Arca and Shayne Oliver are releasing a greatest hits album as WENCH

Arca and Shayne Oliver, the founder of Hood By Air, are releasing a greatest hits compilation as part of their joint WENCH project. Greatest Hits ’88 - ’16 will be played out live on the internet radio station from 1PM-3PM ET while a launch party will be held on August 11 at New York's Paragon.

The album marks WENCH’s first official release – the pair’s music was previously only found on Soundcloud under the moniker 88 mmuussicc. It was recorded over a four year period starting in 2012 after the pair met at underground party GHE20G0TH1K, which Oliver hosted with DJ Venus X at venues around New York, with the final tracklist pulled from over 50 recordings the pair made together in Arca’s Chinatown apartment.

“The Greatest Hits are a product of their time, the group a place for Arca and Oliver to vent any frustrations with constraints of the fashion system as well as kicking against all boundaries of that era; rigidity in the face of sensuality, masculinity, femininity, orientation, gender, race and class,” says the press release.

“WENCH’s extended work across fashion shows and MP3 mixtapes is a celebration of expressions of tension and turmoil; a release of anger. It’s about transness, how to feel like a man having sex with the feelings of a woman and a man, how to feel like a woman having sex with the feelings of a woman and a man,” it continues.

Last year Arca released four additions to her KiCK series, following on from 2020’s Grammy nominated KiCK i, which starred the likes of Björk, SOPHIE, and Rosalía.

See the tracklist for Greatest Hits ’88 - ’16 below.

Tracklist