23 SKIDOO
THE CULLING IS COMING


NOTES by Alex Turnbull

UNDOUBTEDLY SKIDOO'S MOST UNORTHODOX AND MISUNDERSTOOD RELEASE TO DATE. THE ORIGINAL RECORD SEPARATES INTO TWO DISTINCT AND VERY DIFFERENT SIDES.

SIDE 1 IS A RECORDING OF A LIVE PERFORMANCE AT THE FIRST W.O.M.A.D. FESTIVAL IN JULY 1982, WHICH FEATURED AMONG OTHERS THE BURUNDI DRUMMERS, LES MUSICIENS DU NILE AND A WHOLE HOST OF MUSICIANS FROM AROUND THE WORLD. SKIDOO ELECTED NOT TO USE TRADITIONAL INSTRUMENTS BUT INSTEAD TO IMPROVISE A PERFORMANCE WITH INSTRUMENTS MADE OF SCRAP METAL AND TAPE LOOPS (AT THIS TIME, LITERALLY LOOPED SECTIONS OF TAPE). THE RITUAL OF BANISHING, INVOCATION AND HEALING MIRRORED THE CHANGES THAT HAD OCCURED WITHIN THE GROUP. INDEED THIS CYCLE OF RENEWAL IS SOMETHING VERY BASIC TO THE CONCEPT OF 23 SKIDOO.

AT 11 AM ON A SUNNY SUMMER MORNING SKIDOO, HEADS SHAVEN, FACES CAMOFLAGED, TOOK TO THE STAGE. THE BLEARY-EYED FESTIVAL CROWD, EXPECTING A TRENDY FUNK BAND, ARE GREETED BY A WALL OF NOISE. SOME FLEE, THOSE THAT REMAIN WITNESS SKIDOO AT THEIR MOST CONFRONTATIONAL. EXPECTATIONS ARE SHATTERED.

SIDE 2 SHOWS THE OTHER MEDITATIVE SIDE OF SKIDOO, RECORDED AT DARTINGTON MUSIC COLLEGE IN OCTOBER 1982 USING TRADITIONAL GAMELAN INSTRUMENTS. SKIDOO TRAVEL TO DEVON FOR THE WEEKEND WITH A MOBILE 8 TRACK STUDIO. THEY SPEND THE NEXT THREE DAYS AND NIGHTS IMPROVISING AND RECORDING RHYTHMS WHICH ARE LATER TAKEN TO JACOBS STUDIOS TO EDIT TOGETHER AND MIX, WITH THE ASSISSTANCE OF KEN THOMAS.

THOUGH INTENDED AS A ONE-OFF EXPERIMENT, AND NO WAY REFLECTIVE OF THE MATERIAL THE GROUP WERE PLAYING REGULARLY, THE LP WAS UNIVERSALLY CONDEMNED BY THE PRESS AS TOO OFF THE WALL AND LEFT FIELD. SKIDOO IN TYPICAL FASHION WERE TOTALLY UNCONCERNED, THOUGH THIS WAS TO MAKE IT DIFFICULT FOR THEM TO FIND LABELS WILLING TO RELEASE SUCH VARIED MATERIAL AND TO DEAL WITH ARTISTS PERCEIVED AS BEING SO UNPREDICTABLE.


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