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Title: Contortions
Review: James Chance's aesthetic conception was based on the contradiction between his ultra-alienated, self-absorbed, and almost disembodied persona, and the sensuality of funk. This contradiction is reflected in Buy's lyrics, and in the music, which combines a brittle dissonance with a brutal funk rhythm, perfectly intregrated, if its possible to express an integrated contradiction (or paradox). I believe that in its many different incarnations, the Contortions of 1980-81 (in live performances) were one of the best funk bands in musical history; unlike many better known acts, James (following James Brown's mid- and late-1960s bands) realized that funk is essential a stripped-down, unembelished and severe music, and he added a lot of humor and irony to keep it fun.
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