Mar 10, 2015

Beyond Time: A new album and film about William Turnbull by 23 Skidoo


Coming across this news was certainly a pleasant surprise. One of my all-time favorite UK post punk bands, 23 Skidoo, are releasing a new LP (their first in 15 years!!!) entitled Beyond Time, along with a DVD of a documentary with the same title which tells the story of acclaimed UK artist, William Turnbull. Turnbull happens to be the father of two of 23 Skidoo's members. Here are the details, along with a film clip - if you're reading this in an email you may want to click the headline to see the video.

Beyond Time is the first album by acclaimed experimental group 23 Skidoo in fifteen years, released in a special double disc edition combining the soundtrack music to 2011 documentary film Beyond Time, and a DVD of the film itself.

Directed by Alex Turnbull and Pete Stern, Beyond Time is a journey into the life and work of artist William Turnbull, from his modest roots as the son of a Dundee shipyard engineer to his standing as one of the world’s most highly regarded modern sculptors. Narration is by Jude Law. “An insightful, irreverent documentary, yet with a palpable sense of purpose” said the Daily Telegraph, with the Guardian confirming that“William Turnbull helped change the way we see art today.”

The soundtrack music is performed by 23 Skidoo. Formed in 1979 as industrial, post-punk and funk genres coalesced, the group included Bill Turnbull’s sons Alex and Jonny together with Fritz Catlin and Peter ‘Sketch’ Martin. As well as new music, the accomplished score features re-worked versions of older material. “Johnny and I thought 23 Skidoo’s anti-commercial tendencies came from a punk sensibility,” explains Alex. “But it turns out we had a genetic predisposition to anti-establishment practices. Bill was a polymath at a time when that was a dirty word, shifting between sculpture and painting and putting both in a symbiotic relationship. Now crossing boundaries is everywhere: think of hip-hop. The name of the band referenced a William Burroughs short story. Burroughs used, as we did, cut-up techniques, collaging and sampling. We were oblivious to the fact that a lot of that aesthetic was in what Bill did until I made the film.”

Both the CD and vinyl versions of Beyond Time include a Region 0 NTSC format DVD of the documentary film (with bonus features), but feature different artwork. The CD/DVD package features a portrait of Bill by photographer Ida Carr, while the vinyl/DVD version features a detail from 05 by William Turnbull (oil on canvas, 1959) printed on matt reverse board.

CD tracklist:
1. Dawning (version)
2. AYU (ambient)
3. Calypso
4. Interzonal
5. Kendang
6. Contemplation
7. Helicopterz
8. Urban Gamelan

Vinyl tracklist:
A1. Dawning (version)
A2. AYU (ambient)
A3. Calypso
B1. Kendang
B2. Contemplation
B3. Helicopterz
B4. Urban Gamelan

Both formats come with a Region 0 DVD copy of the film, and can be ordered here.

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