MOONSHAKE First 1991

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Artist Biography by Jason Ankeny

Experimental pop outfit Moonshake was led by Dave Callahan, the one-time frontman of the C-86 group the Wolfhounds; after several years away from the music scene, he resurfaced in early 1991, placing an ad in Melody Maker calling for bandmates. Among those who responded were vocalist Margaret Fiedler, bassist John Frenett, and drummer Michael Rother, and within just four days of their formation, Moonshake -- so named after a track on Can's Future Days LP -- entered the studio to record their debut EP First for Creation Records.

After jumping to the Too Pure label, the group resurfaced later in 1992 with the Secondhand Clothes EP, followed shortly by the Beautiful Pigeon. The full-length Eva Luna, a brilliant collision of breakbeats and guitar noise drawing influence from disparate sources ranging from dub to Krautrock to hip-hop, brought their prolific year to a close.

After the 1993 EP Big Good Angel, Fiedler -- who shared vocal and songwriting duties with Callahan -- and Frenett quit to form Laika. Adding new bassist Matt Brewer and saxophonist Raymond M. Dickaty, Moonshake recorded 1995's The Sound Your Eyes Can Follow, a radical departure from previous efforts which almost completely eliminated guitars in favor of a vast palette of samples. After 1996's Dirty & Divine, Callahan relocated from London to New York, a move which hastened Moonshake's mid-1997 break-up.