Seminal. Legendary. Words used too often to describe musicians who are, frankly, neither. But occasionally you come across a figure to whom both words are applicable. Someone who, in their own quiet way has helped define and influence the musical landscape as we know it. Even rarer that they turn out to be such good company, so boyishly enthusiastic, sincere and spirited. Sal Principato of dance/funk/punk pioneers ‘Liquid Liquid’ is one such man. Put quite simply they were one of the most influential groups of the post punk, minimalist funk scene that grew out of the New York clubs in the late 1970’s. Obscure to the wider public, it’s ironic when you realise that he and his bandmates are responsible for one of the most popular hooks in modern music in that their biggest hit ‘Cavern’ was the basis for Grandmaster Melle Mel’s ‘White Lines’. Labelmates of ESG on the now defunct but zeitgeist defining 99 Records, they released 3 EP’s in the early eighties and then pretty much disbanded for thirty years.
You’ve been out of the loop for some considerable time and you and the other guys in the band have separate careers. What propelled you to get back into performing as a band? I know you did the big Barbican show?
Well it was even before that. I mean we hadn’t played from like ’84 to ’03. And even though on various levels most of us had kept up with music and various projects and we’d played with each other in various configurations, sometime just before we played that gig in ’03 we got together at Scotty the drummers house. He lived in the country in New Jersey and it just seemed like the time, like, we were all just talking, let’s go over the material and see where we’re at with it. So we got together out there, no expectations, we hadn’t played these songs in like 17 or 18 years! It was laughable how intact and powerful it was and for me, as I’ve kinda kept up with musical projects the whole time, nothin I’ve ever done comes close. Maybe at the pinnacle of some special night where everyone touched upon that energy but really it was so much more, deeper and more powerful and more fun than anything else I did. So we were saying that the next time someone offers us a gig we’re gonna do it. We’re very precious I have to admit, so we’re going to do just one to show the gigs how its done! (laughs). So we did this one gig at a factory in New York, in March of ’03 and we had no idea what to expect. It was awesome. Keith & Johnny (Optimo DJ’s) flew in
The DFA guys came out to see it and it was like, amazing, so we did a another gig then a tour. We played Detroit Electronic Music Festival, then we came to Optimo (legendary Sunday night club night at Glasgow’s Sub Club) London, Paris, the Montreux jazz festival, came home and then we came back and did Berlin and then we said ‘ok that’s it, no more’. And then we did the re-issue with Domino and they were so nice about it and kept asking us ‘do you guys wanna play?’ and personally I’m dying to play but always thinking what’s best for the project
I’ve heard that Domino treat the artists on their roster very well but of course you started out on the infamous 99 Records (now folded) and then Mo’ Wax/Grand Royal put out your stuff for a while…
Yeah, we folded like, a lot of labels, more than anybody (big laughs) I think we have the record for folding labels!
So, Domino were treating you well and they offered you a gig?
So when they offered us a gig we were like, ah sure, it was a really nice offer. But what we did with that show, I don’t know, we felt an elevation in our rapport with the audience. I thought it was and alright gig…Twitch & Johnny played in the foyer afterwards and we saw some real heavyweights out there in the audience and I was like ‘Shit man, we made an impact tonight’. It was kind of a sit down show, a little bit exclusive and we didn’t know how we’d come off. So since we’ve played periodically when someone has offered us a special thing and we’ve thought we could deliver something.
Even though you’ve been involved in other music projects, were you aware of the impact that Liquid Liquid were making on the current music community? You’re work seems especially pertinent now and you hear a lot of young bands name checking you guys. It all seems so obvious in retrospect…
As a scholar, ok, maybe not a scholar (laughs)…I’m someone who has been observing cultural developments for a very long time so I kinda understand it in a way, on a personal level, nah I don’t understand it, I’m like ‘why’?
I suppose it cyclical, like everything else…
Yeah, but cyclical in what way? I would explain it like, firstly there’s the raw, from the heart authenticity, that’s one thing. One thing I have to say is people give us really nice props sometimes but let me say something else, when it comes to Liquid Liquid, I have to be straight up, most people don’t know who the hell Liquid Liquid is! People who know New Order and other bands from the Eighties might not know who Liquid Liquid is and I’ll be in New York, even in this day and age and I’ll be at a dinner party, like 12 people there, all ages, all sizes and they’ll be like “so, what do you do?” and I’m like “I play in a band” and they’re like “What is your band?” and I say “Liquid Liquid”. So there’s 12 people right, ten people will be like “oh, that’s nice” and two people will be like “oh my gawd!” and are like polishing my shoes, like totally going off (laughing) so that’s how it is. We’re well regarded but I don’t know about the masses. In certain circles yeah…
I so know what you mean, I told colleagues about today’s event and when they asked what the highlight was likely to be, I was like ‘Liquid Liquid’ all the way…90% of people didn’t have a clue, the others were like “ No way…they’re actually playing!” there’s been a genuine excitement over it. I think that goes way past the music and is almost an admiration of the DIY aesthetic itself.
Absolutely (nods head vigorously), well, you saw us tonight. We still retain that, right? You think so?
Absolutely. That comes across, especially to the younger people…it’s no big thing these days to cross guitar music with dance music; it’s a common currency. But when you guys were doing it, it really was uncharted territory…sampling etc was a very new thing. And of course you were coming from that punk scene and mashing the two together.
I have to say when we were doing it, yes, to a certain extent. But we weren’t working in a vacuum and we certainly weren’t doing it consciously. We considered ourselves a rock band. Even though we don’t have a guitar (laughs) most of our instrumentation is percussion and bass but we kinda thought we were a rock band and that’s where we thought our market was. The hip-hop, b boy, dance culture, I hate to say it but they kinda came to us. I mean we embraced it and we stepped up to it. Maybe our manager, Ed Bahlman from 99 Records may have thought more of it that way, or at least a little bit. But from our perspective we wanted to make groovy music, music to make you move, to make your body sing. But you know, dance music was disco then. And you know, I love disco, I spin disco all the time but we didn’t want to be a disco act, we felt a million miles away from that.
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