Teddy Fire

Teddy Fire was the original “chimp rock” star of the 90s, teen-aged singer/songwriter collaborating with the likes of Bond Bergland (Factrix, Workdogs), Fritz Fox (Mutants) and Miki Navazio (Lounge Lizards). Archival material from the early 90s is collected on an album titled Chastity Revolution & The Submachine Girl, issued here on vinyl for the first time (from 4-track home recordings).

"This is Teddy Fire's second long player documenting the early '90s home studio sessions recorded by legendary crate digger Pablo Yglesias (aka Pablo Cuba/DJ Bongohead), with his little brother Teddy (aka Theo Wulff) singing and free-styling like the mutant child of Gary Wilson, Jad Fair, Biz Markie, and Captain Beefheart. The first slab released by Teddy, 1996's Fluxing Headset Man (Sealed Hotel), was a mondo-bizzaro pre-pubescent basement shindig of mammoth proportions. But with interview segments, found sounds and whatnot, it vibed almost like a radio show you'd catch late at night on WFMU -- weird and lo-fi, but maybe a little self-conscious. This new one, recorded when Teddy was in his pimply mid-teens, leaps into a form-vortex far more full-blown as an album-qua-album. On Chastity, young Mr. Fire is backed by Iguid Fidd, a studio band of revolving personalities. With amazing musical work by such surprising names as guitarist Bond Bergland (Factrix, Saqqara Dogs, Workdogs, Cluster), harmonica-player Fritz Fox (Mutants), guitarist Miki Navazio (Lounge Lizards, Fed Ho, Reggie Workman) and Pablo's frequent musical collaborator Phil 'Nordit' Scher (Whimmers), the tunes shift from blazing psychedelic-grunt to wheezing, insane R&B readymade, in the blink of an eye. Chastity has a center that is constantly shifting, with each strange spin bringing another big bubbling gob of something uniquely off-kilter and twistedly splendid. Includes a full-color insert with Teddy's surreal mash-up lyrics and beautifully naïf artwork. If you have any interest in 4-track culture, done at its highest level, you should investigate the 'chimpadelic' universe of Teddy Fire. If you think you don't dig 'real people music' or 'kiddie rock,' you may be tempted to dismiss this record out-of-hand, but that would be a mistake. Teddy Fire will have his say. The Revolution starts here." -- Byron Coley, 2016.

Edition of 500.

Purchase the LP here, co-released with Feeding Tube Records of Massachusetts.