Maximum Joy
| Maximum Joy | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Bristol, United Kingdom |
| Genres | Post-punk |
| Years active | 1981-1983, 2015-present |
| Labels | Y Records, 99 Records, Garage Records, Crippled Dick Hot Wax! |
| Associated acts | Glaxo Babies, the Pop Group, the Ammonites, Perfume, U-BahnX, Leonard and the Cats, Rainforth |
| Website | maximumjoy |
| Members | Janine Rainforth Tony Wrafter Charlie Llewellin Marek Bero James Byron |
| Past members | Dan Catsis John Waddington Kev Evans Jeremy Hirsch Nellee Hooper Peta |
Maximum Joy are a post-punk band from Bristol, England, formed in 1981 and reunited in 2015.
Pitchfork compared their sound to "one of the Slits backed by the Gang of Four, while PopMatters said, "Musically, the group’s use of complex percussion, horns, danceable bass lines, and overtly English female vocals built a bridge between the worlds of Afrobeat, reggae, avant-garde jazz, funk and pop".
Maximum Joy formed in 1981 by three former members of Glaxo Babies-Tony Wrafter (saxophone, trumpet, flute), Charlie Llewellin (drums) and Dan Catsis (bass)-along with Janine Rainforth (vocals, clarinet, violin) and ex-Pop Group member John Waddington (guitar).
The band's influences were later described by Wrafter as "jazz, reggae, funk and punk, soul, hip-hop (the Last Poets, Afrika Bambaataa and the Sugarhill Gang), dub and ambient. We weren't constrained by any single style but felt free to take what we wanted from it".
Maximum Joy released three singles on Y Records: "Stretch" (October 1981), "White and Green Place" (February 1982) and "In the Air" (July 1982). Kev Evans replaced Catsis after the first single. A remix 7" of "Stretch" was also licensed for American release by the influential New York City label 99 Records.
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