Search - 23 Skidoo :: Culling Is Coming

DARK RITUAL MUSIC

Larry L. Looney | Austin, Texas USA | 02/09/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The liner notes to this cd (by group member Alex Turnbull) state that this album `...is undoubtedly Skidoo's most unorthodox and misunderstood release to date...' It was recorded at three separate live performances in 1982, and released originally in February 1982 (the final cut on the cd, `Move back - bite harder' is previously unreleased). Alex's statement is true, no doubt, concerning reactions in the media, and perhaps those audience members who had (a) never heard the band before, or (b) were expecting Skidoo to replicate the sound of their amazing SEVEN SONGS release. The material has been rearranged for this release, placing the three sections (`A winter ritual' [side two of the original lp], `A summer rite' [side one of the lp] and `An autumn journey' [the unreleased track]) into order to match the flow of the seasons. A minor detail, you say? With a group like 23 Skidoo, to whom ritual (in all of its aspects) is the very heartbeat of their creativity, it's a huge detail. I'm actually surprised that the original lp release was `reversed' as it was.This is dark and `difficult' music - it doesn't fit into any nice, neat little box. As such, wide acceptance of it - commercial or otherwise - was a doubtful prospect from the start, and one to which I would guess the band was completely prepared. They weren't making this music to become stars - they were making music from their souls, music that moved them and those in their audience who weren't afraid of going along on the journey.`A winter ritual' was recorded 23 October 1982 at Dartington Music College, and is performed by the brothers Turnbull (Johnny and Alex) using traditional Balinese gamelan instruments - gamelan, kendang drum, gongs, and flutes. The 5 pieces in this section flow gently, one into another - in his notes, Alex calls this `...the other, meditative side of Skidoo.' The pieces are improvised - possibly around pre-conceived ideas, but not necessarily - but the effect could hardly be classified as `noise'.`A summer rite' was recorded at another live performance - this one, the first WOMAD festival, in July 1982. The crowd gathered there had come anticipating multi-faceted ethnic musics from around the world (other participants included The Burundi Drummers and Les Musiciens du Nile) - when Skidoo (the Turnbulls along with Fritz Catlin) hit the stage, they appeared with shaven heads and camouflage-painted faces, and performed using metal percussion, tape loops and flares. Alex says `The bleary-eyed festival crowd, expecting a trendy funk band, are greeted by a wall of noise. Some flee, but those that remain witness Skidoo at their most confrontational. Expectations are shattered.' Their use of tape loops at this performance was a seminal effort in the genre - actual physical loops of tape with recorded sound, as opposed to the more technically up-to-date methods utilized today by many artists. Alex goes on to say that `The ritual of banishing, invocation and healing mirrored the changes that had occurred within the group. Indeed, this cycle of renewal is something very basic to the concept of 23 Skidoo.' This part of the recording also features Current 93's David Tibet on Tibetan trumpet. It's a jarring turnabout from the first section of the recording - but vital, moving music nonetheless, and essential for a complete understanding (if that's even possible) of what this band is about.`An autumn journey' was recorded at a performance in Belgium on 8 October 1982 - another `extreme' piece, created mostly with tape loops. This show was part of a tour organized by the experimental label/organization Crepescule. The addition of this unreleased track gives the listener a further understanding of the wide range of sounds of which Skidoo was capable.This is not `easy listening music' - it's starkly and jarringly vital, burning with a raw creative spirit. It's moving and emotional - but not for the squeamish or unadventurous. If these guys are your cup of tea - or if you feel like broadening your horizons exponentially - I suggest picking up this historic, extended document while it's available.As a final note, I'll mention that I've actually achieved some very interesting dreams and sleep patters by falling asleep to this disc. Images, images."