Ēbn-Ōzn
OriginNew York City, New York, United States
GenresDance, new wave, synthpop, hip hop, pop rock, spoken word
Years active1982–1985
LabelsElektra Records, Arista-Ariola, Wounded Bird Records
MembersNed "Ebn" Liben
Robert "Ozn" Rosen

Ēbn-Ōzn (pronounced EEBEN-OHZEN)[1] was an American, 1980s New York based experimental New Wave synth pop duo, composed of Ned "Ebn" Liben (synthesizer) and Robert "Ozn" Rosen (organ, vocals). The duo, who pioneered the sound recording technique of "sampling", is best known for the 1983 hit single and award-winning music video "AEIOU Sometimes Y", the first commercial American single recorded entirely on a computer.

Career

Ēbn-Ōzn formed in 1981 in New York City when Rosen met Liben through record producer and recording artist Jay Aaron Podolnick (who later founded Villa Muse Studios in Austin, Texas), a friend of Ozn's Australian fashion-model girlfriend. Soon after meeting, they started spending time together in clubs listening to different types of dance music.[2] Ozn was a Broadway actor/singer in the original casts of Shenandoah and Marlowe, had just come off the road from a tour of The Pirates of Penzance playing the lead opposite Karla DeVito who was enjoying international acclaim for her work with Meatloaf and Jim Steinman. Upon his return to NYC he began recording rap demos in the Sugar Hill label style. Ebn was owner of New York's Sundragon Recording Studios, which he created at the age of 14, and was a founding member of the guitar band Riff Raff (Atco/Warner Brothers). Mentored by legendary New York City promoter Ron Delaney, In 1983 Ēbn-Ōzn were signed to the London arm of Arista Records-Ariola by A&R wunderkind Simon Potts and to Elektra Records in New York by Bob Krasnow, who released their only LP, Feeling Cavalier, and singles "AEIOU Sometimes Y" and "Bag Lady (I Wonder)". The album featured a wide range of musical styles and a sense of humor throughout; it also featured Latin jazz percussion musician Tito Puente.

Their self produced - along with Ed Steinberg (founder of RockAmerica), "AEIOU" became an international MTV and dance club hit, reaching #20 on the Billboard Club Chart.[3] The single also received significant black radio play, including Stevie Wonder's KJLH in Los Angeles and WBLS in New York City and remains an 80s alt rock and New Music/New Wave radio music staple on dozens of streaming channels and radio peograns.[2] AllMusic writes that the song "combines intelligence, melody, and weirdness in just the right doses. Accompanied by a video that featured the multi-braided Rosen delivering a stream-of-consciousness rap about 'this incredible Swedish girl,' and with a more serious subtext about communication, it became a bizarre club music hit."[4]

Recorded in 1981, "AEIOU" has the distinction of being the first commercial single ever recorded entirely on a computer (a Fairlight CMI) in the United States and the subsequent album, Feeling Cavalier, the first such album.[5]

The second single was the uncharacteristically earnest dance-rock track "Bag Lady", the video for which starred Emmy- and Tony Award-winning actress Imogene Coca. The single became a dance club hit, reaching the Top 40 on the Billboard Club Chart, and a minor radio hit in the US, while gaining hit status in Canada, Oceana and Europe.

"AEIOU Sometimes Y" was the focus of a Beavis and Butt-head episode throughout the 1990s, and has been released on numerous "Best of the '80s" compilation albums. Feeling Cavalier was released on CD on October 17, 2006, by Wounded Bird Records.

Paramount TV rebooted Beavis & Butt-head in 2022 and "AEIOU" will once again be a featured component for it's North American and internationally all-important 12-34 years old demographics.

Breakup and subsequent activities

The duo went their separate ways in 1985. Ebn went on to work with Scritti Politti and producers Phil Ramone and Arif Mardin. Ozn formed House music act Dada Nada, released on his own label, One Voice Records.[6] Dada Nada was signed to Polydor/London and distributed independently in North America by Ozn.

Ned "Ebn" Liben died in 1998 of a heart attack in Manhattan, New York, and is survived by his widow Sallie Moore Liben and son Max.[7] Robert "Ozn" Rosen officially changed his name to Robert Ozn and went on to become a Hollywood script analyst, award-winning screenwriter and producer.

References

  1. ↑ AEIOU Sometimes Y (single reverse). Ebn-Ozn. Elektra Records. 1983.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  2. 1 2 "Ebn Ozn | Biography & History". AllMusic. Retrieved 3 October 2020.
  3. ↑ Whitburn, Joel (2004). Hot Dance/Disco: 1974-2003. Record Research. p. 86.
  4. ↑ "Feeling Cavalier - EBN, OZN | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 3 October 2020.
  5. ↑ Dave Grohl (2013). Sound City (Motion picture). United States.
  6. ↑ "Ebn Ozn | Biography & History". AllMusic. Retrieved 3 October 2020.
  7. ↑ "Ned 'Ebn' Liben Dies: College Fund Set Up For His Young Son." February 23, 1998 @MTV.com Retrieved 11-7-2015.
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