More than fifteen years after his untimely death from AIDS in 1992, Arthur Russell’s music has found its audience and the critical acclaim it deserves. Wild Combination: A Portrait Of Arthur Russell, is a new documentary about the life and work of Arthur Russell.

The film by Matt Wolf tells Arthur’s whole life story from his upbringing in Oskaloosa, Iowa, through his time in a Buddhist commune in San Francisco where he meets life-long mentor and collaborator Allen Ginsberg, till his work and life in New York where he constantly mixed and switched between the orchestral music and vanguard ideas of the avant-garde music world and the liberating social and aesthetic possibilities of underground disco.

Neither as musical director of the experimental art space The Kitchen, nor his orchestral compositions or his leftfield disco releases made it possible to place Arthur Russell inside any conventional framework. Under his own name and under various monkiers like Dinosaur L, Loose Joints, Indian Ocean Arthur Russell produced experimental and playful records that have become inspirational cornerstones for many of today’s artists.

If you’re interested in picking up some Arthur Russell vinyl, here are a few picks:

Arthur Russell – Springfield

Arthur Russell – World Of Echo

Loose Joints – Is It All Over My Face?

Dinosaur L  – Go Bang

Also check out the tribute with contributions from Jens Lekman, Vera November, Taken By trees and Joel Gibb

Various – Four Songs By Arthur Russell

Tags: Arthur Russell, Documentary

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