Browse by Label: SLEEPING BAG

Artist:	RUSSELL, ARTHUR
Title:	The Sleeping Bag Sessions
Label:	SLEEPING BAG
Format:	CD
Price:	$13.50
Catalog #:	TEG 3319CD

"Whether it's hip hop, its face pointed reverentially to the old school, or house stealing disco riffs by the truck load, people are increasingly intrigued by back-in-the-day. And common to both the aforementioned scenes and much more is one person, Arthur Russell, a man some regard as the best songwriter of the 20th century. In 1981 Arthur set up Sleeping Bag Records with Will Socolov. The first release was the album 24-24 Music as Dinosaur L. If you're wondering about the name it would appear Arthur would often use the names of extinct or near-extinct animals. On one production credit he's Killer Whale, whilst the logo for Sleeping Bag is a Koala bear! Will remembers how they came up with the name for their label. 'We were joking about names, and James Brown was on with 'Papa's Got A Brand New Bag' and I was sleeping in a sleeping bag in my apartment and I kind of made a joke about that, and Arthur said that was a great idea for the name of the company!' The line up was pretty much the same as the Loose Joints sessions, (which boasted the Ingram Brothers rhythm section) and a similar stream-of-conscience approach was taken with the recording itself. Russell arranged the beats so there'd be a change every 24 bars (hence the title) and the band would have to improvise the songs over the top. He also made sure he went into the studio when there was a full moon! The album is again very experimental, and makes occasional uneasy listening but the same magic is very much in evidence. Arthur would continue to be involved in production and mixing duties for the label, but parted company with Socolov in 1985. Arthur sadly died of AIDS in 1992 leaving behind many songs; as one obituary put it, it was though he simply vanished into his music."

Artist:	DINOSAUR L
Title:	24-24 Music
Label:	SLEEPING BAG
Format:	2CD BOX
Price:	$20.00
Catalog #:	TEG 76534CD

"Though classically trained Arthur Russell's major contribution to the music world was in the dance genre. Despite the fact that his pioneering work in the late '70s and through the '80s was only quietly acknowledged at the time his long term impact on the genre is best described as formidable Russell's innovative; left field dance records were way ahead of what people were used to hearing at the time, in part due to his involvement New York's downtown avant-garde music scene. He scored several hits on the underground New York dance scene at clubs like the Paradise Garage (Larry Levan was a huge supporter). His biggest tunes, 'Go Bang!' and 'Is It All Over My Face?' were worldwide club hits and are still played today as classics. Sleeping Bag Records and Traffic Entertainment Group are proud to present his seminal work, 24-24 Music expanded to a deluxe double CD box set issue. In addition to the music found on the original issue of 24-24 Music this set includes rare 12" remixes and edits including the highly coveted 'Go Bang! (Walter Gibbons Mix) and the never before on CD 'You Can't Hold Me Down (Test Pressing Version)'. Both discs are housed inside beautiful full color sleeves that tuck into the extra durable box along with a 48 page booklet featuring unreleased photos by Janette Beckman and other Russell ephemera with words courtesy of Russell biographer Tim Lawrence. Sadly Arthur died in 1992, but his music lives on and his influence is still felt in the world of dance music and beyond. His tunes still sound great and are still moving many dancers around the world, so his spirit lives on."

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