The Titan of Sirens

Genre-skipper Martin Bisi is all four horsemen of the apocalypse.

by A.D. Amorosi

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Published: Dec 9, 2008

Rock/miscellaneous

SCATTERSHOT: Martin Bisi claims his solo stuff has always been a reaction to/acknowledgement of his work as a producer. (CLICK IMAGE FOR LARGER VERSION)

Born in New York of Argentinian parents, Martin Bisi has been at a crossroads since 1979. It's a four-way intersection of ambient electronic music, industrial noise, no-wave jazz/punk and hybrid funk. As a player and as a producer, Bisi has recorded with and for Brian Eno, Material, John Zorn, Sonic Youth, Herbie Hancock, White Zombie and Swans. And yet, each group claims Bisi as their own: gloom industrial fans in particular pigeonhole Bisi because of his work with Manhattan "transgressives" Lydia Lunch and Foetus. But avant-gardes do the same because of Material and Zorn, as do hip-hop heads for his involvement in Herbie's "Rockit."

"I never mind being pigeonholed like that," says Bisi from his Brooklyn digs. "I don't care if one group is oblivious to my involvement in a different genre. I'm glad I've been able to create a common thread."

For such a master of the jump cut, it's not surprising that one of his heroes is author/cut-up executioner William S. Burroughs. "He inspired me more as an icon, and dare-I-say role model — ahem — than his actual literary work. I liked that it wasn't necessarily moral and that there was an inherent aggression to it. There was lots of transgression in New York when I started — a focus on taboos, and breaking them, with art."

Bisi claims his solo stuff has always been a combination of contrary reactions to and acknowledgement of what he's done while producing. "It's basically opposing poles," says Bisi. "I get sick of stuff happening around me in the studio so I'm eager to liberate myself, maybe refer to other styles." There're lots of examples of this within Bisi's solo canon.

When recording 1988's Creole Mass, Bisi wanted it to appeal to his no-wave constituency while throwing in hints of his South American heritage. Around the time he was making Dear Papi, I'm in Jail in '96, Bisi was busy mixing one of Naked City's messier jazzy efforts. So Bisi chose to make a straight-up garage CD.

His new Sirens of the Apocalypse? "I wanted to be not-so-serious, because I was doing Michael Gira's stuff — freak folk-ish and heavy on the integrity and vibe." Bisi wrote the song "Goth Chick '98," whose Euro-cabaret gloom blatantly pokes fun at its seriousness. From the title tune to "Mary Maudlin," Apocalypse has a smaller "demo vibe" than his previous solo outings, playful, too, with toy pianos, whispered voices and tiny drums drifting throughout the proceedings. But Bisi left the plush feeling of Apocalypse's songs up to his players and their layering rather than top-load them with dense production values.

"I'm a little sick of serious precious attitudes about music," claims Bisi. "Now I'm interested in commenting on my immediate environment, and making fun of what I see as absurd attitudes. Time has shown though, that I can't predict very well where I'm headed."

(a_amorosi@citypaper.net)

Marin Bisi plays Fri., Dec. 12, 8 p.m., $5-$10 suggested donation, with Submarine Spaceship, Cortez! Cortez!, Patty Crash, London Victory Club, Skeletonbreath and New Madrid, Danger Danger Gallery, 5013 Baltimore Ave., myspace.com/dangerdangergallery.

Cut from the Cloth
Intermezzo
Soundadvice
Ron Horton Sextet
Bevin Caulfield
Nicole Reynolds/Lucy Wainwright Roche/Rebecca Pronsky