Hugo Largo

Hugo Largo was an American musical group formed in 1984, known for their unique lineup: two bass guitars, a violin and singer/performance artist Mimi Goese.^[1][2] Their sound has been characterized as art rock, dream pop, ambient and avant-rock.^{[3][4][5][6][7]}

Hugo Largo
Origin	New York City
Genres	Art rock, dream pop, ambient, avant-rock
Years active	1984–1991
Labels	Relativity Records, Opal Records, Land Records, All Saints Records
Members	Mimi Goese Tim Sommer Greg Letson Adam Peacock Hahn Rowe Bill Stair

History

Hugo Largo formed in 1984, initially as a trio featuring vocalist Goese and bassists Tim Sommer (a WNYU DJ, journalist for Trouser Press and The Village Voice, and former member of Even Worse and Swans) and Greg Letson (who Sommer had met while they played together in the Glenn Branca Ensemble). In January 1985, Letson left, and was replaced by Adam Peacock.^[8] Shortly thereafter, they were joined on violin by Hahn Rowe, who had been engineering their live sound.

In February 1987, they released the Michael Stipe-produced EP Drum on Relativity Records (Stipe also sang backing vocals on two tracks). The EP was reissued in 1988 as a full album with additional material on Brian Eno's label, Opal Records. Their second album, Mettle, was released in 1989, first on Opal, then on All Saints Records (and on Land Records in the United Kingdom). This lineup of the band performed their final shows in July 1989.

In late 1990, Goese, Peacock and Rowe decided to reform the band without founding member Sommer (who had become an MTV veejay), and recruited bassist Bill Stair (ex-Art Objects) via an ad in The Village Voice. This new lineup of Hugo Largo spent several months rehearsing and composing new material before making their debut at a sold-out gig at the Knitting Factory in New York City on April 12, 1991, with Stipe and Mike Mills of R.E.M. – in New York for a taping of Saturday Night Live – in attendance. The reformed lineup played several more shows in New York, but a third album was never recorded (although some demos and live recordings were made). Hugo Largo played their last gig at the Brooklyn Bridge Anchorage on September 5, 1991.

In September 2024, Missing Piece Records released "Huge, Large and Electric: Hugo Largo 1984-1991," a compilation consisting of Drum and Mettle plus live and previously unreleased material.

Later projects

Under the name Mimi, Goese released a solo album, Soak, in 1998, and has collaborated with artists like Moby and Ben Neill.

Sommer later played with the New Orleans–based Hi-Fi Sky, who released Music for Synchronized Swimming in Space in 2005.

Discography

Studio albums

• Drum (1988, Opal Records)
• Mettle (1989, Opal Records/All Saints Records)
• Huge, Large and Electric: Hugo Largo 1984-1991 (2024, Missing Piece Records)^[9]

Singles and EPs

• Drum 12" EP (1987, Relativity Records)
• "Turtle Song" 12" single (1989, Land Records)

References

1. Robbins, Ira; Stenger, Wif (2007). "Hugo Largo". Trouser Press. Retrieved May 21, 2008.
2. Pareles, Jon (November 13, 1986). "Music: Hugo Largo". The New York Times. Retrieved July 16, 2008.
3. Powers, Ann (June 17, 1998). "Carving a Path of Innovations; Live and Electronic Music Blend in a Varied Career". The New York Times. Retrieved April 1, 2018.
4. Peschek, David (July 23, 2004). "CD: Mara Carlyle, The Lovely". The Guardian. Retrieved April 1, 2018.
5. "Curated by Meredith Monk: Song Out! Folk 'n' Pop Fantasies". Roulette.org. Retrieved April 1, 2018.
6. Bogdanov, Vladimir; Woodstra, Chris; Erlewine, Stephen Thomas, eds. (2002). AllMusic Guide to Rock: The Definitive Guide to Rock, Pop, and Soul (3rd ed.). London, UK: Backbeat. ISBN 978-0-87930-653-3.
7. Sheppard, David (2008). On Some Faraway Beach: The Life and Times of Brian Eno. London, UK: Orion. ISBN 978-0-75287-570-5.
8. "an appreciation of Hugo Largo 'the great lost band of post punk…'". Louder Than War. 21 March 2017. Retrieved March 28, 2023.
9. https://missingpiecerecords.bandcamp.com/album/huge-large-and-electric-hugo-largo-1984-1991

External links

• Unofficial website Archived 2007-09-30 at the Wayback Machine