Exploration of "WK - The Early Years" Part III

   The urge to post an entry per song, great though it may be, must be managed for the sake of coherence. Certainly, some compositions will require more particular and in-depth analysis, but others can be quickly grouped for convenience sake. This is not to say that a piece, such as "Backwards Tape 1977" can't withstand a singular dissection. Rather, some works speak better when grouped with similar sounding, or when similar constraints and conditions apply.

   This is best illustrated, following the singular assessment of "Piano Duet," in the following works, all from "The History of WK":

   Guitar and Drums (1975)

     

   Speeded up Stuff (1976) (also known as "Weird SFX")

   Weird Audio Collage (1976)

   Avant Garde (1977)

   Backwards Tape (1978)

   Delay (1978)

   Each of these six unique compositions expanded upon the technique of recording and manipulation established in the "Piano Duet" remix, and foresaw the role technical expertise and experimentation in recording and production were to play, in addition to classically traditional musical instrumentation finesse, in the palette of Snufmeg related music. From one to the next, a considerable honing of mysterious craft is developing, wherein the germ of creativity is gaining density like mass for a big bang. Missing from these works is the talentless nihilism of so many experimenters, the shallow and transparent craving for attention without voice, story or abstract concept. WK occupied a space where the traditional and non-traditional were never at odds. Rather, they propelled each other in a state of constant forward motion, free of the fetish of the concept of progress; a voice to ring and harmonize the mysterious frequency of the universe, the unknown. The middle section of "Weird Audio Collage" exemplifies such harmoniousness. The piece is introduced with wistful sweeps of tone, an exalting breath is manifest in pause, and what follows is a brief cadence of violin, drums and guitar, rhythmically celebrating the firmament, only to be overtaken by the churning anguish of an unsettled unknown. Likewise, "Avant Garde" (1977) is a prayer of harmonious exploration, modal and tonal. It is easy to overlook these transcendent yearnings impressed in recorded medium when one is bombarded by mercantilism. It is crucial to bear in mind the purity of purpose, the truly precious and sanguine nature of these compositions as artifacts of a culture and community, Snufmeg.

   The theme of Snufmeg recurs throughout the body of work of its adherents, WK, the Cheese Mites, to name a few. At the time of these early recordings, however, Snufmeg was not revealed, although its acolytes were converging, called by a voice they could not hear, much less know how to call it. The Spirit of Phynqafis filled all, yet hidden he was. The time for Phynqafis was still years to be. The groundwork set by WK was prophetic.
   Of special note, however, is "Delay." This piece marks a shift in creative channels. An overt influence of blues is noted, which has a profound effect on the basis of much of the Snufmeg catalog. The melding of blues with experimentalism forms the backbone for compositions for years to come, some swaying one way, and conversely.
   Additionally, "Delay" is significant not only for its content but the context of its creation. This year (1978) finds Snufmeg creativity launching into a new era. WK continues to create and record, as does Johnny B Dub with the unabashedly post-sixties rock influenced ensemble, Sin.

https://youtu.be/WQIK40WJ85c
https://youtu.be/lBH6yY9oWy4
https://youtu.be/oq1MXWkTDIs
https://youtu.be/jDPlmxWLkVM
https://youtu.be/mx5-nJZjcWE
https://youtu.be/ZbNPZzZ5sQ4