James Chance and the Contortions: reviews, quotes, and works

James Chance and the Contortions

Musical Group

Forfans of no wave, post-punk, avant-funk, and adventurous listeners seeking danceable chaos.
2 Reviews 0 Definitions 1 Charts

The Profile

American no wave group from New York led by saxophonist James Chance (aka James White). They appeared on the Eno-curated No New York (1978) and fused abrasive funk, jazz, and post-punk on their debut Buy (1979). The project later resurfaced with The Flesh Is Weak (2016).

New York no wave band led by James Chance/James White; featured on No New York (1978); key releases include Buy (1979) and The Flesh Is Weak (2016); style blends no wave, funk, and jazz.

Two reviews sketch a portrait of James Chance and the Contortions as cornerstone no wave agitators. Buy gets praised for danceable dissonance and a radical take on funk. The Flesh Is Weak aims to rekindle that intensity decades later, with partial success. Overall: unique, underrated, and still twitchy.

Notable Quotes

❝ One of the most important (if not THE most important) figures of that submovement born in New York between the '70s and '80s known as No Wave: James Chance and his Contortions, dedicated to total dissonance, redefine in what is effectively their only official album the concept of funky.