Tibet has been the only constant in the group, though Steven Stapleton (of Nurse With Wound) has appeared on nearly every Current 93 release. Michael Cashmore has also been a constant contributor since Thunder Perfect Mind. Douglas P. of Death In June has played on well over a dozen Current 93 releases, and Steve Ignorant of Crass (using the name Stephen Intelligent), Boyd Rice, runologist Freya Aswynn , Nick Cave, Björk, Andrew W.K., Will Oldham, Ben Chasny, Rose McDowall, Tiny Tim, Tony Wakeford of Sol Invictus, Marc Almond, John Balance of Coil, Antony Hegarty of Antony and the Johnsons, Baby Dee and Ian Read of Fire + Ice have also lent their talents over the years. Tibet is fond of the works of American writer Thomas Ligotti, and invited him to collaborate with Current 93.
Current 93 have released over twenty albums and many singles as well as having been a guest on many of the above listed artists' records. Tibet has also collaborated with Nature and Organisation and The Hafler Trio.
Much of Current 93's early work was similar to late 1970s and early 1980s industrial music: abrasive tape loops, droning synthesizer noises and Tibet's distorted, excoriating vocals. This early work became influential with the goth scene. Later works found Tibet mostly casting off such trappings in favor of a more organic sound, labeled by some as "apocalyptic folk" music, occasionally featuring his sinister nursery rhyme-influenced singing and primarily acoustic folk-styled music.
Tibet's lyrics have been fairly consistent, regardless of delivery: The earlier recordings reflect his preoccupation with death, Christ, mysticism, Aleister Crowley (Tibet borrowed the term "93 Current" from Crowley - the 93 Current being the current of Thelema or Agape), Tibetan Buddhism, Gnosticism, runes, swastikas, Noddy, The Wicker Man, and a variety of occult notions. The later to present-day period of Current 93's recordings increasingly reflect Tibet's interest in Christian mysticism. Tibet has stated that he identifies as a Christian.
Literary influences include Lautreamont's Les Chants de Maldoror, the Bible, The Poetic Edda, Hildegard von Bingen, John Dee, Heptarchia Mystica, The Thunder, Perfect Mind, William Blake, Louis Wain, writer Thomas Ligotti, occult British author Arthur Machen (originator of the title "The Inmost Light"), M.R. James's various ghost stories, The Cloud of Unknowing, Count Eric Stenbock, and Russell Hoban's Riddley Walker.
Musical influences include religious chants, traditional folk music, The Tam Lin ballad, The Incredible String Band, Sand, Comus, Blue Öyster Cult, Black Sabbath, Love, Shirley Collins, some progressive bands such as Yes, King Crimson, Emerson, Lake & Palmer, and the British composer Kaikhosru Shapurji Sorabji.
David Keenan's book England's Hidden Reverse - A Secret History of the Esoteric Underground (SAF Publishing 2003) extensively covers Tibet's musical evolution along with that of Coil, Stephen Stapleton, and others.
Jasmine
Current 93 Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Wore lockets with dead friends' hair
Growing like waves or smoke
In the fabric house
The train hops towards sorcery
And the fake Fatherland
Spills flies and totems
Hauls BrockStars by Teeth
As sweet as jasmine
I saw the ink spread
Over the bed the faces mark masks
And hook down comet trails
Whilst the tombs of great trees
Open again for me and thee
The lyrics of Current 93's song "Jasmine" portray a surreal, dreamlike world full of bizarre imagery and symbolism. The singer describes angering dust and robots, wearing lockets with dead friends' hair, and growing like waves or smoke in a fabric house. The train is a recurring symbol, carrying the singer towards sorcery and a fake Fatherland. Flies and totems spill from the train and it hauls BrockStars by teeth, whatever those might be. The singer also describes abstract CHRIST as sweet as jasmine, and sees ink spreading over a bed and faces marking masks, perhaps suggesting the fluidity of identity.
Throughout the song, the singer is attuned to the strangeness and magic of the world. The tombs of great trees open for the singer and a companion, inviting them into an otherworldly realm. The lyrics suggest that the boundaries between reality and the imagined or spiritual realm are blurry and easily crossed.
Overall, "Jasmine" is a deeply enigmatic song that resists easy interpretation. Through its striking use of imagery, it invites the listener to imagine and explore their own visions of the fantastical realms it evokes.
Line by Line Meaning
I angered dust and robots
I disturbed the peaceful and inert dust of the earth and the mechanical beings that are programmed to operate in a certain way.
Wore lockets with dead friends' hair
I kept the hairs of my departed comrades close to my heart by encasing them within lockets.
Growing like waves or smoke
My existence and influence increased and spread like the undulating motion of waves or the fleeting nature of smoke.
In the fabric house
In the world that is intricately woven together, bound by threads of various experiences and emotions.
The train hops towards sorcery
The means of transportation moves towards a magical and mystical realm or an illusionary destination.
And the fake Fatherland
An imaginary land fabricated by those in power to manipulate their followers into believing in a false sense of patriotism.
Spills flies and totems
The overflowing stream of life force or energy is manifested in the form of dead insects and symbolic artifacts of religious or cultural significance.
Hauls BrockStars by Teeth
The cosmic forces drag the stars (possibly referring to the celestial bodies) along by the grip of their teeth (symbolic of their sheer strength).
Moulds abstract CHRIST
The concept of Christ is shaped and reformed into something that may be difficult to comprehend or visualize concretely.
As sweet as jasmine
It brings comfort and solace, comparable to the sweet scent of jasmine flowers.
I saw the ink spread
I witnessed the gradual expansion of written words or ideas, affecting those who come across them.
Over the bed the faces mark masks
The faces that hover over the bed become distorted and concealed, taking on the semblance of masks to hide behind.
And hook down comet trails
The remains of a flying object from outer space along with the trail it leaves behind is brought down and captured.
Whilst the tombs of great trees
As the graves carved out of enormous trees stand tall and still, possibly representing a haven for growth and life.
Open again for me and thee
The perception of these sanctuaries is renewed and accessible again for us to take refuge in.
Contributed by Jordyn P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.