You may have never heard of Arthur Russell, but since his untimely death in 1992 the avant-garde artist has progressively became more renowned through a series of compilation albums and EPs. The last being 2008’s Love is Overtaking Me, which was digitally restored by Grizzly Bear’s Chris Taylor.
But if you’re still finding it hard to access the musician’s past work Red Hot Organisation has put together a tribute, Master Mix: Red Hot + Arthur Russell, to help raise funds for AIDS awareness. And boy does it have an all star cast. Hot Chip, Surfjan Stevens and Blood Orange along with locals oh Mercy and Liam Finn have all contributed to the album, just to name a few.
While Robyn has been gallivanting across the world with Röyksopp in support of their Do It Again mini-album, which will take in Falls and Southbound over New Years, her take on ‘Tell You’ is refreshingly unlike anything the Swedish pop star has done before.
It’s still incredibly dancey, but this funk and jazz-infused track is more on the David Byrne end of the pop spectrum than it is hers. It’s less than surprising given that Russell collaborated with Talking Heads during his lifetime. Give the track a whirl below.
