Dark Day is the brainchild of Robin Crutchfield, a New York City based musician, performance artist, and writer. Robin’s musical path began in 1977 when he formed the no wave group DNA with Arto Lindsay and Ikue Mori. In 1979 Crutchfield left DNA to pursue his more synthesizer-based solo project. He released the ‘Hands In The Dark’ 7” followed by two albums, ‘Exterminating Angel’ in 1980 and ‘Window’ in 1982. In 1984 he re-launched Dark Day as an acoustic chamber ensemble performing ethereal soundscapes and self-released two cassette albums “Obsession” and “Beyond The Pale”. ‘Darkest Before Dawn' is a collection of 13 songs recorded between 1985-86, released on CD in 1989 that have never been pressed to vinyl before. The album is a lost medieval collection of pagan tunes for private ceremonies. Played on echoey pipe organ backed by saw-like rhythmic cello lines and melodic woodwind recorder, driven by the beats of rattles, bells, and drums. These simple, cyclical layered instrumental rounds owe much to the inspiration of Moondog as well as the efforts of the Penguin Cafe Orchestra and Dead Can Dance. The original press release stated, “Serious gothic organ works which cross Captain Nemo's Nautilus pipe organ with the standing stones of Stonehenge and reminisce Babylonian battle hymns and Egyptian burial ceremonies.” All songs have been remastered for vinyl by George Horn at Fantasy Studios in Berkeley. The vinyl comes housed in jacket featuring illustrations from Thomas Bewick’s ‘Vignettes’ and includes a double sided insert with photos and...
LP $17.75
11/22/2019
***Dark Entries continues to work in reverse chronological order to re-issue DARK DAY’s debut single “Hands In the Dark.” Dark Day is the minimal electronics brainchild of ROBIN CRUTCHFIELD following his separation with no wave band DNA. For the first incarnation of Dark Day, Robin recruited NINA CANAL from The GYNECOLOGISTS and later UT on guitar and NANCY ARLEN from Mars on drums. They recorded two songs for a 7” single, released in 1979 on Charles Ball’s Lust/Unlust label. Off-kilter jerk-like guitar and energetic acrobatic tom-tom tumbling fuse with queasy lurching keyboards and “cold medicine” vocals. This single stepped away from no wave towards what was going on in the UK with The Normal, Robert Rental and Throbbing Gristle. After this single Dark Day would regroup with Robin on synthesizers and vocals, PHIL KLINE on guitar, BARRY FRIAR on drums and guest STEVEN BROWN of TUXEDOMOON on saxophone to record the Exterminating Angel album. In 1981, the song “Trapped” was released as a 12” EP backed with “The Exterminations (1 Thru 6).” For these six instrumental tracks, Robin went back into the studio with the master tapes, flipped them over and played them backwards. Altering track assignments, speed and reverb effects, he rode the faders in and out, creating short “exterminations” of the original songs. The result is Crutchfield’s favorite Dark Day release. All songs have been remastered from the original reel to reel tapes for vinyl by GEORGE HORN at Fantasy Studios in Berkeley. The vinyl comes housed in...
12" $13.00
08/27/2013
***BACK IN PRINT!!! DARK DAY was the brainchild of ROBIN CRUTCHFIELD formed after leaving New York’s seminal No Wave band, DNA. Following the first few incarnations and various lineups, 1981 saw the direction of the project morphed into an electronic keyboard duo where Robin was joined by BILL SACK. Together they recorded an album of nine songs entitled Window that was released on Plexus Records. Lyrics were inspired by various sources including occult texts by Colin Wilson and art by Leger, Bruegel, Malevich, Man Ray, Duchamp and Jean Cocteau. The mechanized sound of Window is less one of the man machine robots in charge of Kraftwerk than man at the mercy of his machines. The infectiously-engaging toy-like instruments captured the ears of fans worldwide with popcorn drum rhythms. A Synare borrowed from Jeff and Jane Hudson lent a “Bette Davis Eyes” crack to the percussion on the percolating tracks. The instant polaroid images, an homage to Japanese recording artist Susan of “The Girl Can’t Help It,” adorned the album sleeve in two stark headshots of musicians at work, haunted by the unseen. The front cover, a Crutchfield-designed collage in two tones of salmon flesh and Mediterranean watery blue show a string of rickety children in diaper togs, forced much like the children of “Cat In The Hat” to spend a dreary day indoors. The look on the children’s faces asks you to determine whether they are needing to be rescued from their enclosure, or inviting you to join and play....
LP $17.50
05/15/2012
***Dark Entries is working in reverse order to reissue DARK DAY’s first album Exterminating Angel originally released in 1980 on Lust/Unlust. Dark Day is the minimal electronics brainchild of ROBIN CRUTCHFIELD following his separation with no wave band DNA. Growing up in rural Pennsylvania, Crutchfield was fascinated with both performance art and the most esoteric edges of pop music. After making his escape to New York City in the mid-seventies, he was inspired by Yoko Ono’s Plastic Ono Band and Lydia Lunch’s Teenage Jesus & The Jerks. He made the transition into the new music of downtown Manhattan and formed the “no wave” band DNA with Arto Lindsay and Ikue Mori in 1977. In 1979 Crutchfield left DNA to pursue a series of musical projects under the name Dark Day. His first album, Exterminating Angel is named after the Luis Bunuel film of the same name. On this album the band is Robin on synthesizers and vocals, PHIL KLINE on guitar/bass, BARRY FRIAR on drums and guest STEVEN BROWN of TUXEDOMOON on saxophone. All 13 songs on Exterminating Angel use cheap synthesizers to create cyclical, machine-like keyboard riffs as a foundation for the moody, Teutonic music. Crutchfield sings like a lost member of Kraftwerk with a dry detachment creating a starker and chillier atmosphere. Lyrics were derived from cut-up methods similar to those used by the surrealists, fluxus artists, and William Burroughs and Bryon Gysin and pit the subjected against their torments and tormentors. All songs on Exterminating Angel were...
LP $17.50
05/15/2012