Man Jumping
Encyclopedia
Famously described by Brian Eno
as 'the most important band in the world', Man Jumping were formed in England
in the mid-1980s from the members of Lost Jockey who were variously described as playing 'systems music
' (which refers to the repetitive musical loops and themes of avant garde US composers such as Steve Reich
, Philip Glass
and Terry Riley
) or 'systems funk'.
The band formed Man Jumping to get away from that tag. Instead they drew on jazz fusion, ethnic musics, electronics and funk to create an alternative world dance music from a heady mix of influences (keyboardist Orlando Gough
said in an interview in March 1985, 'I suppose there is some kind of nebulous central core of ideas, which may to do with us all having come out of systems music and our interest in foreign music but actually we are influenced by Steely Dan
, James Blood Ulmer, Bach
, Beethoven').
A demo produced by Mike Hedges led to a contract with Bill Nelson
's Cocteau Records who released their first album Jump Cut in early 1985. Produced by Philip Bagenal, it attracted rave reviews. Time Out said, "Man Jumping merge the exacting algebra of systems music with the warmth, wit and passion of dance music and, in their own small way, are revolutionary, unique. I adore this album".
A series of 12" remixes whilst immaculately produced, failed to fully crossover to the nascent dance scene of the era however.
The original LP with the additional 12"s and alternative mixes was reissued in 1999 on the Shaping the Invisible label (since deleted but available again on the Carbon 7 label).
A long out-of-print second album appeared on vinyl (and briefly on CD) on EG Records in 1987 entitled World Service. Less organic than its predecessor and more obviously electronic, it occupies a similar space to The Penguin Cafe Orchestra
(of imagined ethnic music from the Tropics and Eastern Europe) and the Miles Davis
80s electric work with Marcus Miller
.
Of the band's members, John Lunn
and Orlando Gough went on to have the most visible solo careers - Lunn in television music, and Gough as composer for multi-disciplinary a capella group The Shout and music for dance companies. Despite many apparent requests, Gough has stated that he has no interest in reforming Man Jumping.
Brian Eno
Brian Peter George St. John le Baptiste de la Salle Eno , commonly known as Brian Eno or simply as Eno , is an English musician, composer, record producer, singer and visual artist, known as one of the principal innovators of ambient music.Eno studied at Colchester Institute art school in Essex,...
as 'the most important band in the world', Man Jumping were formed in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
in the mid-1980s from the members of Lost Jockey who were variously described as playing 'systems music
Systems music
Systems music is a term which has been used to describe the work of composers who concern themselves primarily with sound continuums which evolve gradually, often over very long periods of time . Historically, the American minimalists Steve Reich, La Monte Young and Philip Glass are considered the...
' (which refers to the repetitive musical loops and themes of avant garde US composers such as Steve Reich
Steve Reich
Stephen Michael "Steve" Reich is an American composer who together with La Monte Young, Terry Riley, and Philip Glass is a pioneering composer of minimal music...
, Philip Glass
Philip Glass
Philip Glass is an American composer. He is considered to be one of the most influential composers of the late 20th century and is widely acknowledged as a composer who has brought art music to the public .His music is often described as minimalist, along with...
and Terry Riley
Terry Riley
Terrence Mitchell Riley, is an American composer intrinsically associated with the minimalist school of Western classical music and was a pioneer of the movement...
) or 'systems funk'.
The band formed Man Jumping to get away from that tag. Instead they drew on jazz fusion, ethnic musics, electronics and funk to create an alternative world dance music from a heady mix of influences (keyboardist Orlando Gough
Orlando Gough
Orlando Gough is a British composer, educated at Oxford, and noted for projects written for ballet, contemporary dance and theatre. Collaborators have included Siobhan Davies, Alain Platel, Shobana Jeyasingh and Ashley Page of The Royal Ballet. He is artistic director of The Shout, which he...
said in an interview in March 1985, 'I suppose there is some kind of nebulous central core of ideas, which may to do with us all having come out of systems music and our interest in foreign music but actually we are influenced by Steely Dan
Steely Dan
Steely Dan is an American rock band; its core members are Donald Fagen and Walter Becker. The band's popularity peaked in the late 1970s, with the release of seven albums blending elements of jazz, rock, funk, R&B, and pop...
, James Blood Ulmer, Bach
Bạch
Bạch is a Vietnamese surname. The name is transliterated as Bai in Chinese and Baek, in Korean.Bach is the anglicized variation of the surname Bạch.-Notable people with the surname Bạch:* Bạch Liêu...
, Beethoven').
A demo produced by Mike Hedges led to a contract with Bill Nelson
Bill Nelson (musician)
Bill Nelson is an English guitarist, songwriter, producer, painter and experimental musician...
's Cocteau Records who released their first album Jump Cut in early 1985. Produced by Philip Bagenal, it attracted rave reviews. Time Out said, "Man Jumping merge the exacting algebra of systems music with the warmth, wit and passion of dance music and, in their own small way, are revolutionary, unique. I adore this album".
A series of 12" remixes whilst immaculately produced, failed to fully crossover to the nascent dance scene of the era however.
The original LP with the additional 12"s and alternative mixes was reissued in 1999 on the Shaping the Invisible label (since deleted but available again on the Carbon 7 label).
A long out-of-print second album appeared on vinyl (and briefly on CD) on EG Records in 1987 entitled World Service. Less organic than its predecessor and more obviously electronic, it occupies a similar space to The Penguin Cafe Orchestra
Penguin Cafe Orchestra
The Penguin Cafe Orchestra was a collective of performing musicians created by classically trained British guitarist, composer and arranger Simon Jeffes...
(of imagined ethnic music from the Tropics and Eastern Europe) and the Miles Davis
Miles Davis
Miles Dewey Davis III was an American jazz musician, trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. Widely considered one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, Miles Davis was, with his musical groups, at the forefront of several major developments in jazz music, including bebop, cool jazz,...
80s electric work with Marcus Miller
Marcus Miller
Marcus Miller is an American jazz composer, producer, and multi-instrumentalist. Miller is best known as a bassist, working with trumpeter Miles Davis, singer Luther Vandross, and saxophonist David Sanborn, as well as maintaining a prolific solo career...
.
Of the band's members, John Lunn
John Lunn
John Lunn is a British composer, known for his soundtrack work for television. He was formerly a member of "systems music" band Man Jumping....
and Orlando Gough went on to have the most visible solo careers - Lunn in television music, and Gough as composer for multi-disciplinary a capella group The Shout and music for dance companies. Despite many apparent requests, Gough has stated that he has no interest in reforming Man Jumping.
External links
- 1996 Interview with Orlando Gough
- Cocteau records at www.billnelsonmusic.com