From Aquarius Records:
“Hailing from New York back in the early ’80s, they were one of the few American bands to sign to Factory Records (the most notable other band being ESG). Initially, Ike Yard really does sound like Factory should be their home, easily paralleling the death disco prowess of Public Image Limited or Section 25. Their dour monochrome post-punk enjoys a spectral production quality which haunted all of the Martin Hannett produced Factory recordings. But gradually the Factory overtones disappear in lieu of an claustrophobic electronic sound which reminds us a lot like early Cabaret Voltaire, or rather what we wished CV would sound like given that CV hasn’t really weathered all that well up very. Ike Yard though is another matter, as they seemed to really fight over whether to groove on a primal, sexual funk or to alienate their audience with their cold, electro-primitive detachment. Between the metallic synth arppegiations, drum machines struggling to work through the complex patterns, and the angular swatches of screeching guitar, there is Kenny Compton’s chilling, zombified vocal delivery that really pushes Ike Yard deeper into the realms of urban malaise.”
From Dusted Magazine:
“If Swans, Glen Branca, Sonic Youth, DNA, et al, are reliable aural representations of New York City during a moment in history, I can only imagine the Rotten Apple at said specific time being one of the more terrifying locales on the planet. And in hearing Ike Yard’s contribution to the horror, I can’t help wondering if anyone was happy downtown in ’81.
“Ike Yard is essentially the vehicle for post-punk experimentalist Stuart Argabright. Argarbright, though certainly not as well known as other downtown heavyweights of the day, was involved with numerous seminal players and projects that stood at the nexus of techno, post-punk and the avant-garde… On the other end of the dance music spectrum (where the German minimalists hang out) sits Ike Yard. While the group’s sound can be difficult, it is at the very least fascinating. “M. Kurtz” typifies the Ike Yard aesthetic: there are beats, albeit minimal ones, and there are most certainly grooves in the form of deep, pummeling, insistent bass lines. Finally, Argabright’s monotone ramblings and the sporadic squalls of electronic noise crest over top (“oh the horror” indeed). The end result sounds like the soundtrack to a considerably more twisted version of The Warriors – as if the Warriors were trying to find safe haven in a loft party somewhere on Avenue A rather than Coney Island, and one of the gangs chasing them dressed and twitched as if they stepped out of a Robert Longo painting.”
Ike Yard
Ike Yard
(Factory America, 1982)
MediaFire DL Link
01. M. Kurtz
02. Loss
03. NCR
04. Kino
05. Cherish 8
06. Half A God
