The Clash & Futura 2000 – "The Escapades Of Futura 2000": New York City, 1984; Jean Karkakos and In-house producer Bill Laswell have moulded Celluloid records into an independent-label tour de force, an genre-less and boundless melting pot of No-wave, Hip-Hop, Rock, World and more. New York is much wilder place than today, Ed Koch is in control and the streets are mean. Powered by the forces of the street Art and Music are combining in ways they never have done before. Futura 2000 (aka Leonard McGurr) has been painting illegally on the New York Subway since the early 70's. His abstract approach to Grafitti is unique and soon he rises to the top. Along with the cream of New York new art wave of Keith Haring, Richard Hambleton and Futura 2000s best friend Jean-Michel Basquiat their work is shown in Patti Astors Fun Gallery. In 1981 legitimacy beckons and Futura joins the Clash on their "Combat Rock" tour and features on the track "Overpowered By Funk". Mick Jones and Futura 2000 team up to record the "Escapades Of Futura 2000". As an visual artist Futura is unparalleled, but it turns out he is a pretty good rapper as well. Name checking his friends, old haunts and scenes the rap enfolds. Mick Jones takes care of beats and bass guitar. It's a record of its time that still sounds fresh today. A record that could probably only have come out on the unique set of people, circumstances and timing that surrounded Celluloid Records. © Celluloid Records 2013.
Celluloid Records Paris, France, European Union New York City, New York, United States http://www.celluloidrecords.net/ Strut kicks off its 2013 release schedule with the first definitive overview of one of the most revered, open-minded and influential labels of the 1980s, Celluloid Records, on February 19th.
Futura 2000 - "The Escapades Of Futura 2000 (feat. The Clash)" and Fab 5 Freddy - "Change The Beat (Male Version)" taken from 'Change The Beat - Celluloid Records Story 1980 – 1987'. Released by: Strut Records Catalogue number: STRUT102CD Release date: 19/2/2013 Tracklisting: CD 1 1. Shockabilly – Day Tripper 2. Massacre – Killing Time 3. Ferdinand – Télé, après La Météo 4. Mathématiques Modernes - Disco Rough (Long version) 5. Thomas Leer & Robert Rental – Day Breaks, Night Heals 6. Snakefinger – Living in Vain 7. Winston Edwards & Blackbeard – Downing Street Rock 8. Lightnin’ Rod – Sport 9. Futura 2000 (feat. The Clash) – The Escapades Of Futura 2000 10. Timezone – Wildstyle (12" Vocal) 11. Deadline – Makossa Rock 12. Bobongo Stars – Koteja 13. Toure Kunda – Amadou Tilo CD 2 1. Nini Raviolette – Suis-Je Normale 2. Richard Hell & The Voidoids – Destiny Street 3. Sapho – Carmel (12“ mix) 4. Ginger Baker – Dust To Dust 5. Last Exit – Big Boss Man 6. Mandingo – Harima 7. Manu Dibango – Abele Dance (’85 remix) 8. Timezone – World Destruction (Original 12" mix) 9. Material, Michael Beinhorn, Bernard Fowler, Bill Laswell & Nile Rodgers – I’m The One (Dance version) 10. Grandmixer DST – Home Of Hip Hop 11. B Side with Bernard Fowler – Odeon (Dance mix) 12. Fab 5 Freddy – Change The Beat (Male version) 13. The Last Poets – Mean Machine Chant / Mean Machine Digital Only: Jimi Hendrix, Buddy Miles & Lightnin’ Rod – Doriella Du Fontaine (Single Edit) Grandmixer DST – Crazy Cuts Shango – Shango Message Modern Guy – Electrique Sylvie (Full length version) B Side – So Hot (feat. Tony Allen) Touching on everything from breakdance classics and early hip-hop singles to experimental disco and no wave, and even some classic soul and funk and world music fusions, Celluloid's output is an unparalleled representation of the no-rules musical landscape of the early 80s, in New York City and beyond. CHANGE THE BEAT: THE CELLULOID RECORDS STORY 1980 – 1987 will be released February 19th on Strut. Celluloid Records was formed in Paris during the late ‘70s by Jean Georgakarakos (often referred to by the shorter name Jean Karakos), who had spent the previous decade co-running French record shops and the spiritual jazz label BYG. The label gathered steam following Karakos’ fateful trips to New York in the early ‘80s. It was there that he met Bill Laswell, who had himself landed fresh in the Big Apple from Michigan, Karakos began releasing the full spectrum of Laswell’s early work, from the avant-rock cacophony of Massacre to his fluid, dance / post-punk production outfit, Material. Karakos also became involved in the nascent hip-hop scene In New York, releasing Time Zone’s breakdance classic “Wildstyle,” featuring Afrika Bambaataa and French MC B Side. In 1983, both he and Laswell worked with Herbie Hancock on his electro smash, “Rockit.” From the resultant publishing income, Karakos and Laswell continued to explore early hip-hop culture and a slew of classics followed: successful 12’s by Hancock’s scratch DJ, Grandmixer D.ST, Fab 5 Freddy’s groundbreaking French / English slo-mo rap “Change The Beat” and graf artist Futura 2000 on the cult single “Escapades Of Futura 2000” backed by The Clash. Time Zone would also re-surface with Bambaataa and collaborator John Lydon (PiL / Sex Pistols) with the apocalyptic chart smash “World Destruction.” By 1986, Laswell's work for Celluloid became increasingly sparse as he was pulled onto major projects for Yoko Ono, Mick Jagger, PiL and more. The label, meanwhile, continued its eclectic path with recordings by jazz legend Eric Dolphy, John McLaughlin and the Welcome To Dreamland compilation of out-there Japanese pop overseen by regular Laswell cohort, Fred Frith. African music also continued to feature heavily in the label’s later output through world pop stars like Kassav and Toure Kunda. Change The Beat is released in conjunction with Jean Karakos and Celluloid Records. Formats include 2CD, 2LP and digital. All physical formats feature rare photos from the Celluloid Records archive and extended interviews with label owner Jean Karakos, Bill Laswell, Afrika Bambaataa, John Lydon, Rusty Egan (Time Zone) and more. The digital version of the album features five extra tracks not featured on the physical formats.