New York collective !!! have paid tribute to their former drummer Jerry Fuchs, who died on Sunday (November 8th).
In the opening years of the decade, New York seemed to be leading the world in mixing dance and rock. Throwing vintage techno, Krautrock and post-punk styles in the blender the city seemed to throw up superb bands with a nonchalant regularity.
One of the period’s unsung heroes were !!!. The band resembled a tribal collective, taking their name from three repetitive clicks (chk chk chk) used by jungle tribesman in lieu of verbal communication.
A dizzying blur of Krautrock and spiralling techno grooves, it was left to Jerry Fuchs to bring the whole mixture together. His drumming provided the rhythmic hook for the band’s chanting, with their debut album ‘Myth Takes’ being undoubtedly one of the finest released in the past ten years.
Sadly Jerry Fuchs died in the early hours of Sunday morning (November 8th). The drummer was attending a party when he fell in a tragic accident, dying in hospital a few hours later.
His death has shaken New York’s musical community. Having played with !!! the drummer then worked with The Juan MacLean and LCD Soundsystem, helping the sound of DFA Records to change and evolve.
John MacLean and James Murphy have already paid tribute to the drummer, with !!! now adding their thoughts. Speaking on their MySpace page the group thanked fans for their support. “Thanks to everyone who has contacted us with their love and support,” they wrote.
“We could never put into words how special a person Jerry was and how much we loved him. We ask that you tell all the people you care about and are thankful for that you love them. We wish we still had Jerry.”
