In 1978, having received a substantial royalty payment for his work with The Yardbirds, Georgian music entrepreneur Giorgio Gomelsky relocated to New York in an attempt to open up the American market to the European progressive rock/jazz-rock bands he was working with, such as Gong, Henry Cow and Magma. He established the Zu Club in Manhattan and after meeting 24 year old bass player Bill Laswell, encouraged him to form a band. Three young friends, Michael Beinhorn (17, synthesizer), Martin Bisi (17, engineering) and Fred Maher (14, drums), responded to Laswell's advert in The Village Voice and the band began rehearsing in the club's basement.
The band became known as the "Zu Band" until Gomelsky hooked them up with former Gong front-man Daevid Allen for a performance at his Zu Manifestival at the Zu Club on October 8, 1978, for which they became New York Gong. Guitarist Cliff Cultreri, who was replaced by guitarist Michael Lawrence for the Manifestival, and second drummer Bill Bacon joined them for a Spring 1979 tour of the USA in an old school bus playing most of Gong's "Radio Gnome Invisible" trilogy. In autumn, they recorded the album About Time. Allen and the band amicably parted company when they "discovered they couldn't stand the European way of life" during a tour of France.
The band then took the name Material, from the Laswell/Cultreri composed instrumental "Materialism" on the About Time album. Their debut recording was 1979's instrumental post-punk industrial funk Temporary Music 1 EP for Gomelsky's Zu Records. The band then signed to Celluloid Records, and the single "Discourse" was issued in 1980.
They were reduced back to the trio of Beinhorn, Laswell and Maher for the 1981 EP Temporary Music 2. Their first full album, Memory Serves, which featured strong jazz leanings, had contributions from guitarists Sonny Sharrock and Henry Cow's Fred Frith, cornetist Olu Dara, saxophonist Henry Threadgill and violinist Billy Bang.
They started working with singers and their music became more melodic and funkier. Their next single "Ciquiri" (included on their American Songs EP) which featured guitarist Robert Quine, became popular in New York City dance clubs. The 1981 "Bustin' Out" single was released as an extended club mix, and they were fronted by singer Nona Hendryx with support from guitarist Ronnie Drayton. This line-up also recorded "It's a Holiday" for a split single with Cristina.
By 1982's One Down, drummer Maher had left the band, and they embraced a multitude of singers including Hendryx, B.J. Nelson, Bernard Fowler and Whitney Houston in one of her first lead singer recordings. Houston's vocal was on a cover version of Hugh Hopper's Memories, which also featured a lead break by saxophonist Archie Shepp. Critic Robert Christgau of the The Village Voice called her contribution "one of the most gorgeous ballads you've ever heard". As an indication of the direction the band headed for, Chic's guitarist Nile Rodgers was involved alongside Frith and Drayton, but perhaps more significantly, was one of the first appearances of longtime Laswell collaborator Nicky Skopelitis.
Bill Laswell and Michael Beinhorn settled into a duo and began working with other musicians, producing, writing and performing. They worked initially in the electro genre, but quickly moved into the fields of hip-hop and rap, collaborating with turntablist D.St (AKA Grandmixer D.S.T.) graffiti artists PHASE 2 and Fab Five Freddy.
A chance meeting between Laswell and Herbie Hancock at Elektra Records, in which the latter expressed interest in making music in the vein of Malcolm McLaren's "Buffalo Gals" lead to a collaboration that brought forth the Future Shock album and the hit single "Rockit". They would collaborate with Hancock on two further albums released under his name, 1984's Sound-System and 1988's Perfect Machine. Hancock himself would go on to contribute to many of Material and Laswell's projects.
In 1984, under the name Timezone, they released the single "World Destruction" which featured disc jockey Afrika Bambaataa and John Lydon (former singer of the Sex Pistols).
In 1985 Laswell and Beinhorn parted company. Beinhorn went into record production for the likes of the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Marilyn Manson. Laswell retained the Material name and was calling upon a large group of musicians with, at its core, guitarist Nicky Skopelitis, keyboardist Jeff Bova, percussionist Aiyb Dieng, former Parliament-Funkadelic keyboardist Bernie Worrell and bassist Bootsy Collins, plus Jamaican reggae duo Sly Dunbar and Robbie Shakespeare (Sly & Robbie).
By 1989, Laswell had ceased using the Material name as an umbrella for his own activities and began to use it as a front for specific projects. The first of these projects was the album Seven Souls, featuring William S. Burroughs reading portions of his novel The Western Lands. In 1998, the album was subject to a series of re-mixes by Laswell, Talvin Singh, Spring Heel Jack, DJ Olive and released as The Road to the Western Lands.
The Third Power was released in 1991, with duo Sly & Robbie and Bootsy Collins being Laswell's main collaborators. Vocal performances were given by the Jungle Brothers' Baby Bam and Mike G, The Last Poets' Jalaluddin Mansur Nuriddin, and Shabba Ranks. Other musicians included members of Funkadelic, Herbie Hancock, Henry Threadgill and Olu Dara.
1993's Hallucination Engine was a fusion of jazz, Indian and Middle Eastern influences. Noted jazz players included Wayne Shorter, Jonas Hellborg, and from John McLaughlin's Shakti tabla player Zakir Hussain, violinist Lakshmi Shankar and Vikku Vinayakram (on ghatam). Palestinian violinist Simon Shaheen and Indian percussionist Trilok Gurtu also contributed.
The last studio release under the name Material was 1999's Intonarumori. Sub-titled "Rap is still an art", it featured contributions from Rammellzee, Kool Keith, Flavor Flav and Killah Priest.
Laswell has on occasion used the name for live performances, the last being at the Bonnaroo Music Festival on June 13, 2004 with, among others, his wife Gigi, drummer Bryan "Brain" Mantia and guitarist Buckethead (both from Laswell's other project, Praxis). In late 2010, Laswell's new label, M.O.D. Technologies releases 'Mesgana Ethiopia', a live album credited to Gigi w/ Material.
Im The One
Material Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Give me the pain
Feeling like a sinner
When you are the Saint
Take me by the hand
Take me by the leg
Digging in the sand
See it on my Face
I'm young
Do you want me
I'm young
Prey on me
Take you on a walk
Take you to my grave
Digging in the dirt
See it on my face
Take me by the hand
Take me by the leg
Digging in the sand
See it on my face
The song "I'm The One" by Material featuring Nile Rodgers is a song that explores the frustration and tension that can arise in relationships. The lyrics are directed towards someone who is constantly criticizing and berating the singer, making them feel like they can't do anything right. The chorus, "I'm sorry, but screw you," is a defiant statement of self-acceptance and refusal to bow to someone else's expectations.
The verses describe the specific ways in which the singer feels wronged by this person - they are always yelling and treating them like a criminal, and won't even let them be alone without some kind of attack. The singer tries to gain their trust, but starts to feel like it's futile, and turns to self-pleasure to cope with the loneliness. The bridge addresses apologies that the singer feels like they're constantly making - to their parents, boss, and girlfriend - but ultimately ends up rejecting the idea of constantly trying to please others and conform to their expectations.
Overall, the song is a powerful anthem of self-assertion and defiance against those who try to control and belittle others. It speaks to the universal experience of feeling like you can never measure up, and the need to break free from that mindset and embrace your own unique identity.
Line by Line Meaning
There's times I'm wrong and there's times
I make mistakes sometimes and I am aware of it
I'm right but there's no need to start a fight
Sometimes I'm right, but it's not worth fighting over it
You're always telling me this and that
You constantly give me unsolicited advice
But I think it's just a bunch of crap (crap)
I think what you're saying is nonsense
Yelling at me all the time and
You shout at me constantly
Treating me like I committed a crime
You're treating me as if I did something wrong
Just leave me alone and let me be
Just give me some space and let me do my thing
And I won't chop down your cherry tree
I won't do anything to harm you
I'm sorry for the things that I do
I apologize for my actions
I'm sorry, I'll be me and you be you
I'm sorry, but I can only be myself and you can only be yourself
I'm sorry, I can't be like you
I'm sorry, but I can't be the person you want me to be
I'm sorry, but screw you
I'm sorry, but I don't care about your opinion anymore
You're always there getting in my face
You're always in my personal space
Yet you say I'm the one who's out of place
Despite being in my space, you say I'm the one who doesn't belong
Get out of my head, get out of my mind
Stop bothering me and invading my thoughts
You're constantly stepping out of line
You keep crossing boundaries
I try try try to gain your trust
I made attempts to earn your trust
But I just feel like all is lost
But I feel like I failed to gain your trust
I failed to take you on a date
I didn't live up to your expectations of taking you on a date
Now I'm stuck here at home to masturbate
Now I'm alone and resorting to self-gratification
I'm sorry mom, I'm sorry dad
I apologize to my parents
I always seem to make you mad
I always seem to upset you
I'm sorry to my boss at work
I apologize to my boss
It's not my fault you're a jerk
It's not my fault that you're unpleasant
I'm sorry to my girlfriend too I tried
I apologize to my girlfriend for trying and possibly failing
To do everything for you
To go above and beyond for you
I'm sorry to all of you, I'm sorry, but screw you
I apologize to all of you, but at the same time, I don't care about your opinions anymore
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Tyler Coleman Jundt, Meghan Paige Dowlen, Robert Hansen Rapp, John Vincent Jr. Restivo, Benjamin Cole Presley
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@TheGroove
Now, this is what Funk sounds like with a solid rhythm....Great Post !
@autogatto70
I listened to this song in many top clubs in Italy in 1983 great funk
@cdysthe
This blew my socks (and more) off in clubs in Oslo, Norway in 1983. whoa!
@isabelledepireux5967
Très bon souvenir!
@NathaliedeLorraine
L'excellent son Nile Rodgers 👌👌👌
@nathaliej2749
Fenomenal ! Kind of.
@jppareballes
pffff CELLE LA ETAIT PRESQUE CONFIDENTIELLE EN 83 !!!!! ca fait paisir de le retrouver ,j'ai encore en tête la pochette avec la silhouette mise en forme par un neon .
@EnnioRome
Super FunkyDisco,great John Luong RMX!!!!
@francoisfunk3721
;-)) !!!
@martinhoutenbrink9574
Echt zo fijn , classic