A Nameless Wave
By: Joel Collier
To most people the words “No Wave” mean nothing. To the members of bands involved in the “No Wave” movement, the title itself was the negation of their ideals. Musicians and artists of varying mediums came together in 1978 to form bands of their liking. They joined thought to create sounds free of outside tampering. A breeding ground for original sound was created amongst them. The result wasn’t a cohesive sound, but a definite push toward liberated music making. Genres like punk rock, jazz, blues, funk, avant garde, and experimental overlapped in new and influential ways. Many participants lived in the once burned out Lower East Side, in an era of Manhattan that remains mythical to newer inhabitants of the city. When attempting to understand the time and place “No Wave” took stage, one is reminded of the lack of “movements” presently. There are so many factors that birthed “No Wave” that are virtually impossible to recreate in the twenty-first century. However, attempting to understand it’s origins and inner workings remains important.
At the time, one New York review stated,”They really have little in common musically except their stubborn belief in the uncompromising stands they’ve taken.” Mars bassist, Mark Cunningham explains a simple bond, “There was a nice competitive energy. We did feel part of something, but I don’t think we influenced each other too much musically— maybe more conceptually, in the sense that anything seemed possible and doable.” “No Wave” filmmaker, Scott B, describes the movement best, ” What was so spectacular about this moment in time was that it was in a place the world had forgotten about and gone past. And yet some of the most ambitious artists in the world convened there, and were just reinventing the language of art and music and film all for themselves, without any real expectations of financial reward. It was like a huge lab where we were all reinventing what it meant to be an artist and a musician.”
Photo: Lizzy Mercier Descloux
We invite strangers to the cluster of “No Wave” to start with these recommendations.