Jim O'Rourke (born January 18, 1969, Chicago, Illinois) is a Tokyo-based American musician, composer and record producer. He has released albums across varied genres, including singer-songwriter music,

post-rock Post-rock is a form of experimental rock characterized by a focus on exploring textures and timbre over traditional rock song structures, chords, or riffs. Post-rock artists are often instrumental, typically combining rock instrumentation with ...

, ambient, noise music, and tape experiments. He was associated with the Chicago

experimental An experiment is a procedure carried out to support or refute a hypothesis, or determine the efficacy or likelihood of something previously untried. Experiments provide insight into cause-and-effect by demonstrating what outcome occurs when ...

and improv scene when he relocated to

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

in 2000. He now resides in Japan. O’Rourke is best known for his numerous solo and collaborative music projects, many of which are entirely instrumental, and for his tenure as a member of

Sonic Youth Sonic Youth was an American rock band based in New York City, formed in 1981. Founding members Thurston Moore (guitar, vocals), Kim Gordon (bass, vocals, guitar) and Lee Ranaldo (guitar, vocals) remained together for the entire history of the b ...

from 1999 to 2005.

Biography

O'Rourke was born on January 18, 1969, in Chicago, Illinois, United States. He is an alumnus of

DePaul University DePaul University is a private university, private, Catholic higher education, Catholic research university in Chicago, Illinois. Founded by the Congregation of the Mission, Vincentians in 1898, the university takes its name from the 17th-centu ...

. O'Rourke has collaborated with

Thurston Moore Thurston Joseph Moore (born July 25, 1958) is an American musician best known as a member of Sonic Youth. He has also participated in many solo and group collaborations outside Sonic Youth, as well as running the Ecstatic Peace! record label. Moo ...

Lee Ranaldo Lee Mark Ranaldo (born February 3, 1956) is an American musician, singer-songwriter, guitarist, writer, visual artist and record producer, best known as a co-founder of the alternative rock band Sonic Youth (guitar and vocals). In 2004, ''Rolling ...

Kim Gordon Kim Althea Gordon (born April 28, 1953) is an American musician, singer and songwriter, best known as the bassist, guitarist, and vocalist of alternative rock band Sonic Youth. Born in Rochester, New York, she was raised in Los Angeles, Califor ...

Steve Shelley Steven Jay Shelley (born June 23, 1962) is an American drummer. He is best known as the longtime drummer of the alternative rock band Sonic Youth, for whom he played from 1985 until their 2011 disbandment. Biography Shelley was born in Midland, ...

, Derek Bailey,

Mats Gustafsson Mats Olof Gustafsson (born 29 October 1964) is a Swedish free jazz saxophone player. Career Gustafsson came to the attention of lovers of improvised music as part of a duo with Christian Munthe (started in 1986), as member of Gunter Chri ...

Mayo Thompson Mayo Thompson (born February 26, 1944 in Houston, Texas, United States) is an American musician and visual artist best known as the leader of the experimental rock band Red Krayola. Background His formal education includes Garden of Arts Kind ...

Brigitte Fontaine Brigitte Fontaine, (born 24 June 1939) is a singer of avant-garde music. She has employed numerous unusual musical styles, melding rock and roll, folk, jazz, electronica, spoken word poetry, and world. She has collaborated with Stereolab, Mich ...

Loren Mazzacane Connors Loren Mazzacane Connors (born October 22, 1949) is an American guitarist who has recorded and performed under several different names: Guitar Roberts, Loren Mazzacane, Loren Mattei, and currently Loren Connors. His music has touched on many genres ...

Merzbow is a Japanese noise project started in 1979 by , best known for a style of harsh, confrontational noise. Since 1980, Akita has released over 400 recordings and has collaborated with various artists. The name Merzbow comes from the German dada ...

, Nurse with Wound,

Phill Niblock Phill Niblock (born October 2, 1933 in Anderson, Indiana) is an American composer, filmmaker, videographer, and director of Experimental Intermedia,Alan Licht, ''Common Tones: Selected Interviews with Artists and Musicians 1995-2020'', Blank Forms ...

Fennesz Christian Fennesz (born 25 December 1962) is an Austrian producer and guitarist active in electronic music since the 1990s, often credited simply by his last name. His work utilizes guitar and laptop computers to blend melody with treated sample ...

Organum ''Organum'' () is, in general, a plainchant melody with at least one added voice to enhance the harmony, developed in the Middle Ages. Depending on the mode and form of the chant, a supporting bass line (or '' bourdon'') may be sung on the sam ...

, Phew, Henry Kaiser,

Flying Saucer Attack Flying Saucer Attack is an English space rock band formed in Bristol in 1992, led by songwriter David Pearce. Rachel Brook (now Rachel Coe) of Movietone was a member during the band's early incarnation; other musicians contributing to the gro ...

, and in 2006 mixed Joanna Newsom's album '' Ys''. In 2009, he also mixed several tracks on Newsom's follow up ''

Have One On Me ''Have One on Me'' is the third studio album by American singer-songwriter Joanna Newsom, released on February 23, 2010 via Drag City as the official follow-up to the harpist's highly acclaimed second studio release, 2006's '' Ys''. It is a tri ...

''. He has produced albums by artists such as

Wilco Wilco is an American alternative rock band based in Chicago, Illinois. The band was formed in 1994 by the remaining members of alternative country group Uncle Tupelo following singer Jay Farrar's departure. Wilco's lineup changed frequently d ...

Stereolab Stereolab are an Anglo- French avant-pop band formed in London in 1990. Led by the songwriting team of Tim Gane and Lætitia Sadier, the group's music combines influences from krautrock, lounge and 1960s pop music, often incorporating a repetit ...

, Superchunk, Kahimi Karie,

Quruli is a Japanese music group formed in 1996. As of March 2021, the lineup consists of Shigeru Kishida and Masashi Sato. Their music is produced and distributed by Victor Entertainment. Career After meeting at "Rock Commune," Ritsumeikan Universit ...

, John Fahey,

Smog Smog, or smoke fog, is a type of intense air pollution. The word "smog" was coined in the early 20th century, and is a portmanteau of the words ''smoke'' and '' fog'' to refer to smoky fog due to its opacity, and odor. The word was then inte ...

Faust Faust is the protagonist of a classic German legend based on the historical Johann Georg Faust ( 1480–1540). The erudite Faust is highly successful yet dissatisfied with his life, which leads him to make a pact with the Devil at a crossroads ...

Tony Conrad Anthony Schmalz Conrad (March 7, 1940 – April 9, 2016) was an American video artist, experimental filmmaker, musician, composer, sound artist, teacher, and writer. Active in a variety of media since the early 1960s, he was a pioneer of both ...

The Red Krayola The Red Krayola (originally Red Crayola) is an American avant rock band from Houston, Texas formed in 1966 by the trio of singer/guitarist Mayo Thompson, drummer Frederick Barthelme, and bassist Steve Cunningham. The group were part of the 1960 ...

Bobby Conn Jeffrey Stafford (born June 13, 1967), known professionally as Bobby Conn, is an American musician based in Chicago, Illinois. He often collaborates with other artists and film-maker Usama Alshaibi. Career Conn was born as Jeffrey Stafford i ...

Beth Orton Elizabeth Caroline Orton (born 14 December 1970) is an English musician, known for her "folktronica" sound, which mixes elements of folk and electronica. She was initially recognised for her collaborations with William Orbit, Andrew Weatherall, ...

, Joanna Newsom and U.S. Maple. He mixed

's ''

Yankee Hotel Foxtrot ''Yankee Hotel Foxtrot'' is the fourth studio album by American rock band Wilco, first released on September 18, 2001. Recording sessions for the album began in late 2000. These sessions, which were documented for the film ''I Am Trying to Break ...

'' album and produced their 2004 album, ''

A Ghost Is Born ''A Ghost Is Born'' is the fifth studio album by American alternative rock band Wilco. Released on June 22, 2004, it features singer Jeff Tweedy on lead guitar more than any previous Wilco album. The band streamed the album online free, and offer ...

'', for which he won a

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...

for "Best Alternative Album". During the recording of ''Yankee Hotel Foxtrot'', O'Rourke collaborated with Wilco member Jeff Tweedy and pre-Wilco

Glenn Kotche Glenn Kotche (born December 31, 1970 in Roselle, Illinois, United States) is an American drummer and composer, best known for his involvement in the band Wilco. He was named the 40th greatest drummer of all time by Gigwise in 2008. Prior to w ...

under the name

Loose Fur Loose Fur was an American rock supergroup comprising Wilco members Jeff Tweedy and Glenn Kotche, along with Wilco collaborator and Sonic Youth's multi-instrumentalist Jim O'Rourke. The trio first convened in May 2000 in preparation for a Tweedy ...

. Their self-titled debut was released in 2003 with a follow-up in 2006 entitled ''

Born Again in the USA ''Born Again in the USA'' is the second and final studio album by Loose Fur. The album was released on March 21, 2006. Track listing # "Hey Chicken" – 3:02 # "The Ruling Class" – 3:35 # "Answers to Your Questions" – 4:58 # "Apostolic" – 2 ...

''. He also mixed the unfinished recordings that made up a planned third album by the late American singer-songwriter

Judee Sill Judith Lynne Sill (October 7, 1944 – November 23, 1979) was an American singer and songwriter. The first artist signed to David Geffen's Asylum label, she released two albums on Asylum and partially completed a third album before dying of a d ...

, recorded in 1974 and mixed by O'Rourke for a 2005 release. O'Rourke was once a member of Illusion of Safety,

Gastr Del Sol Gastr del Sol (derived from a combination of the name of a race horse (Gato del Sol) and David Grubbs' previous band Bastro) was an American, Chicago-based band, consisting for most of their career, of David Grubbs and Jim O'Rourke. Between 19 ...

(with

David Grubbs David Grubbs (born September 21, 1967) is an American composer, guitarist, pianist, and vocalist. He was a founding member of Squirrel Bait, Bastro, and Gastr del Sol. He has also played in Codeine, The Red Krayola, Bitch Magnet and The Wingd ...

) and

. Beginning in 1999 he played bass guitar, guitar and synthesizer with

, in addition to

recording A record, recording or records may refer to: An item or collection of data Computing * Record (computer science), a data structure ** Record, or row (database), a set of fields in a database related to one entity ** Boot sector or boot record, ...

and mixing duties with the group. He withdrew as a full member in late 2005, but continued to play with them in some of their side projects. In early 1993, O'Rourke formed an

avant-rock Experimental rock, also called avant-rock, is a subgenre of rock music that pushes the boundaries of common composition and performance technique or which experiments with the basic elements of the genre. Artists aim to liberate and innovate, with ...

group with Darin Gray and Dylan Posa called

Brise-Glace Brise-Glace (French for " ice-breaker", as in the type of boat) was a 1990s instrumental avant-rock " supergroup" composed of Jim O'Rourke (guitar, organ, tape and "razor blade"), Darin Gray (bass guitar), Dylan Posa (guitar), and Thymme Jones (d ...

. The band released one studio album, ''When in Vanitas...'', in 1994. They also released a 7" in the same year titled ''In Sisters All and Felony/Angels on Installment Plan''. O'Rourke has also released many albums under his own name on a variety of labels, exploring a range of electronic and avant-garde styles. His most well-known works may be his series of releases on Drag City, which focus on more traditional songcraft: ''

Bad Timing ''Bad Timing'' is a 1980 British psychological drama film directed by Nicolas Roeg and starring Art Garfunkel, Theresa Russell, Harvey Keitel, and Denholm Elliott. The plot focuses on an American woman and a psychology professor living in V ...

'' (1997), ''

Eureka Eureka (often abbreviated as E!, or Σ!) is an intergovernmental organisation for research and development funding and coordination. Eureka is an open platform for international cooperation in innovation. Organisations and companies applying th ...

'' (1999), '' Insignificance'' (2001), '' The Visitor'' (2009) and '' Simple Songs'' (2015). The titles of the first four albums all refer to films by the British director

Nicolas Roeg Nicolas Jack Roeg (; 15 August 1928 – 23 November 2018) was an English film director and cinematographer, best known for directing ''Performance'' (1970), '' Walkabout'' (1971), ''Don't Look Now'' (1973), '' The Man Who Fell to Earth'' (1976 ...

; the first three by direct reference to film titles, the fourth being titled after a fictional album within Roeg's film ''

The Man Who Fell To Earth ''The Man Who Fell to Earth'' is a 1976 British science fiction drama film directed by Nicolas Roeg and written by Paul Mayersberg. Based on Walter Tevis's 1963 novel of the same name, the film follows an extraterrestrial (Thomas Jerome Newt ...

''. With music director

Takehisa Kosugi was a Japanese composer, violinist and artist associated with the Fluxus movement. Biography Kosugi studied musicology at the Tokyo University of the Arts and graduated in 1962. He first became drawn to music listening to his father play ha ...

, he played for the

Merce Cunningham Mercier Philip "Merce" Cunningham (April 16, 1919 – July 26, 2009) was an American dancer and choreographer who was at the forefront of American modern dance for more than 50 years. He frequently collaborated with artists of other discipl ...

dance company for four years. He was guitarist for the 1999 premiere of Cunningham's ballet

Biped Bipedalism is a form of terrestrial locomotion where an organism moves by means of its two rear limbs or legs. An animal or machine that usually moves in a bipedal manner is known as a biped , meaning 'two feet' (from Latin ''bis'' 'double' ...

with

Gavin Bryars Richard Gavin Bryars (; born 16 January 1943) is an English composer and double bassist. He has worked in jazz, free improvisation, minimalism, historicism, avant-garde, and experimental music. Early life and career Born on 16 January 1943 in ...

in Berkeley, California, O'Rourke received a 2001

Foundation for Contemporary Arts The Foundation for Contemporary Arts (FCA), is a nonprofit based foundation in New York City that offers financial support and recognition to contemporary performing and visual artists through awards for artistic innovation and potential. It was ...

Grants to Artists Award. Since 2013, O'Rourke has used his ''Steamroom''

Bandcamp Bandcamp is an American online audio distribution platform founded in 2007 by Oddpost co-founder Ethan Diamond and programmers Shawn Grunberger, Joe Holt and Neal Tucker, with headquarters in Oakland, California, US. On March 2, 2022, Bandcamp ...

page to release material. ''Steamroom'' releases have included reissues of rare or unpublished older material, as well as original newer pieces.

Work in films

* O'Rourke worked as a music consultant for the 2003 film ''

School of Rock ''School of Rock'' (titled onscreen as ''The School of Rock'') is a 2003 comedy film directed by Richard Linklater, produced by Scott Rudin, and written by Mike White. The film stars Jack Black, Joan Cusack, Mike White, and Sarah Silverman. Bl ...

'', in which he taught the child actors in the movie how to play the songs. He was supposed to have a cameo role in the film as well, but couldn't do it as he was on tour with Sonic Youth. * The song "Happy Days" was featured in the

Harmony Korine Harmony Korine (born January 4, 1973, some sources report September 1, 1974)
" Retrieved on 2009-10-26. is an Ame ...

film ''

Julien Donkey-Boy ''Julien Donkey-Boy'' is a 1999 American experimental drama film written and directed by Harmony Korine. The story concentrates on Julien, a man with schizophrenia, played by Scottish actor Ewen Bremner, and his dysfunctional family. The film als ...

''. * He scored the 2002 film ''

Love Liza ''Love Liza'' is a 2002 American tragicomedic drama directed by Todd Louiso and starring Philip Seymour Hoffman, Kathy Bates, Jack Kehler, Wayne Duvall, Sarah Koskoff and Stephen Tobolowsky. The film is written by Gordy Hoffman, a playwright and t ...

'', directed by

Todd Louiso Todd Louiso (born January 27, 1970) is an American film actor and film director best known for his role as timid record store clerk Dick in '' High Fidelity'', opposite Jack Black and John Cusack. Career Louiso directed his first film in 2002 ...

. * He scored the 2004 video installation "Fireball" and did the sound design on the documentary "Red Orchestra" by Stefan Roloff. * He has also scored films by

Werner Herzog Werner Herzog (; born 5 September 1942) is a German film director, screenwriter, author, actor, and opera director, regarded as a pioneer of New German Cinema. His films often feature ambitious protagonists with impossible dreams, people with un ...

, Olivier Assayas,

Shinji Aoyama was a Japanese film director, screenwriter, composer, film critic, and novelist. He graduated from Rikkyo University. He won two awards at the 2000 Cannes Film Festival for his film ''Eureka (2000 film), Eureka''. Biography Shinji Aoyama was b ...

Kōji Wakamatsu was a Japanese film director who directed such ''pinku eiga'' films as and . He also produced Nagisa Ōshima's controversial film ''In the Realm of the Senses'' (1976). He has been called "the most important director to emerge in the pink film ...

Harmony Korine Harmony Korine (born January 4, 1973, some sources report September 1, 1974)
" Retrieved on 2009-10-26. is an Ame ...

and others. * His own short films have been part of the 2004 and 2006

Whitney Biennial The Whitney Biennial is a biennial exhibition of contemporary American art, typically by young and lesser known artists, on display at the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York City, United States. The event began as an annual exhibition in ...

and the 2005 Rotterdam Film Festival. * His first three full-length albums for Drag City are named after three successive films by director

: ''

: A Sensual Obsession'', ''

'', and '' Insignificance''. His fourth Drag City album, '' The Visitor'', is named for an album that appears within Roeg's ''

The Man Who Fell to Earth ''The Man Who Fell to Earth'' is a 1976 British science fiction drama film directed by Nicolas Roeg and written by Paul Mayersberg. Based on Walter Tevis's 1963 novel of the same name, the film follows an extraterrestrial (Thomas Jerome Newt ...

'', recorded by the film's protagonist Thomas Jerome Newton. * He scored

's 3-hour long film ''

United Red Army The was a militant organization, that operated in Japan between July 1971 and March 1972. The URA was formed as the result of a merger that began on 13 July 1971 between two extremist groups, the Marxist-Leninist-Maoist , led in 1971 by Tsuneo ...

'' in 2007. * He scored Kyle Armstrong's 2012 documentary film ''Magnetic Reconnection'' (narrated by

Will Oldham Joseph Will Oldham (born January 15, 1970) is an American singer-songwriter and actor. From 1993 to 1997, he performed and recorded in collaboration with dozens of other musicians under variations of Palace (Palace, Palace Flophouse, Palace Br ...

). * He scored the 2014 British film ''

The Creeping Garden ''The Creeping Garden'' is a 2014 British documentary film featuring various kinds of slime molds. The film uses retro cinematography and electronic music to enhance a connection between slime molds and sci-fi films such as '' Phase IV'', ''Invas ...

''. * He produced and played on the soundtrack for

Ryusuke Hamaguchi is a Japanese film director and screenwriter. An alumnus of the University of Tokyo and the Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music, he started getting attention in his home country with the graduate film ''Passion'' (2008). Hamaguc ...

's '' Drive My Car'', composed by his frequent collaborator

Eiko Ishibashi is a Japanese singer-songwriter and musician. She has frequently worked with Jim O'Rourke (musician), Jim O'Rourke, with O'Rourke producing several of her albums and Ishibashi playing on his album Simple Songs (Jim O'Rourke album), Simple Song ...

Drag City discography

* ''

'' (1997) * ''

'' (1999) * '' Halfway to a Threeway EP'' (1999) * '' Insignificance'' (2001) * '' The Visitor'' (2009) * '' Simple Songs'' (2015)

Partial solo discography

* ''Some Kind of Pagan'' (Sound of Pig, 1989) * ''It Takes Time To Do Nothing'' (Audiofile Tapes, 1990) * ''Secure on the Loose Rim'' (

Sound of Pig Sound of Pig was a cassette culture label started in 1984 by Al Margolis in New York City. The label released hundreds of original cassettes between 1984 and 1990. It featured Margolis' own audio art projects that he recorded under the name of If, ...

, 1991) * ''The Ground Below Above Our Heads'' (Entenpfuhl, 1991) * ''Tamper'' (Extreme Records, 1991) * ''Disengage'' (

Staalplaat Staalplaat is an independent record label that is located in Amsterdam with a separate store in Berlin. Founded in 1982, the company's mission was to create a sound forum for sound artists, who write and perform new and experimental music. Staalpl ...

, 1992) * ''Scend'' (Divided Records, 1992) * ''Remove the Need'' (

Extreme Records Extreme Records is an Australia-based record label. The label was founded by Ulex Xane and initially specialised in underground experimental music, experimental and industrial music, industrial cassettes. Roger Richards became involved in 1987 ...

, 1993) * ''Rules of Reduction'' (Metamkine, 1993) * ''When in Vanitas...'' (

Skin Graft Skin grafting, a type of graft (surgery), graft surgery, involves the organ transplant, transplantation of skin. The transplanted biological tissue, tissue is called a skin graft. Surgeons may use skin grafting to treat: * extensive wounding o ...

, 1994) * ''Terminal Pharmacy'' (

Tzadik Records Tzadik Records is a record label in New York City that specializes in avant-garde and experimental music. The label was established by composer and saxophonist John Zorn in 1995. He is the executive producer of all Tzadik releases. Tzadik is a n ...

, 1995) * ''Happy Days'' ( Revenant Records, 1997) * ''

'' ( Drag City, 1997) * ''

'' (Drag City, 1999) * '' Halfway to a Threeway'' EP (Drag City, 1999) * '' Insignificance'' (Drag City, 2001) * '' I'm Happy and I'm Singing and a 1, 2, 3, 4'' ( Mego, 2001) * ''Mizu No Nai Umi'' (vector7/HEADZ54, 2005) * ''Corona / Tokyo Realization'' (

Columbia Music Entertainment , often pronounced ''Korombia'', operating internationally as , is a Japanese record label founded in 1910 as Nipponophone Co., Ltd. It affiliated itself with the Columbia Graphophone Company of the United Kingdom and adopted the standard UK C ...

, 2006) – Japan only release. Dedicated to

Tōru Takemitsu was a Japanese composer and writer on aesthetics and music theory. Largely self-taught, Takemitsu was admired for the subtle manipulation of instrumental and orchestral timbre. He is known for combining elements of oriental and occidental phil ...

* '' The Visitor'' (Drag City, 2009) – Dedicated to Derek Bailey. * ''All Kinds of People ~ Love Burt Bacharach'' (AWDR, 2010) * ''Old News #5'' (Mego, 2011) * ''Old News #6'' (Mego, Aug 2011) * ''Old News #7'' (Mego, Feb 2012) * ''Old News #8'' (Mego, Sep 2012) * ''Imikuzushi'' (Black Truffle Records, 2012) * ''Old News #9'' (Mego, Oct 2012) * '' Simple Songs'' (Drag City, 2015) * ''Sleep Like It's Winter'' (Newhere Music, 2018) * ''To Magnetize Money and Catch a Roving Eye'' (Sonoris, 2019) * ''Shutting Down Here'' (Portraits GRM, 2020)

References

External links

Jim O'Rourke's Bandcamp page for "Steam Room" Music

Discogs overview

Complete discography and filmography up to 2008
* *
Jim O'Rourke by Jay Sanders
''

Bomb A bomb is an explosive weapon that uses the Exothermic process, exothermic reaction of an explosive material to provide an extremely sudden and violent release of energy. Detonations inflict damage principally through ground- and atmosphere-t ...

'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Orourke, Jim 1969 births Living people Sonic Youth members American rock bass guitarists American male bass guitarists Noise rock musicians American expatriates in Japan DePaul University alumni Grammy Award winners Hurdy-gurdy players Tzadik Records artists Drag City (record label) artists Rune Grammofon artists Guitarists from Chicago American male guitarists 20th-century American guitarists Free improvisation American experimental musicians Boxhead Ensemble members Wilco members Gastr del Sol members Incus Records artists Domino Recording Company artists Love Da Records artists