The Skaters (band)
The Skaters | |
|---|---|
Ferraro (right) and Clark, year unknown | |
| Background information | |
| Also known as | The Temple Defectors (March 2008) |
| Origin | California, U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Years active | 2004–2009 |
| Labels |
|
| Past members | James Ferraro Spencer Clark |
The Skaters were an American experimental[2] music duo based in San Diego and San Francisco, California, consisting of James Ferraro and Spencer Clark.[1][3][4] The group released cassettes, CD-Rs, and LPs of their work between 2004 and 2008 and toured the United States and Europe until 2009.[5][6][7] They have been regarded as part of the "post-noise psychedelia" movement.[8]
Music journalist Simon Reynolds described the Skaters, along with Ariel Pink, as the "godparents" of hypnagogic pop, and credited a comment made by Ferraro with inspiring the use of the term "hypnagogic".[9]
History
In 2004, Ferraro turned 18 and moved from New York to San Diego, where he would meet Clark at an "all-day improvisational noise jam".[1][10] Later moving to San Francisco, the duo would record jam sessions in their apartment, which were described by SF Weekly in 2006 as "vocal-dominated psychedelia" and "noise-drenched cosmic soul". The cover artwork of these releases was typically low-quality, black and white collages.[1][11][12]
Discography
- Dark Rye Bread (2004)
- Humming Lattice Flowers (2004; with Yellow Swans)
- Mountain of Signs (2004)
- Rippling Whispers (2004)
- White Rye Bread (2004; remixes of the Beatles)
- Palm Shaper (November 2004)
- Axolotl / The Skaters (2005; with Axolotl)
- Crowned Purple Gowns (2005)
- Gambling in Ohpa's Shadow (2005)
- Pavilionous Miracles of Circular Facet Dice (2005)
- Receding Smokebath (2005)
- The Skaters / Wooden Wand / The Vanishing Voice (2005; with Wooden Wand and the Vanishing Voice)
- Live at KDVS 90.3 FM, Sacramento, CA 3-25-2005 (March 2005; with Axolotl and Mouthus)
- Untitled or The Skaters (August 2005)
- Diminishing Shrine Recycles (2006; VHS)
- Live Split (2006; with Tomutonttu)
- Shadow Watcher Levitations (2006; released under the aliases "Acid Eagle" (Ferraro) and "Vodka Soap" (Clark))
- Talking Head (2006)
- Raising Spheres of Crossing Angel Minds (April 2006)
- The Skaters / Axolotl (June 2006; with Axolotl)
- Dripping Avenues / Wind Drapeing Incense (December 2006)
- Dispersed Royalty Ornaments (May 2007)
- Monopoly Child Star Searchers / Angel Snake (2008; released under the aliases "Angel Snake" (Ferraro) and "Monopoly Child Star Searchers" (Clark))
- Wind Drapeing Incense (2008)
- The Temple Defectors / Claypipe (March 2008; with Claypipe, released under the alias "the Temple Defectors")
- Physicalities of the Sensibilities of Ingrediential Stairways (August 2008)
- Mountaineer Skyness of Majestic Planes (October 2008)
- Live at Spooky Action Palace (year unknown; with Axolotl, C. Spencer Yeh, and Lambsbread)
Note: Some Ferraro releases, such as Rerex 1–2 and Body Fusion 1–2, have been referred to by Ferraro as being a part of the Skaters' catalog.[13]
References
- ^ a b c d "Into the Mystic". SF Weekly. January 11, 2006. Retrieved November 13, 2025.
- ^ "The Skaters' Spencer Clark reissues bizarre French band Vox Populi!'s Half Dead Ganja Music". Fact. June 25, 2013. Retrieved November 13, 2025.
- ^ Lynch, Martin (February 20, 2013). "Spencer Clark". Bomb. Retrieved November 13, 2025.
- ^ Daniel, Drew (January 4, 2007). "The Skaters: 3 Track Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved November 13, 2025.
- ^ Joyce, Colin (March 21, 2013). "The Skaters' James Ferraro Hints at Noise Duo's Reunion". Spin. Retrieved November 13, 2025.
- ^ Kretowicz, Steph (February 15, 2020). "Rewind: James Ferraro - Far Side Virtual". Resident Advisor. Retrieved November 13, 2025.
- ^ "Into The Vortex: update". The Wire. October 6, 2009. Retrieved November 13, 2025.
- ^ Whiteley & Rambarran 2016, p. 409.
- ^ Reynolds 2011, p. 412.
- ^ "Interview: James Ferraro And His Music Multiverse". Red Bull Music Academy. March 6, 2012. Archived from the original on March 21, 2012. Retrieved November 13, 2025.
- ^ Masters, Marc (September 14, 2009). "The Decade in Noise". Pitchfork. Retrieved November 11, 2025.
- ^ Staff, SPIN (October 25, 2011). "James Ferraro, 'Far Side Virtual' (Hippos in Tanks) - SPIN". SPIN. Archived from the original on January 24, 2025. Retrieved November 14, 2025.
- ^ Ferraro, James (August 17, 2009). "THE NEW BREED, SUMMER HEADRUSH 2009 SERIES IS HERE". muscleworksinc.blogspot.com. Retrieved November 13, 2025 – via Blogger.
Bibliography
- Reynolds, Simon (July 19, 2011). Retromania: Pop Culture's Addiction to Its Own Past. New York City: Faber & Faber. ISBN 978-1-4299-6858-4.
- Whiteley, Sheila; Rambarran, Shara (2016). The Oxford Handbook of Music and Virtuality. Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-932128-5.