent's Triangle 76 Greenwich Avenue New York, NY 10011

07/08/2023

https://www.nycaidsmemorial.org/citypark

John Bernd was a trans-disciplinarian in Downtown New York’s hyperactive art world of the 1980s, combining original movement, music, and text to make performances that merged experimentalism and personal narratives of living with AIDS. This open rehearsal will give audiences a sneak peek into the ...

24/06/2023

TONIGHT! TONIGHT! BE THERE!! People of Ridgewood Queens and all boroughs of New York City! Arthur Russell "Picture Of Bunny Rabbit" release party & listening event at Honey Moon Coffee Shop! The LP will be available and maybe a surprise or two. 8 PM at 517 Onderdonk Ave, Queens NY 11385

23/06/2023

Thank you and all the love to Kate Russell Henry, Emily Russell, Tom Lee, Eric Liljestrand, Timothy Stollenwerk, Molly Smith, and Anne.

21/06/2023

https://pitchfork.com/thepitch/arthur-russell-picture-of-bunny-rabbit-interview/

Audika’s Steve Knutson has made rescuing Arthur Russell’s unreleased material his life’s work. Picture of Bunny Rabbit, a World of Echo companion out this week, may be his best find.

21/06/2023

"The pieces on Picture of a Bunny Rabbit are all works in progress. That is to say, they are exemplary specimens of Russell’s aesthetic in practice. In ways that connect his music to performance art, action painting, and jazz improvisation, Russell’s whole approach was a rejection of the static, finished product as an ideal in art, an argument against the very idea of finality. The process of making was what absorbed Russell, and that process was always ongoing."

Since his death, his music has only become more influential and more mysterious.

19/06/2023

Saturday June 24th 8pm. People of Ridgewood Queens and all boroughs of New York City! Arthur Russell "Picture Of Bunny Rabbit" release party & listening event. The LP will be available and maybe a special guest or two... 8PM at 517 Onderdonk Ave, Queens NY 11385 Honey Moon Coffee Shop

30/05/2023

Arthur Russell 'Very Reason" from Picture Of Bunny Rabbit out June 23 via Audika Records (North America) and Rough Trade Records (ROW)

Arthur RussellVery ReasonPicture Of Bunny RabbitPre-order:North America via Audika Recordshttps://arthurrussell.bandcamp.com/album/picture-of-bunny-rabbitUK/...

26/05/2023

21/05/2023

"and I stood in the grass in my shoes like a foreigner in the nature I love..." Arthur Russell 5/21/51

11/04/2023

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=474lIxM0YjQ "The Boy With a Smile" from Picture of Bunny Rabbit out June 23 via Audika Records (North America) and Rough Trade Records (UK/EU/Japan) Video shot by Tom Lee

Arthur RussellThe Boy With a SmilePicture Of Bunny RabbitPre-order:North America via Audika Recordshttps://arthurrussell.bandcamp.com/album/picture-of-bunny-...

07/04/2023

Arthur Russell 'Picture of Bunny Rabbit' available June 23. Pre-order via Audika Records (North America) and Rough Trade Records (UK/EU/Japan) Preview 'The Boy With a Smile'.

9 track album

04/04/2023

The birth of the moment is never ending... #31 years The AIDS Memorial

01/01/2023

2023 will bring a new Arthur Russell album of previously unreleased World Of Echo era material.
Timothy Stollenwerk completed the final master and it sounds absolutely incredible. Thanks everyone for the continued support and all my love on ya for a healthy, happy, safe new year!!

04/11/2022

https://arthurrussell.bandcamp.com/album/love-is-overtaking-me Arthur Russell 'Love Is Overtaking Me' vinyl back in stock and shipping now. UK/EU folks the vinyl will be available December 2 via Rough Trade Records

21 track album

02/11/2022

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/w3ct3y97

Tom Lee discusses his life with Arthur Russell

A grieving lover’s mission to share his partner’s unknown music with the world

10/05/2022

Peter Broderick + friends host and perform a very special Arthur Russell Birthday celebration Saturday May 21st at The Jazz Cafe London. Will orange birthday cake be served?

06/05/2022

https://arthurrussell.bandcamp.com Bandcamp Friday!

American cellist, artist, and composer (born 21 May 1951 in Oskaloosa, Iowa, USA - died 4 April 1992 from AIDS in New York, New York, USA (aged 40). Licensing inquires steve (at) audikarecords (dot) com

20/04/2022

U.K. + E.U. peeps....! https://store.roughtraderecords.com/products/arthur-russell-instrumentals-calling-out-of-context-bundle-free-poster

Vinyl Bundle of Instrumentals + Calling Out Of Context comes with a free hand-numbered 12x12” art print Release date 13th May 2022 Details for 'Instrumentals' Remastered double LP with 12 page booklet including liner notes by Tim Lawrence, Ernie Brooks and Arthur Russell. Before Disco, and before ...

04/04/2022

“Music is a very personal thing. How you deal with your music is very closely linked with how you deal with your life. If you misuse your capacities as a musician, you’re misusing your capacities as a human being and you’re taking humanity in the wrong direction” - Arthur Russell

“What can be said about Arthur Russell that hasn’t been said before? Arthur was immensely talented, gone way too soon, and left an incredibly strong influence in music that still stands today. Regardless of the genre that you discovered him through. Ask an Arthur fan what their gateway song or album was, chances are it’s not what you imagined.” – Barbie Bertisch/Love Injection

“The birth of the moment is never ending” - Arthur Russell The AIDS Memorial

14/03/2022

https://observer.com/2022/03/the-unclassifiable-unending-cascade-of-arthur-russells-music/

Russell made club tracks, orchestral music, and songs that sounded like Jimi Hendrix ballads for distorted cello. He was too gentle to be difficult, too serious to be pop, and too prolific to pick …