Information
Who are SkInMeChaNIx?
SkInMeChaNIx began life in August 1999 as a short lived but prolific collaboration between T-Bass UK's Dave Hughes and avant-garde sound experimentalist, Skin.
The objective was to get back to basics, to reclaim some of the joy of creating original music and to work with some new and previously untried techniques. The end product, we feel, was something very special indeed - dance rhythms fused with throbbing retro sequences and fiery electronic soundscapes, strong melodies and challenging arrangements, all welded together to form a magical melange and occupying a territory which was perhaps unique in the UK synth music scene.
Sadly, the SkInMeChaNIx collaboration folded very quickly and the session tapes were left untouched for three years before the project was finally resurrected in January 2002. However, because of a number of engineering issues, the early demo tapes proved virtually useless and so Hughes began the task of re-recording and rearranging the source material to form the basis of a more commercial release.
These efforts proved highly successfull and the debut album The Secret Life of Angels was released in September 2002. Material from the album was played as part of a concert by T-Bass at Jodrell Bank Planetarium later that month and the audience reaction was very positive and enthusiastic indeed. After quickly gaining a number of excellent reviews and a great deal of airplay around the world, SkinMechanix continues, albeit in a solo capacity.
Live concerts became a regular feature. So far, SKinMechanix have performed at three concerts in the Awakenings series, two as the headline act. Much of the material that went on to form the second Skin Mechanix release, Fallen Angel, was recorded at the Awakenings concert in February 2005.
Fallen Angel was an unusual release in that it features a mix of both live and studio pieces, and shows the band searching out and exploring new directions whilst, at the same time, looking backwards towards the glory days of T-Bass, perhaps towards a time when the UK scene was more willing to accept artists from all faiths. Strangely, Fallen Angel was released as a limited edition disc of just 50 copies and, unsurprisingly, was sold out completely within two days.
The band remains active and new material continued to emerge throughout 2006 and 2007, mostly in demo format and at a couple of Awakenings gigs. The band performed a one-off concert at Newcastle University's Culture Lab under the banner of SkinMechanix although, with the exception of one track - Waving at Mono - the material has a distinctly Ion feel about it.
Update February 2012
David Hughes has confirmed that a new SKinMechanix album is in the pipeline though it will be radically different from the previous incarnation and much of the recent electronic work will appear on the forthcoming Ion album.
From the material we've heard so far, it's very much in the style of Depeche Mode circa 'Songs of Faith and Devotion' and some of Gary Numan's recent albums.
We wait with eager anticipation.