# Arto Lindsay

Arthur Morgan "Arto" Lindsay (born May 28, 1953) is an American guitarist, singer, record producer and experimental composer. He was a member of the pioneering 1970s no wave group DNA, which featured on the 1978 compilation No New York. In the 1980s, he formed the group Ambitious Lovers. He also performed with the Golden Palominos and the Lounge Lizards.
He has a distinctive soft voice and an often noisy, self-taught guitar style consisting almost entirely of unconventional extended techniques, described by Brian Olewnick as "studiedly naïve ... sounding like the bastard child of Derek Bailey".

## Music

Although Lindsay was born in the United States, he grew up in Brazil. In the late 1970s, he helped form the no wave band DNA with Ikue Mori and Robin Crutchfield, although Tim Wright of Pere Ubu soon replaced Crutchfield. In 1978, DNA was featured on the four-band sampler No New York (produced by Brian Eno). In the early 1980s, Lindsay performed on early albums by The Lounge Lizards and The Golden Palominos. "He's never lost his interest in weirdness," Robert Christgau wrote, "even ran the Kitchen for a year, and in the eighties his unschooled guitar was in demand all over downtown as he radiated out from the overlapping John Lurie, Anton Fier, John Zorn, and Kip Hanrahan circles to enterprising jazz and funk guys as well as Cuban drummers..."
After the Lounge Lizards, Lindsay and keyboardist Peter Scherer formed the Ambitious Lovers, influenced by pop, samba, and bossa nova. In an interview with Bomb magazine, Linsday said, "the whole idea was Al Green and samba. That against this; this against that; not a blend, a juxtaposition, loud/soft. There's no particular point in putting these things together. The point is what comes out in the end." The band's albums included Envy, Greed, and Lust.

## Producer

Lindsay began his experience as producer in 1981 working with Italian No wave band Hi-Fi Bros. He has produced recordings by Brazilian musicians Caetano Veloso, Tom Zé, Vinicius Cantuária, Gal Costa, Carlinhos Brown, Marisa Monte, Adriana Calcanhotto, Orquestra Contemporânea de Olinda and Lucas Santtana. He also co-produced the first album of Anarchist Republic of Bzzz, and CHASM by Ryuichi Sakamoto.

## Collaborations

Lindsay lent his talents to the 1993 opera Agamemnon and to Jun Miyake's Stolen From Strangers album (2008), providing vocals and guitar on the album's opener "Alviveride" as well as on "O Fim", "Turn Back" and "Outros Escuros". For Performa 09, the third edition of the Performa Biennial, Lindsay created Somewhere I Read collaborating with the choreographer Lily Baldwin. In 2013, Lindsay sang on "I Guess We're Floating" by Stephon Alexander and Rioux. The song was released on the album Here Comes Now in August 2014 by Connect Records.

## Exhibition

* netmage 2006 performs Ipanema Théories with Dominique Gonzalez Foerster and alone Garden of self regard

## Discography

More or less comprehensive, this discography integrates all recordings as a leader, band projects and contributions to albums by other musicians. Lindsay's own work can simply be singled out by sorting "Leading artist". Minor contributions may only be mentioned in the notes of an earlier album of the respective artist. The No New York compilation is added due to its significance. Later compilations of older material are listed with the recording year followed by the release date in brackets. Within a year the albums are sorted alphabetically by artist not by specified dates. (Leading artist sorts by first name.)
| Date | Leading artist or band | Album | Label | Notes |
| 1978 | DNA | No New York | Antilles | compilation by Brian Eno. A single produced by Robert Quine was released the same year: "You & You" (Medical, 1978) |
| 1978 [2003] | Arto/Neto and Pill Factory | N.Y No Wave - The Ultimate East Village 80's Soundtrack | ZE | compilation with single „Pini Pini“/„Malú“ with S. Neto (=Seth Tillet) and a track by Pill Factory for the film Grutzi Elvis by Diego Cortez |
| 1979 [1985] | The Lounge Lizards | Live 79-81 | ROIR | only on MC, LP/CD reissue in 1990. Liner notes by Jim Jarmusch |
| 1980 | Peter Gordon & Love of Life Orchestra | Extended Niceties | Infidelity | plays guitar on two of four tracks (besides David Byrne), 12" single |
| 1980−83 [2008] | Toy Killers | The Unlistenable Years | ugExplode | project by Mark E. Miller and Charles K. Noyes recorded at The Kitchen, the OAO Studio and elsewhere |
| 1981 | DNA | A Taste of DNA | American Clave | |
| 1981 | The Lounge Lizards | The Lounge Lizards | Editions EG | |
| 1981 | Kip Hanrahan | Coup de tête | American Clave | |
| 1982 [1993] | DNA | Last Live at CBGB's | Avant | recorded June 25, 1982, at CBGB's |
| 1983 | The Golden Palominos | The Golden Palominos | Celluloid | Lindsay is also guest on "I.D. (Like a Version)", B-side of single "Omaha", and Visions of Excess both Celluloid, 1985 |
| 1983 | Kip Hanrahan | Desire Develops an Edge | American Clave | |
| 1983 | John Zorn | Locus Solus | Rift | reissued on Eva (Jp) in 1991 and on Tzadik in 1997 |
| 1984 | Ambitious Lovers | Envy | Editions EG | credited as "Arto Lindsay Ambitious Lovers", co-produced by M. E. Miller and Peter Scherer |
| 1984 | David Moss | Full House | Moers Music | |
| 1984 | Arto Lindsay, John Zorn, Wayne Horvitz and M. E. Miller | That's the Way I Feel Now - A Tribute to Thelonious Monk | A&M | compilation with "Shuffle Boil" |
| 1985 | Kip Hanrahan | Vertical's Currency | American Clave | |
| 1985 | John Lurie | Music from the Original Scores: Stranger Than Paradise and the Resurrection of Albert Ayler | Crammed Discs, Made to Measure | only on "The Resurrection of Albert Ayler" |
| 1985 | David Moss | Dense Band | Moers Music | |
| 1985 | Ryuichi Sakamoto | Esperanto | MIDI Inc. | Lindsay plays guitar, also on "Parolibre" of following Futurista (MIDI Inc., 1986) |
| 1986 | Arto Lindsay | Godard, ça vous chante? | Nato (F) | compilation with two quartet pieces featuring Lucy Hamilton, Clint Ruin and Roli Mosimann (also includes Zorn's "Godard" w/o Lindsay) |
| 1986 | John Zorn | The Big Gundown | Nonesuch | subtitle John Zorn Plays the Music of Ennio Morricone |
| 1986 [1990] | John Zorn | Filmworks 1986–1990 | Eva (Jp) | Lindsay on first four tracks for White and Lazy. Also on two tracks from 1990 released on Filmworks III: 1990–1995 |
| 1987 | John Lurie | Down by Law | Crammed Discs, Made to Measure | Soundtrack to the Jim Jarmush film, featuring Lurie beside Tom Waits and Roberto Benigni as lead actors |
| 1987 | John Zorn | Cobra | Hat Hut | only studio recording |
| 1988 | Ambitious Lovers | Greed | Virgin | |
| 1988 | Heiner Goebbels/Heiner Müller | Der Mann im Fahrstuhl/The Man in the Elevator | ECM | |
| 1989 | Laurie Anderson | Strange Angels | Warner Bros. | produced in part by Lindsay and Scherer. Lindsay also sings on the title track of her following album Bright Red (1994) |
| 1989 | Bill Frisell | Before We Were Born | Elektra/Musician | |
| 1989 | Allen Ginsberg | The Lion for Real | Antilles/Island | Hal Wilner project |
| 1989 | Seigen Ono | Comme des Garçons, Volume One | Venture | Lindsay also is guest musician and producer on The Green Chinese Table (1988) and Comme des Garçons, Volume Two (1989) |
| 1989 | Ryuichi Sakamoto | Beauty | Virgin | Lindsay also sings on "Psychedelic Afternoon" of his following album Sweet Revenge (1994) and plays guitar on "Bibounoaozora" of the next, Smoochy (Güt/For Life, 1996) |
| 1989 | Caetano Veloso | Estrangeiro | Elektra/Musician | produced by Lindsay and Peter Scherer |
| 1989 | John Zorn | Cynical Hysterie Hour | CBS/Sony (Jp) | on "Bubblin' Singin'"; rereleased on Tzadik in 1997 as Filmworks VII: Cynical Hysterie Hour |
| 1990 | Ambitious Lovers as Peter Scherer & Arto Lindsay | Pretty Ugly | Crammed Discs, Made to Measure | music for a ballett choreographed by Amanda Miller |
| 1990 | Marisa Monte | Mais | EMI | produced album |
| 1990 | Marc Ribot | Rootless Cosmopolitans | Island | |
| 1990 | They Might Be Giants | Flood | Elektra | Lindsay on one track |
| 1991 | Ambitious Lovers | Lust | Elektra | |
| 1991 | Marisa Monte | Mais | EMI/World Pacific | produced by Lindsay, debut album by Monte, features Ribot, Zorn a.o. |
| 1991 | Caetano Veloso | Circuladô | Elektra/Nonesuch | produced by Lindsay |
| 1992 | Davis Moss | Dense Band | Moers Music | |
| 1992 | Tom Zé | The Hips of Tradition - The Return of Tom Zé | Luaka Bop/Warner Bros. | co-produced; translated his songs for 1990 Luaka Bop compilation Brazil Classics 4: Tom Zé |
| 1993 | Arnaldo Antunes | Nome | RCA | |
| 1993 | Gal Costa | O Sorriso do Gato de Alice | RCA | produced by Lindsay |
| 1994 | David Byrne | David Byrne | Luaka Bop/Warner Bros. | |
| 1994 | Marisa Monte | Verde, Anil, Amarelo, Cor de Rosa e Carvão | EMI | produced album |
| 1995 | Arto Lindsay Trio | Aggregates 1–26 | Knitting Factory | trio with Melvin Gibbs and Dougie Bowne |
| 1995 | Arto Lindsay | O Corpo Sutil (The Subtle Body) | Güt/For Life (Jp), Bar/None | first solo album after the Ambitious Lovers, features prominently Bill Frisell |
| 1996 | Carlinhos Brown | Alfagamabetizado | EMI/Delabel | produced in part by Lindsay (other half by Wally Badarou) |
| 1996 | Vinicius Cantuaria | Sol na Cara | Gramavision | produced by Lindsay |
| 1996 | Arto Lindsay | Mundo Civilizado | Güt/For Life (Jp), Bar/None | co-produced by Andres Levin, Camus Celli. Illbient remixes on Hyper Civilizado (Gütbounce/Gramavision) |
| 1994 | Marisa Monte | Barulhinho Bom | EMI | co-produced with Carlinhos Brown and Monte |
| 1997 | Arto Lindsay | Noon Chill | Güt/For Life (Jp), Bar/None | co-produced by Andres Levin, Melvin Gibbs, Pat Dillett and 7 Cycle. Rykodisc issued a limited edition in 1998 adding the EP Reentry, first released in Japan on Güt |
| 1998 | Vinicius Cantuaria | Tucumã | Verve | Lindsay co-wrote "Maravilhar" and "Sanfona", and plays guitar on "Vivo Isolado do Mundo" |
| 1998 | Seigen Ono | Comme des Garçons + Remix Arto Lindsay | Epic/Sony | re-release with added remixes |
| 1999 | Arto Lindsay | Prize | Righteous Babe | co-produced by Andres Levin and Melvin Gibbs |
| 1999 | Piccola Orchestra Avion Travel | Cirano | Sugar | producer |
| 2000 | Arto Lindsay | Ecomixes | Avex Trax | compilation of remixes and four live tracks |
| 2000 | Marisa Monte | Memórias, Crônicas, e Declarações de Amor | EMI/Phonomotor | co-produced with Monte |
| 2002 | Arto Lindsay | Invoke | Righteous Babe | co-produced by Andres Levin and Melvin Gibbs, two tracks by Kassin and Berna Ceppas |
| 2002 | Jun Miyake | Innocent Bossa in the Mirror | Nektar/Tropical Music | co-produced and sings |
| 2004 | Arto Lindsay | Salt | Righteous Babe | co-produced by Melvin Gibbs, Kassin and Berna Ceppas |
| 2008 | Adriana Calcanhotto | Mare | Sony/BMG | co-producer, plays drums and guitar on two tracks |
| 2008 | Jun Miyake | Stolen from Strangers | Videoarts Music | |
| 2009 | Anarchist Republic of Bzzz | Anarchist Republic of Bzzz | Sub Rosa | co-producer with head Seb El Zin, and plays guitar |
| 2013 | Arto Lindsay, Paal Nilssen-Love | Scarcity | PNL | 12"/CD |
| 2014 | Arto Lindsay | Encyclopedia of Arto | Northern Spy | compilation with a second CD comprising solo live recordings |
| 2016 | Anarchist Republic of Bzzz | United Diktaturs of Europe | Bzzz | plays guitar |
| 2017 | Arto Lindsay | Cuidado Madame | Northern Spy/P-Vine (Jp) | again with Melvin Gibbs, features drummer Kassa Overall |
| 2019 | Arto Lindsay, Ken Vandermark, Joe McPhee, Phil Sudderberg | Largest Afternoon | Corbett vs. Dempsey | |
| 2022 | Arto Lindsay | Charivari | Corbett vs. Dempsey | solo recording |