SP23

SP23 is a musical and arts collective that played a central role in the Spiral Tribe Sound System. The members reformed in 2012 under the name SP23 to differentiate between the illegal sound system known for free parties and free festivals and the group of today. Spiral Tribe were most identified with reclaiming public space,[1] their renegade approach to celebration and open source organisation[2] and the police crackdowns against them which culminated in the Criminal Justice Act of 1994.[3] While SP23 were at the heart of Spiral Tribe, they are also known primarily for their pioneering of live electronic dance music, their visual symbolism and their ongoing connection to the conscious, community based roots of rave culture.[4][5][6]

History

SP23 began in Berlin in the mid 1990s a unit for the Spiral Tribe musicians to release records under.[7] Based in a mobile recording studio that was housed in an old circus trailer, they helped define the sound of Free Tekno. Hard edged industrial sounds saw 4 /4 beats fused with breakbeats and the resulting synthesis created a distinct sound that would become synonymous with the Teknival movement that Spiral Tribe founded.[8]

Known for their 'livesets' where synthesisers, drum machines, samplers, effects units and sequencers were combined through a multi channel mixing desk to create live progressions rather than simply mixing records together, they rapidly acquired a cult following and spawned a range of genres at the harder end of techno music. Playing in all weather conditions in a multitude of unconventional locations at illegal raves, they became a driving force in the DIY culture of liveset techno[4]

SP23 also became a form of short hand for the Spiral Tribe sound system, which stopped operating toward the end of the 1990s leaving a legacy of subcultures in many European countries.[4]

Today

After Spiral Tribe members went their separate ways, the members of SP23 went onto successful musical careers. The split had been amicable, so having stayed close over the years, they decided to reform as a single unit again in 2012. With the original Spiral Tribe graphic artists also joining the new SP23, it effectively took the key aspects of the strong Spiral Tribe identity and sought to recast it within a licensed context. The idea behind the project was to unify free community based projects with licensed events to pursue similar goals to Spiral Tribe, but no longer illegally.[6]

Musically, SP23 is far more diverse than it was in the 1990s and they are renowned for switching between tempos and styles depending on the occasion.

With most of the members having been based in France since Spiral Tribe left the UK in 1992 after the Castlemorton Common Free Festival, most early SP23 events were in mainland Europe.[9][10] However recently they have started to become active in the UK again.[11]

Members

Crystal Distortion,

69db,

Ixindamix,

Jeff23,

Feenix 13,

Meltdown Mickey,

Sim Simmer,

Mark Harrison,

Julian 'Lights' ,

Sirius,

Max Volume,

Charlie Kane,

See also

External links

References

  1. ↑ South (1999). Drugs: Cultures, Controls and Everyday Life. SAGE Publications,. ISBN 0-7619-5235-7.
  2. ↑ Guest, Tim (12 July 2009). "Fight for the Right to Party". The observer (London).
  3. ↑ Lysnkey, Dorian (15 June 2011). "Castlemorton triggers the rave Crackdown". The Guardian (London).
  4. 1 2 3 Collin, Matthew. Altered State. Serpent's Tail. ISBN 9781852423773.
  5. ↑ "Arte - Tracks".
  6. 1 2 "DMC Magazine".
  7. ↑ Discogs. "Discogs SP23".
  8. ↑ Colin, Matthew. Altered State. Serpent's Tail. ISBN 9781852423773.
  9. ↑ "DJ Magazine".
  10. ↑ "Arte Tracks".
  11. ↑ Excite, UK. "Return of the Renegades".
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