- There's a colourful backstory to this release, which was originally recorded in Gary, Indiana between 1989 and 1991 on Ellis De Havilland's church's reel-to-reel tape recorder. Having lived a life fraught by personal trauma, and dissuaded from performing live or releasing records, De Havilland died of a drug overdose aged 23. This collection of recordings was discovered on the original tapes nearly 20 years after his death, and issued by Bunker Records.
Born Out Of Cheapness And Frustration Part 1 is a collection of sweaty, impulsive acid jams, full of the funk and grit that can give dance music so much of its soul. Built on squelchy acid and a dusty snare pattern, "Back To Business" moves patiently, yet its urgency as the track's density increases gives it a sense of frustration at the limitations of the gear to hand. Tracks open and fade seemingly arbitrarily; you suspect they could be infinitely looped and their impact barely lessened.
Although this music was never committed to record, let alone played out, the breakdown of "Fun Stuff" has all the euphoria of a peak-time club track. "Hussy" is a frenetic drum-machine jam, all skipping snares and roughed-up kicks that give way to a pulsating synth line, while on "Cheap Jam" De Havilland thickly layers synths and drums, wringing every last drop of funk from his rudimentary gear. Track titles—"Fun Stuff," "Dirty Mind"—hint at irreverence, but for all their live sound, they're meticulously layered and composed. They may be over 20 years old, but even now they sound fresh and vital.
TracklistA1 Dirty Mind (Edit 1)
A2 Cheap And Direct
A3 Back To Business
B1 Hussy
B2 Cheap Jam
B3 Fun Stuff