Person · Male
Jim O’Rourke
US musician & producer, b. 1969
- From
- Chicago, United States
- Since
- 1969–present
- Releases
- 219
- avant-garde
- experimental
- folk rock
- indie folk
- american primitive guitar
- post-rock
About
James O'Rourke (born January 18, 1969) is an American musician, instrumentalist, composer, singer-songwriter and record producer. He is best known for his numerous solo and collaborative music projects, many of which are instrumental, and has been acclaimed for his music that spans varied genres, including avant-garde styles such as ambient, noise and minimalism, and styles of rock like indie rock and post-rock. He has been associated with the Chicago experimental and improv scene, as well as with New York City when he relocated there in 2000 for his tenure as a member of American indie rock band Sonic Youth. He subsequently moved to Japan and has since become a Japanese resident.
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O'Rourke received a 2001 Foundation for Contemporary Arts Grants to Artists Award. Since 2013, O'Rourke has used his Steamroom Bandcamp page to release reissues of rare and older material, as well as original newer pieces.
Member of
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Sonic Youth bass guitar, guitar, synthesizer
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Phunk Junkeez guitar
Discography
Albums
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Some Kind of Pagan
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Remove the Need
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It Takes Time to Do Nothing
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Neuro Eco Media
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Secure on the Loose Rim
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Tomorrow Knows Where You Live
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Tamper
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Scend
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New Kind of Water
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Disengage Apple Music
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Third Straight Day Made Public
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Remove the Need
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Slow Motion
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Acoustics
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Terminal Pharmacy Apple Music
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Unentitled
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Table Chair and Hatstand
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Guitar Organism
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Happy Days
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Bad Timing Apple Music
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Weighting
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Fear No Fall
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In Bern
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Xylophonen Virtuosen
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Eureka Apple Music
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jim:computer:hotel
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Drunken Little Mass
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Tribute to Masayuki Takayanagi
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Alpha Lemur Echo Two
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Insignificance Apple Music
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Old News, Volume 2
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2 of 2
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Old News, Volume 1
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Two Organs
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tetrodotoxin
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Weerzin / Oscillators and Guitars
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From the Earth to the Spheres, Volume 4
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China Is Near
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Mizu no Nai Umi
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Melbourne Direct
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6 Oscillators ’87 / Guitar ’88
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Synth Destruction Two
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ExpLosion
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Corona: Tokyo Realization
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Long Night
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Hagyou
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The Visitor Apple Music
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Senso
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Two Nice Catholic Boys
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All Kinds of People 〜love Burt Bacharach~ Apple Music
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Bloomington, Indiana... Autumn
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Electronic Music
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Old News #6
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Indeed
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Unreleased?
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One Bird Two Bird
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Old News #5
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Plastic Palace People, Volume 1
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Plastic Palace People, Volume 2
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Old News #8
EPs
Live
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Sakuraza
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With pats on the head, just one too few is evil one too many is good that’s all it is
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Live in Okayama
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Tonic 19‒01‒2001
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“Caught in the dilemma of being made to choose” This makes the modesty which should never been closed off itself Continue to ask itself: “Ready or not?”
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Apollo House
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Live at Mandako in Kumamoto
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Sakuraza
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Each side has a depth of 5 seconds A polka dot pattern in horizontal array A flickering that moves vertically
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Live in Hokutoshi
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In the past only geniuses were capable of staging the perfect crime (also known as a revolution) Today anybody can accomplish their aims with the push of the button
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This Dazzling, Genuine “Difference” Now Where Shall It Go?
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I Wonder If You Noticed ”I’m Sorry” Is Such A Lovely Sound It Keeps Things From Getting Worse
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Steamroom 26
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Two City Blues 2
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Tea Time for Those Determined to Completely Exhaust Every Bit of This Body They've Been Given
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Live at NHK Fureai Hall
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Only Wanting to Melt Beautifully Away Is It a Lack of Contentment That Stirs Affection for Those Things Said to Be as of Yet Unseen
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Steamroom 16
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Yeah
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Now While It’s Still Warm Let Us Pour in All the Mystery
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3-Part In(ter)ventions
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Imikuzushi
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'SuperDeluxe', Roppongi, Tokyo, Japan, 2012-01-30
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And That’s the Story of Jazz…
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In a Flash Everything Comes Together as One There Is No Need for a Subject
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Tima Formosa
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Shinjuku Growl
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Electric Dress
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North Six
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Live at Japan 2002.9.16
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I’m Happy, and I’m Singing, and a 1, 2, 3, 4
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00.06.27 (Meltdown Festival, London RFH)
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Charhizma 002
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Live at WNUR Studios
Links
Involved with
Also known as
James Bernard O’Rourke · Jim Orourke · ジム・オルーク
Tags
- chicago school
- the lost generation
Identifiers
- MusicBrainz
- 172aab84-4c01-4dc0-b2ad-e723033e10ec
- ISNI
- 0000000078393554
- IPI
- 00196102280
- IPI
- 00232577373
Data from MusicBrainz, saved 8 Nov 2026. Photo from Wikimedia Commons, covers from the Cover Art Archive and Apple Music.