Without the No New York compilation, concocted by Brian Eno, the clutch of bands making a compelling racket and only tangentially tied to punk, would probably be lost to the backlog of alsorans. The Contortions, Teenage Jesus and the Jerks, Mars and DNA were featured on the compilation. And while each band has maintained a certain degree of cultural import within the underground music scene, DNA were one of the most difficult.
At the time the tracks for the compilation were recorded, the trio was made up of Brazilian born guitarist Arturo Lindsay, keyboardist Robin Crutchfield and percussionist Ikue Mori. That would be the line up that would record the band’s only proper studio work, the ten minute A Taste of DNA. And while the group would go on to incorporate former Pere Ubu bassist Tim Wright after Crutchfield’s departure, the original line up might be considered a bit more influential. Of course with the addition of a proper low end, Lindsay was given more freedom and open space to figure what noises he was capable of coaxing from his guitar. But when compared to the earlier line-up there are stark and all too noticeable differences.
Coming from a culture separate from the US in so many ways, Linday’s perception of rhythm was different than a great many of his peers. Compounding that was the fact that Mori, when the group began, couldn’t exactly be considered an all American girl – she actually didn’t play a proper drum set for a good deal of the time either.
But compiled onto DNA on DNA, the thirty plus tracks reveal the different lives of the band. The first few tracks are what actually constituted their lone studio disc. The throbbing back up to Linday’s growl and guitar skronk seem as solid as any funk group – but also easily recall LA’s the Screamers from the minute the music begins.
The musical shift coming a few minutes into the compilation is marked by Wright’s bass, which in a great many ways becomes the focus of the group. Coming for a more ‘musical’ background, Wright was still able to fit into the trio pretty effortlessly. But it is plainly clear that Lindsay and Mori are working to incorporate his ideas as much as the other way around. Lindsay’s guitar style isn’t given to melodicism and with Crutchfield’s keyboards gone, the honus of the song was solely upon him.
Even with the inclusion of what could be considered a proper musician, though, DNA remained a quixotic aural experience to say the least. And as the brief flash of No Wave soon dispersed – with Sonic Youth taking up the mantle, albeit in a different direction – DNA performed less and less frequently, seldom leaving New York. They group, in whatever configuration, wasn’t ever poised for success, but give the musical climate of today and the acceptance of pretty much anything, if DNA was able to make it out of the city, its popularity might be slighter more than it is now.