The Artist: Arthur Russell
Arthur Russell lived on the edge of everything.
Born in Iowa. Schooled in Indian classical music, minimalism and disco. Played cello like it was a drum. Sang like he was trying not to wake the neighbours. Lived in New York’s East Village during its creative explosion - but never quite belonged to any one scene.
He released avant-garde records under his own name, underground disco hits as Loose Joints and Dinosaur L and left behind over 1,000 unreleased tapes when he died of AIDS-related illness in 1992.
Now he’s a cult icon - revered by everyone from Dev Hynes to Sufjan Stevens.
World of Echo is still the purest portal into his world.
The Record: World of Echo (1986)
Released on Rough Trade in the mid-eighties, World of Echo is Arthur Russell stripped back to the bone: just cello, voice and reverb. No beats. No genre. Just tone, rhythm and space.
His cello isn’t melodic - it’s percussive, warped, bowed and beaten.
His voice drifts between falsetto and mumble.
Lyrics repeat, disappear, reappear. Meaning slips through your fingers.
Tracks like Answers Me, Hiding Your Present from You and Being It don’t feel like cohesive, complete pieces, more like suggestions of them. You feel like you’re overhearing private rehearsals, only to realise - this is the finished product.
The record pulses with reverb. Not added later - but recorded live, with mic placement and room tone as part of the composition. It’s tactile, whispery, echo-drenched.
You can hear his fingers on strings.
His breath between notes.
It’s barely there - and that’s the magic.
Play Now:
🔊 Spotify | Apple Music | YouTube
Start With:
- Answers Me - Fragile, infinite, sacred
- Hiding Your Present From You - Looping cello trance
- Being It - Untethered, undone
