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Secret Chiefs 3 | |
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![]() Secret Chiefs 3 performing in 2009 | |
Background information | |
Origin | San Francisco, United States |
Genres | Experimental rock |
Years active | 1995–present |
Labels | Web of Mimicry, Amarillo |
Members | See "Band members" |
Website | www |
Secret Chiefs 3 (or SC3) is an American experimental rock group led by guitarist/composer Trey Spruance (of Mr. Bungle and formerly, Faith No More). Their studio recordings and tours have featured different lineups, as the group performs a wide range of musical styles, mostly instrumental, including surf rock, Persian, neo-Pythagorean, Indian, death metal, film music, and electronic music.
The band's name is derived from the "Secret Chiefs" said to inspire and guide various esoteric and mystical groups of the previous two centuries. Spruance has expressed interest in, and drawn inspiration from, various mystical or occult systems such as Sufism, Kabbalah, Hermeticism, and alchemy. [1]
In 2007, it was announced that Secret Chiefs 3 has always been a general name for seven different bands, each representing a different aspect of Spruance's musical and philosophical interests. [2] The seven bands are Electromagnetic Azoth, UR, Ishraqiyun, Traditionalists, Holy Vehm, FORMS, and NT Fan. [3] Spruance has stated that the sound collages of Electromagnetic Azoth serve as the center of Secret Chiefs 3. [4]
The albums Book of Horizons (2004) and Satellite Supersonic Vol. 1 (2010) were conceived as compilation albums featuring the satellite bands under their own names.[ citation needed ] All bands have appeared on at least one of these albums.[ citation needed ] Some satellite bands have also released records of their own. So far, five of the satellite bands have had tracks featured across a series of six 7" singles and Traditionalists and Ishraqiyun have delivered full-length albums.[ citation needed ]
Spruance formed Secret Chiefs 3 in the mid-1990s with fellow Mr. Bungle members Trevor Dunn on bass and Danny Heifetz on drums. Some of the many musicians who have since recorded or toured with SC3 include violinist Eyvind Kang, percussionist William Winant, drummer Ches Smith, bassist Shahzad Ismaily, former Mr. Bungle members Clinton "Bär" McKinnon, oud, gimbre, and bass player Shanir Ezra Blumenkranz, and drummer Kenny Grohowski. Musicians tend to float in and out of SC3, so the concept of "current" and "former" members is not entirely applicable. Below is a list of past and present members, guests, and collaborators:
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This is a list of all releases by SC3 and its satellite bands. The column "artist" states under what name the recording is released, not who is credited with the individual songs. Some releases, like the album Book of Horizons, are noteworthy in this regard, because they are released under the name Secret Chiefs 3, but the tracks they contain are each credited to a satellite band, giving the release the appearance of a compilation album.
Year | Title | Artist | Notes |
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1996 | First Grand Constitution and Bylaws
| Secret Chiefs 3 | |
1998 | Hurqalya (Second Grand Constitution and Bylaws)
| Secret Chiefs 3 | |
2001 | Book M
| Secret Chiefs 3 | |
2004 | Book of Horizons
| Secret Chiefs 3 | First part of the Book of Truth trilogy Individual tracks are credited to the satellite bands |
2008 | Xaphan: Book of Angels Volume 9
| Secret Chiefs 3 | Arrangements from John Zorn's second Masada songbook |
2009 | Le Mani Destre Recise Degli Ultimi Uomini
| Traditionalists | |
2013 | Book of Souls: Folio A
| Secret Chiefs 3 | Second part of the Book of Truth trilogy Some individual tracks are credited to the satellite bands |
2014 | Perichoresis
| Ishraqiyun | The satellite band's full-length album |
2018 | Malkhut
| Secret Chiefs 3 | Arrangements from John Zorn's Masada Book Three – "Book Beri'ah" |
Year | Title | Artist | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1999 | Eyes of Flesh, Eyes of Flame
| Secret Chiefs 3 | Recording of a live performance at Slims in San Francisco on August 18, 1998 |
Year | Title | Artist | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2007 | Path of Most Resistance
| Secret Chiefs 3 | Compilation of previously released tracks The last three songs had not been released on any other Secret Chiefs 3 album |
2010 | Satellite Supersonic Vol. 1
| Secret Chiefs 3 | Compilation of previously released 7" singles, re-recordings, and new material Individual tracks are credited to the satellite bands |
Year | Title | Artist | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2009 | Live at the Great American Music Hall
| Secret Chiefs 3 | Recording of a live performance at the Great American Music Hall in San Francisco on June 3, 2007 |
Year | Title | Artist(s) | Notes |
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1995 | The Legendary Paper Project
| Secret Chiefs 3 / Mr. Bungle | Split 7" promo including Mr. Bungle's "Platypus" Packaged with US vinyl copies of Mr. Bungle's Disco Volante LP |
1998 | The Theatrum of Suprasensory Universes Vol. 1
| Secret Chiefs 3 | Live EP with material from Australia tour |
1998 | Zulfikar II / Zulfikar III
| Secret Chiefs 3 | |
2007 | The Left Hand of Nothingness / Personnae: Halloween
| The Electromagnetic Azoth / UR | |
2007 | Balance of the 19 / Ubik
| Ishraqiyun / The Electromagnetic Azoth | |
2007 | Kulturvultur / Drive
| UR | |
2007 | Circumambulation / Labyrinth of Light
| UR | |
2011 | Saptarshi / Radar
| Ishraqiyun / FORMS | |
2012 | La Chanson de Jacky / The Western Exile
| Traditionalists | |
2014 | Medium Aevum / Stars and Stripes Forever
| UR / FORMS | |
2014 | Apocryphon of Jupiter / Danse Macabre
| FORMS featuring the Golden State Theater Mighty Wurlitzer | |
2016 | Telstar / The New Daylight (Welcome to the Theatron Animatronique)
| UR | Web-only release |
2017 | THE SYSTEM OF ANTICHRIST / Bereshith
| Traditionalists / Ishraqiyun | Web-only release |
2017 | MUSICA PRACTICA *Geek Pack One*: Bereshith
| Ishraqiyun | Web-only release (alternative mixes and instrument stems) |
2017 | Danse Macabre Superdeluxe
| FORMS | Web-only release (alt arrangements) |
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Mr. Bungle is an American experimental rock band formed in Eureka, California, in 1985. Having gone through many incarnations throughout its career, the band is best known for its experimental rock period. During this time, it developed a highly eclectic style, cycling through several musical genres, often within the course of a single song, including heavy metal, avant-garde jazz, ska, disco, and funk, further enhanced by frontman Mike Patton's versatile singing style. This period also saw the band utilizing unconventional song structures and samples; playing a wide array of instruments; dressing up in masks, jumpsuits, and other costumes; and performing a diverse selection of cover songs during live performances.
Preston Lea "Trey" Spruance III is an American composer, producer, and musician who co-founded the experimental rock band Mr. Bungle. He is also leader of the multi-genre outfit Secret Chiefs 3. Originally a guitarist and trumpeter, in the early 90s Spruance began playing vintage electronic organs, analog synthesizers, saz, santur, electric sitar, tar, and various other string and percussion instruments. In the mid 90s he founded Forking Paths Studio where his production techniques were applied to Mr. Bungle and Secret Chiefs 3 records among many others. Since 2007 Spruance's Secret Chiefs 3 has been a very active live entity, performing well over 500 shows in more than 50 countries.
Disco Volante is the second studio album by American experimental rock band Mr. Bungle. It was released on October 10, 1995, through Warner Bros., and is often considered their most experimental album, mixing elements from such varied styles as death metal, jazz, Arabic music, musique concrète, easy listening, klezmer, and tango.
Mr. Bungle is the debut studio album by American experimental rock band Mr. Bungle. It was released on August 13, 1991, through Warner Bros. Records. The album contains many genre shifts which are typical of the band, and helped increase the band's popularity, gaining them a cult following.
California is the third studio album by American experimental rock band Mr. Bungle. It was released on July 13, 1999, through Warner Bros.
We Care a Lot is the debut studio album by American rock band Faith No More, originally released in 1985 and distributed through Mordam Records. On the original vinyl release, the band is credited as Faith. No More. on the album's liner notes, back cover, and on the record itself.
Tub Ring is a Chicago-based rock band.
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Gregg Turkington is an American comedian, entertainer, actor, musician and writer. He is known for his performances as Neil Hamburger, a stand-up comedian persona he developed in the 1990s. Alongside Tim Heidecker, Turkington also stars as a fictionalized version of himself on the comedic web series On Cinema (2011–). In addition, he formed one-half of the band Zip Code Rapists and has collaborated on numerous projects with musicians including Trey Spruance.
First Grand Constitution and Bylaws is the debut studio album by American experimental rock band Secret Chiefs 3, released on September 30, 1996 by Amarillo Records.
Book of Horizons is the fourth studio album by Secret Chiefs 3, released May 25, 2004. Book of Horizons was the first Secret Chiefs 3 album to reveal the satellite bands that form the actual band under their own names. Out of the seven bands only one, NT Fan, was not heard on the album at all. The other six are The Electromagnetic Azoth, UR, Ishraqiyun, Traditionalists, Holy Vehm and FORMS. Since the release of Book of Horizons the satellite bands have seen several releases of their own.
Le Mani Destre Recise Degli Ultimi Uomini is the sixth album by the heavily conceptual American band Secret Chiefs 3. The album is a paranoiac soundtrack to an imaginary Giallo horror film. The album contains 30 tracks of original music inspired by Italian film composers including Bruno Nicolai, Stelvio Cipriani, Ennio Morricone, Goblin and Piero Piccioni. The album marks the first full-length release by one of the Secret Chiefs 3 satellite bands. Previously, three of the seven satellite bands, UR, The Electromagnetic Azoth and Ishraqiyun have released limited edition 7-inch EPs. Le Mani Destre Recise Degli Ultimi Uomini also had a limited vinyl release.
Satellite Supersonic Vol. 1 is a compilation of Secret Chiefs 3 songs. All but one of the songs are by the Secret Chiefs 3's satellite bands UR, Ishraqiyun and Electromagnetic Azoth, making the album the third digital recording to feature such releases. Some of the songs were previously released as limited edition 7-inch singles, whereas others are previously unreleased tracks. The final piece is an unreleased rarity from the early years of the band, recorded in 1998. The previously released songs have seen "a full studio work-over" in 2010. Some of them feature newly recorded material.
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Perichoresis is the debut studio album by Ishraqiyun and the eighth studio album by Secret Chiefs 3, released on October 21, 2014 by Web of Mimicry. The album comprises Afghani music influenced original compositions that utilize non-Western tunings and instrumentation that the band had previously performed in over forty countries. It is the second album in the band's discography to feature music entirely created by one of the satellite projects.
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