A.R. Kane

From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Artist

A.R. Kane was an English duo of Alex Ayuli and Rudy Tambala, who had known each other since primary school in East London. Ayuli is of Nigerian descent and, as a teenager, played in a dub sound system; Tambala, with a Malawian father and an English mother, came from the jazz-funk scene. A television appearance by Cocteau Twins inspired them. At a party in 1986 Tambala made up the story that the two of them played in a band together. A week later a record label phoned, and the duo quickly made a demo without a drummer, with a guitar and two cassette recorders.

Music and breakthrough

The first single, When You're Sad, came out in 1986. It was followed on the label 4AD by the EP Lollita, produced by Robin Guthrie of Cocteau Twins. Label boss Ivo Watts-Russell brought them together with the group Colourbox and a few DJs. Under the name M|A|R|R|S they made Pump Up the Volume in 1987, which went to number 1 in England. The debut album 69 (1988) and its successor i (1989) topped the independent chart. After New Clear Child (1994) the duo split up.

Influence

A.R. Kane blended echoing, distorted guitars with dub production, drum machines, free jazz and studio experiments. Ayuli himself coined the term dream pop for it. The duo then faded into obscurity, but critics regard it as one of the most innovative groups of the 1980s, with an influence on shoegaze, trip hop and post-rock. They also broke the stereotype that Black musicians made only soul, reggae or hip hop.

Listening

Discography

Studio albums

• 198869
• 1989“i”
• 1994New Clear Child

In School of Rock

The chapters, maps and magazine stories of School of Rock are currently available in Dutch only.

• Mixtape 7: The 1980s^NL Reader

See also

• 69
• “i”