12/10/15

James Chance To Play Blue Note Tokyo Jan 22-24 Following Australian Dates


James, along with his NYC band (Mac Gollehon, Robert Aaron, Tomas Doncker, Eric Klaastad, and Richard Dworkin), will be appearing at Tokyo, Japan's Blue Note in January following shows in Australia. For three nights they'll be working hard with two sets a night - January 22, 23 and 24! For more information please visit bluenote.co.jp/jp/artists/james-chance



10/26/15

Starting This Week: James Chance & Les Contortions: Upcoming shows in Europe


Oct 28 - Heretic Club - Bordeaux (France) 
Oct 29 - Silencio - Paris (France) 
Oct 30 - L'Entrepôt - Arlon (Belgium) 
Oct 31 - Zaal Belgie - Hasselt (Belgium) 
Nov 04 - Urban Spree - Berlin (Germany) 
Nov 05 - Folken - Stavanger (Norway) 
Nov 06 - Jazz house - Copenhagen (Denmark)

10/6/15

James Chance & Les Contortions: Upcoming shows in Europe


Oct 28 - Heretic Club - Bordeaux (France)
Oct 29 - Silencio - Paris (France)
Oct 30 - L'Entrepôt - Arlon (Belgium)
Oct 31 - Zaal Belgie - Hasselt (Belgium)
Nov 04 - Urban Spree - Berlin (Germany)
Nov 05 - Folken - Stavanger (Norway)
Nov 06 - Jazz house - Copenhagen (Denmark)

Brooklyn Vegan pix from Trans Pecos 9.20.15


Here are some terrific shots of James and company in action (by P Squared) recently at Trans Pecos. 



9/22/15

James Chance announces European tour dates, October/November 2015

James by Jay Jay Robertson

Oct 28 - Heretic Club - Bordeaux (France)
Oct 29 - Silencio - Paris (France)
Oct 30 - L'Entrepôt - Arlon (Belgium)
Oct 31 - Zaal Belgie - Hasselt (Belgium)
Nov 04 - Urban Spree - Berlin (Germany)
Nov 05 - Folken - Stavanger (Norway)
Nov 06 - Jazz house - Copenhagen (Denmark)

9/19/15

James Chance on Noisey: Still Incorrigible After All These Years

James Chance by Dawid Laskowski

James Chance and the Contortions are performing at Trans Pecos this Sunday (9/20) during the day (along with Ex Models and Dreamcrusher) as part of Trans Pecos’ September Sunday afternoon concert series. 

James sat down recently with Noisey contributor, Zachary Lipez, for a chat. Read it here.

7/21/15

James Chance feature on Dangerous Minds


We're happy to report that Dangerous Minds ran a feature on James and the BUY album today! You can read the article here, and order BUY direct from Futurismo here

"Truly great jazz is rhythmic enough to lure you in but chaotic enough to make sure you don’t get bored…or too comfortable. Truly great funk is rhythmic enough to keep your body moving and your senses tighter than a trucker on a yellow-jacket binge. Cross these mighty twin forms together and you land somewhere near the county of James Chance. Even then, like any artist worth their salt, simple categorization is not only uneasy but also ill advised. And that’s when things get truly exciting..." Continued...


5/13/15

Three Dates With James Chance This August In Europe

Photo by Dawid Laskowski
We're happy to announce three European shows in August. 
They are as follows:

08.27 - Das bett - Frankfurt (Germany)
08.28 - Festival Météo - Mulhouse (France)
08.29 - Usine - Genève (Switzerland)

5/11/15

James Chance at Select Art: You Are Here aka The Maze, 05.15.15


James will be appearing as part of the Select Art Fair, You Are Here Festival aka The Maze. He plays this Friday at 9:00PM. For more information visit the Select Art website, Facebook, or Twitter. The exhibit/installation/show takes place at CENTER 548  // CHELSEA on West 22nd Street in New York City.

5/4/15

The reviews are in: BUY


The recent Futurismo deluxe vinyl reissue of the Contortions BUY is garnering some very nice praise. Check the links below for just a couple of recent reviews:

The Vinyl District says: "...Buy persists as Chance’s essential contribution to the rock narrative. An LP of groundbreaking genre cross-pollination emanating from a locus of inspired and occasionally belligerent individualism, it continues to impress." Continued here.

Big Takeover Magazine says: "...this is the definitive version of Buy. Even if you have a previous version of it, this is worth every penny." Continued here.

4/8/15

Rough Trade NYC gig, Henry Rollins on KCRW


James will be a special guest of Shilpa Ray's in May at Rough Trade NYC for her record release gig courtesy of Northern Spy Records. Tickets go on sale on Friday at noon here

Also, this weekend, check out Henry Rollins (2.13.61) radio show this coming Sunday (on KCRW) to hear him bust out a track or two from James Chance Official's CONTORTIONS 'Buy' LP, the no wave avant jazz classic out now on FUTURISMO Inc.

3/30/15

CONTORTIONS 'Buy' Hand Screen Prints Now Available From Futurismo


Contort your favorite room with this CONTORTIONS Limited Edition Hand Screen Print featuring an iconic image of the late fashionista, photographer and muse to James Chance - Anya Phillips.

3/25/15

3/13/15

James Chance et Les Contortions at Stereo Bar, Glasgow, March 12, 2015

James Chance, Stereo Cafe Bar, Glasgow, 3.12.15, by Jayjay Robertson

Joe Whyte was at the show in Glasgow last night at the Stereo Cafe Bar for Louder Than War, and loved what he saw & heard.

He’s tonight accompanied by a French three-piece band and quite probably the last time Glasgow witnessed a band as drum-skin tight would have been Mike Watt’s gig at Broadcast last year. This latest Gallic incarnation of Les Contortions are as lean and as precise as a band are ever likely to be; swerving from be-bop jazz to popping funk to Van Vliet-style discord in the blink of an eye or a wave of Chance’s fist, they carve into the material with an assuredness that’s jaw-dropping.

I’m left wondering if this sort of thing is the purest form of that old devil called punk rock. Guys like James Chance are the true outsiders, the risk-takers, the experimenters. It’s light years away from angry men with guitars, but sometimes it’s the people who play music entirely for themselves that are the true renegades. And James Chance is certainly that.

Read the entire review at Louder Than War.



2/19/15

James White & The Blacks featured on Mojo Mag comp, March 2015 issue


For you complete-ists out there, "Sax Maniac" by James White & The Blacks is included on the CD that accompanies the March 2015 issue of MOJO magazine. It also includes cuts from Bush Tetras, Funkadelic, Curtis Mayfield, Arthur Russell, 23 Skidoo, ESG and others.

2/18/15

Contortions' BUY vinyl reissue from Futurismo now available for pre-order!


As announced back in November, the vinyl reissue of the Contortions' BUY from Futurismo is now available for pre-order. It ships in March and it looks gorgeous!

Fully remastered and featuring two bonus tracks recorded at a brief reformation, this LP comes on heavy 180g limited edition coloured vinyl with Free Download. The record is encased in a mirror and neon gatefold sleeve containing a new large 12pg booklet featuring rare photography by the late great Anya Phillips and newly written text by the legendary James Chance himself. Get hip, get contorted. Don’t think just BUY.

Tracklisting > 
01. Designed To Kill 
02. My Infatuation 
03. I Don’t Want To Be Happy 
04. Anestetic 
05. Contort Yourself 
06. Throw Me Away 
07. Roving Eye 
08. Twice Removed 
09. Bedroom Athlete 
10. Terminal City  (bonus cut)
11. Incorrigible (bonus cut)

 


1/29/15

This Saturday in Brooklyn with Jonathan Toubin


James Chance: Europe, March 2015


We're happy to announce some Euro-dates for James & Les Contortions this March in the UK, France, Germany, and Belgium. Here's what we have so far - if any are added you'll find 'em here & Facebook.

03/10/2015 - Cafe Oto - London (UK)
03/12/2015
 - Stereo - Glasgow (UK)
03/13/2015
 - Instants Chavirés - Paris (France)
03/14/2015
 - Het Boss - Anvers (Belgium)
03/15/2015
 - King Georg - Koln (Germany)
03/17/2015
 - Sonic - Lyon (France)
03/18/2015
 - Bbc Perpinya - Perpignan (France)
03/20/2015 - Buffet de la Gare - Marmande (France)

1/16/15

James Chance on Red Bull Music Academy Radio


Red Bull Music Academy Radio has just posted a lengthy & insightful look into the world of James Chance as part of their Fireside Chat series. This might go without saying, but we definitely recommend listening. Listen here, and be sure to check out the rest of the series.