23 Skidoo cross industrial, punk, hip hop, funk, jazz and tribal elements. … Read Full Bio ↴23 Skidoo cross industrial, punk, hip hop, funk, jazz and tribal elements. The band had interests in martial arts, Burundi and Kodo drumming, Fela Kuti, The Last Poets, William S. Burroughs, as well as the emerging confluence of industrial music, post-punk and funk.

23 Skidoo was formed in North London, UK in 1979 as a post-punk trio. By 1980 they had grown into a quartet consisting of Fritz Catlin, Johnny Turnbull, Sam Mills and Patrick Griffiths.

In this line-up they recorded their first single "Ethics" in February 1981, considered unrepresentative of the band. Soon after the band was shortly augmented to a sextet by the joining of Johnny's brother Alex Turnbull and Tom Heslop, before Patrick Griffiths left the band to live in Paris. In spring 1981 the band signed to Fetish Records, for which they recorded the single Last Words and the legendary album "Seven Songs", released in February 1982.

In accordance with their uncompromising nature and refusing to be pigeon-holed as a trendy funk band, they dismissed members Sam Mills and Tom Heslop in June 1982 and played a experimental and noisy concert on instruments made from scrap metal at the WOMAD festival, for which they were joined by David Tibet of Current 93. The recording of this concert can be heard on the first side of the band's second album "The Culling is Coming", released in February 1983. This new direction saw the band dropped by Fetish Records. The second side of the album reflected the more meditative side of the band, and features gamelan instruments such as gongs and Indonesian drums.

This side was further explored on their 3rd album "Urban Gamelan", released in August 1984. In the meantime bass player Sketch (Peter Martin) had loosely joined the band, formerly from the britfunk duo Linx. With Sketch the band drifted back to more accessible funk, as can be heard on the singles "Coup" and "Language".

After Urban Gamelan the individual members concentrated on other projects, releasing only the hip-hop single Assassin in 1986. The band seemed to have disappeared in the late '80s/'90s when they focused on behind-the-scenes production work and their own record label Ronin. In 2000 they released a self-titled album featuring jazz legend Pharaoh Sanders on sax and guest vocals by Roots Manuva. The group disbanded in 2003, but as of late 2013 have been playing live again.

Much of their output has been sampled on other people's records, most notably "Coup", sampled by the Chemical Brothers on "Block Rockin' Beats". The bass line of "Fire" was used by Meat Beat Manifesto on the track "Radio Babylon" (which single-handedly kick started the Jungle and Drum and Bass genres).

IY
23 Skidoo Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Well I wonder why
I brought the sky
Well, I see all
I start to fall
You disagree
Around
I star believing
I start to choke

I look at my back
I see no way
His face is like
?decay
I see black
I see white
I see myself
I see the light

The light
The light
The light
I see the light
The light
The light
The light

Well I wonder why
I brought the sky
Well I see all
I start to fall
You disagree
Around my throat
I star believing
I start to choke
I look in my hand
I see no way
His face is like
? decay
I see death
I see light
I see myself
When I see the light
When I see the light
When I see the light
When I see the light
When I see the light
When I see the light
When I see the light
When I see the light, light, light
When I see the light, light, light, light, light, light
When I see the light, light, light, light, light, light, light
See the light
See the light
See the light
See the light
See the light
See the light
See
When I see the light
When I see the light
When I see the light
When I see the light
When I see the light
When I see the light
When I see the light
When I see the light
When I see the light, light,light, light
When I see the light
When I see the light
When I see the light
When I see the light, light, light, light
When I see the light
When I see the light

When I see the light
When I see the light
When I see the light
When I see the light

When I see the light
When I see the light

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of 23 Skidoo's song "IY" seem to be a reflection of a person's struggle with inner conflicts and the search for an answer or a way out. The repeated lines "Well I wonder why I brought the sky" and "Well, I see all, I start to fall" express a sense of confusion and being overwhelmed by the breadth and depth of life's experiences. The line "You disagree around my throat" suggests that there may be external pressures or conflicting opinions that are adding to this sense of suffocation or being choked.

As the song progresses, the singer seems to turn inward and confront their own fears and doubts. The line "I see death, I see light, I see myself" implies that the singer is starting to understand the eventualities of life and death, and how those are intertwined with their own sense of identity or self. The repeated phrase "When I see the light" suggests that the singer is searching for some sort of epiphany or revelation that will help them find their way through this maze.

Overall, the lyrics of "IY" are quite abstract and open to interpretation. The minimalistic and repetitive structure of the song may reflect a sense of monotony and repetition in the singer's life, or it could be an attempt to distill complex emotions into a simple, hypnotic rhythm.

Line by Line Meaning

Well I wonder why
The singer is questioning the reason for a certain situation

I brought the sky
The singer is responsible for something grand or significant

Well, I see all
The singer has a deeper understanding of something

I start to fall
The artist is losing control or stability

You disagree
Someone else has a conflicting viewpoint

Around
The singer is experiencing a chaotic or confusing environment

I start believing
The singer is beginning to have faith in something

I start to choke
The artist is facing difficulty or obstruction

I look at my back
The artist is reflecting on their past

I see no way
The artist is feeling hopeless or lost

His face is like ?decay
The singer is describing someone with negative qualities or feelings