Staying current Red Hot: Arthur Russell’s impact in 2014

When AIDS cut short the life of Arthur Russell in 1992 few could have thought that now, more than two decades on, his music would demand the attention it does. Anyone bold enough to make such a prediction back then would surely have raised eyebrows, given that so much of his diverse discography has since been picked from the thousands of hours worth of tape reels left behind following his death.

Wonderfully detailed by a 2008 documentary film, ‘Wild Combination: A Portrait of Arthur Russell’, his story is an extraordinary one that’s ultimately tainted by tragedy. Yet following a series of posthumous releases, all receiving critical acclaim, word of this Iowan farm boy has sifted into the consciousness of music fans the world over and what seems a fitting legacy now appears to be cemented. Musicians aplenty have come out to cite his eclectic back catalogue as an influence in recent years, and this month sees the release of a tribute album featuring covers from a host of high profile admirers.

2014 has already seen a similarly fitting tribute, when a Record Store Day release saw the music of William Onyeabor honoured. The story of Onyeabor’s belated move in to popular consciousness is as unlikely as it is remarkable, but Russell’s is arguably even more intriguing. Most of Arthur’s work may have been released following his death, but whilst Onyeabor’s previous obscurity stems largely from his Nigerian heritage, Russell did have hit records, collaborated with Allen Ginsberg and David Byrne to name but two, and was remixed by the likes of François Kevorkian and Larry Levan at the height of the New York disco era… hardly a history that strikes of obscurity.