Liquid Liquid
Encyclopedia
Liquid Liquid is a New York City
post-punk
, post-disco
band, originally active from 1980 to 1983. They are perhaps best known for their track, "Cavern", which was covered by the Sugar Hill Records
house band as the backing track for Grandmaster + Melle Mel's
old school rap classic, "White Lines (Don't Do It)". 99 Records took Sugarhill to court over the unauthorized use of Cavern and after an expensive court battle won compensation but before they could collect, Sugarhill went into receivership. The song was also included on the Disco Not Disco
compilation album. In 2008, the band reformed, playing in various venues across the globe.
(US) and Mo' Wax
(UK). After the collapse of both these labels, Domino Records released the music from all three original 12"s plus extra tracks and early live recordings as Slip In And Out Of Phenomenon in 2008. The original drummer was Dan Drollinger.
In October 2008 the band returned to the UK after a prolonged hiatus, playing at London's Barbican Theatre alongside the Glasgow-based DJ duo Optimo
, who named themselves after the eponymous Liquid Liquid song and EP.
Liquid Liquid performed in 2009 at the Villette Sonique
Festival in Paris
, as well as in Lincoln Center, where they followed the 200 Guitar Orchestra.
On April 2, 2010, the band performed "Cavern" with The Roots
on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon
and announced they were to play more shows in Britain, at Offset Festival and ATP Release The Bats in London.
On April 2, 2011, LCD Soundsystem
played their farewell gig at Madison Square Garden in New York City with Liquid Liquid as supporting act.
, dub reggae
of the 1970s, and punk
in its do it yourself
garage approach. Their songs do not follow standard pop song form, having no defined verses or chorus. The vocals also set the music apart. Salvatore Principato, the vocalist, is known to use his voice as an instrument, focusing more on pitch and rhythm than words and lyrics. The original drummer was Dan Drollinger.
player Dennis Young. Richard McGuire is a graphic designer and filmmaker. Sal Principato produces remixes and often tours as a DJ. Dennis Young plays in various musical projects.
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
post-punk
Post-punk
Post-punk is a rock music movement with its roots in the late 1970s, following on the heels of the initial punk rock explosion of the mid-1970s. The genre retains its roots in the punk movement but is more introverted, complex and experimental...
, post-disco
Post-disco
Post-disco refers to a historically significant period in popular music history beginning with the commercial death of disco music in the late 1970s and ending with the mainstream appearance of house music in late 1980s.The stripped-down musical trends followed from the DJ- and producer-driven,...
band, originally active from 1980 to 1983. They are perhaps best known for their track, "Cavern", which was covered by the Sugar Hill Records
Sugar Hill Records (rap)
Sugar Hill Records was the name of a rap music record label that was founded in 1979 by husband and wife Joe and Sylvia Robinson with Milton Malden and financial funding of Morris Levy, the owner of Roulette Records.-History:...
house band as the backing track for Grandmaster + Melle Mel's
Melle Mel
Grandmaster Mele Mel , also known as Melle Mel , is an American hip-hop musician — one of the pioneers of old school hip hop as lead rapper and main songwriter for Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five.- Biography :...
old school rap classic, "White Lines (Don't Do It)". 99 Records took Sugarhill to court over the unauthorized use of Cavern and after an expensive court battle won compensation but before they could collect, Sugarhill went into receivership. The song was also included on the Disco Not Disco
Disco Not Disco
-Personnel:"Walking On Thin Ice" *Engineers: Lee DeCarlo, Sam Ginsberg*Drums: Andy Newmark*Bass guitar: Tony Levin*Rhythm guitar: Earl Slick, Hugh McCracken*Editing: Joseph Watt*Producers: Jack Douglas, John Lennon, Yoko Ono"Cavern"...
compilation album. In 2008, the band reformed, playing in various venues across the globe.
History
Since the band’s inception in 1980, the sounds of Liquid Liquid have been a mainstay in the clubs. The original records were pressed in very limited quantities on 99 Recordsl, and can now fetch high prices. "Cavern" originally appeared on the EP, Optimo, recorded by Don Hunerberg. Though the pressings were small, the music has had a lasting and far reaching impact. The first three EPs, plus live material, were reissued in 1997 by Grand RoyalGrand Royal
Grand Royal was the Los Angeles, California based vanity record label set up in 1992 by the Beastie Boys in conjunction with Capitol Records after the group left Def Jam Recordings....
(US) and Mo' Wax
Mo' Wax
Mo' Wax was a UK-based record label owned by James Lavelle, who founded it in the early 1990s with Tim Goldsworthy. Steve Finan became co-owner shortly after. The label came to recognition for being at the forefront of trip hop, turntablism and alternative rap during the mid-90s...
(UK). After the collapse of both these labels, Domino Records released the music from all three original 12"s plus extra tracks and early live recordings as Slip In And Out Of Phenomenon in 2008. The original drummer was Dan Drollinger.
In October 2008 the band returned to the UK after a prolonged hiatus, playing at London's Barbican Theatre alongside the Glasgow-based DJ duo Optimo
Optimo
Optimo was a weekly Sunday-night club based in Glasgow, Scotland at the Sub Club on Jamaica Street, as well as a collective moniker for the night's resident DJ duo. Having run every week since it was founded in 1997, on Thursday 11 March 2010, it was announced on the official facebook page that...
, who named themselves after the eponymous Liquid Liquid song and EP.
Liquid Liquid performed in 2009 at the Villette Sonique
Villette Sonique
Villette Sonique is a yeaarly music festival in Parc de la Villette in Paris, France featuring a combination of experimental music, Noise rock, Electronic and other genres. The festival is most of the time held in the last week of May....
Festival in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, as well as in Lincoln Center, where they followed the 200 Guitar Orchestra.
On April 2, 2010, the band performed "Cavern" with The Roots
The Roots
The Roots is an American hip hop/neo soul band formed in 1987 by Tariq "Black Thought" Trotter and Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are famed for beginning with a jazzy, eclectic approach to hip hop which still includes live instrumentals...
on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon
Late Night with Jimmy Fallon
Late Night with Jimmy Fallon is an American late-night talk show hosted by Jimmy Fallon on NBC. The show premiered on March 2, 2009, as the third incarnation of the Late Night franchise originated by David Letterman....
and announced they were to play more shows in Britain, at Offset Festival and ATP Release The Bats in London.
On April 2, 2011, LCD Soundsystem
LCD Soundsystem
LCD Soundsystem was a prominent American dance-punk band from New York City. It was fronted by American singer-songwriter and producer James Murphy, co-founder of record label DFA Records...
played their farewell gig at Madison Square Garden in New York City with Liquid Liquid as supporting act.
Musical style
Liquid Liquid's music is essentially groove-based and influenced by a variety of sources, including funkFunk
Funk is a music genre that originated in the mid-late 1960s when African American musicians blended soul music, jazz and R&B into a rhythmic, danceable new form of music. Funk de-emphasizes melody and harmony and brings a strong rhythmic groove of electric bass and drums to the foreground...
, dub reggae
Dub music
Dub is a genre of music which grew out of reggae music in the 1960s, and is commonly considered a subgenre, though it has developed to extend beyond the scope of reggae...
of the 1970s, and punk
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
in its do it yourself
DIY ethic
The DIY ethic refers to the ethic of self-sufficiency through completing tasks oneself as opposed to having others who are more experienced or able complete them for one's behalf. It promotes the idea that an ordinary person can learn to do more than he or she thought was possible...
garage approach. Their songs do not follow standard pop song form, having no defined verses or chorus. The vocals also set the music apart. Salvatore Principato, the vocalist, is known to use his voice as an instrument, focusing more on pitch and rhythm than words and lyrics. The original drummer was Dan Drollinger.
Band members
The band is made up of drummer Scott Hartley, bassist Richard McGuire, vocalist Salvatore Principato and marimbaMarimba
The marimba is a musical instrument in the percussion family. It consists of a set of wooden keys or bars with resonators. The bars are struck with mallets to produce musical tones. The keys are arranged as those of a piano, with the accidentals raised vertically and overlapping the natural keys ...
player Dennis Young. Richard McGuire is a graphic designer and filmmaker. Sal Principato produces remixes and often tours as a DJ. Dennis Young plays in various musical projects.
Discography
- Liquid Liquid 12" EP (99-07, 1981)
- Successive Reflexes 12" EP (99-09 1981)
- "Bellhead"/"Push" 7" single (99-11EP7, 1981 - extremely rare record of re-recordings by Liquid Liquid, recorded, mixed & mastered in one day - Nov. 24, 1981. The band destroyed most copies and it was never made available, but some still exist.)
- Optimo 12" EP (99-11, 1983)
- "Dig We Must" 12" (99-LL1, 1984)
- Liquid Liquid 2xLP/CD (Mo Wax/Grand Royal, 1997)
- Slip In And Out Of Phenomenon 3xLP/CD (Domino Records, 2008)