Orange Mountain Music, 2006

Amplified: New Music Meets Rock, 1981-1986 is the third release in a series of CDs compiled from The Kitchen's archive that documents historic concert recordings at The Kitchen from the early 1970s to the mid-1980s. While the first two releases, New Music, New York 1979 and Steve Reich and Musicians, Live 1977 focused on major figures of new and experimental music from The Kitchen's first decade, Amplified moves into the early 1980s, representing a vocabulary that emerged from the avant-garde, minimalist, and No New York scenes in the 1960s and 1970s in New York City. Highlights from the CD include the layered guitars of Rhys Chatham's works; classical cello played through electronic effects pedals by Arthur Russell; a Christian Marclay piece created with multiple turntables "prepared" with his "To and Fro-nograph"; one of the earliest Sonic Youth concert recordings; two tracks by Swans; and a rarely performed large orchestral piece by Elliott Sharp. Even now, more than twenty years after these shows took place, these recordings capture an explosive energy and vitality that still feels vibrant.

Proceeds from the sale of this CD will support artists whose groundbreaking, genre-defying work appears at The Kitchen throughout the upcoming season.