Arthur Russell: Let's Go Swimming 12"

Arthur Russell left behind a wealth of material after his untimely death. The New York composer and dance music visionary filled box after box of tapes with sketches, alternate versions and half finished compositions. It was as if no one piece was ever finished, everything was a work in progress. Steve Knutsen's Audika has unearthed "Let's Go Swimming" from theses storied vaults. Originally released in 1986, it was a sign that Russell was traveling along a different path than the rest of the dance music world. "A lot of DJs take the tapes I make and try to make them into something more ordinary," Russell told David Toop. "'Let's Go Swimming' was supposed to be a futuristic summer record. Some DJs said that nobody would ever, ever play that. I think eventually that kind of thing will be commonplace." Russell proved to be remarkably prescient judging by today's infatuation with all things Balearic and beachy. The reissue includes all three versions of "Let's Go Swimming":  Russell's own "Gulf Stream Dub" and "Puppy Surf Dub" as well as Walter Gibbons' hallucinatory "Coastal Dub." Gibbons also put together the song's accompanying video. The EP also includes the previously unreleased "Make 1, 2 (Gem Spa Dub)," an epic spaced out Balearic number.

• music label: Audika

reviewed by The Voice