The Skaters (band)

For the post-punk revival band, see Skaters (band).

The Skaters
Ferraro (right) and Clark, year unknown
Background information
Also known as	The Temple Defectors (March 2008)
Origin	California, U.S.
Genres	Post-noise drone [1]
Years active	2004–2009
Labels	New Age Tapes Nature Tape Limb Arbor Infinity 267 lattajjaa 23 Lal Lal Lal Chocolate Monk American Sick Head Catsup Plate Wabana Eclipse Pacific City
Past members	James Ferraro Spencer Clark

The Skaters were an American experimental ^[2] music duo based in San Diego and San Francisco, California, consisting of James Ferraro and Spencer Clark. ^{[1] [3] [4]} The group released cassettes, CD-Rs, and LPs of their work between 2004 and 2008 and toured the United States and Europe until 2009. ^{[5] [6] [7]}

Music journalist Simon Reynolds described the Skaters, along with Ariel Pink, as the "godparents" of hypnagogic pop, and credited a comment made by Ferraro with inspiring the use of the term "hypnagogic". ^[8]

History

In 2004, Ferraro turned 18 and moved from New York to San Diego, where he would meet Clark at an "all-day improvisational noise jam". ^{[1] [9]} Later moving to San Francisco, the duo would record jam sessions in their apartment, which were described by SF Weekly in 2006 as "vocal-dominated psychedelia" and "noise-drenched cosmic soul". The cover artwork of these releases was typically low-quality, black and white collages. ^[1]

Discography

• Dark Rye Bread (2004)
• Humming Lattice Flowers (2004; with Yellow Swans)
• Mountain of Signs (2004)
• Rippling Whispers (2004)
• White Rye Bread (2004; remixes of the Beatles)
• Palm Shaper (November 2004)
• Axolotl / The Skaters (2005; with Axolotl)
• Crowned Purple Gowns (2005)
• Gambling in Ohpa's Shadow (2005)
• Pavilionous Miracles of Circular Facet Dice (2005)
• Receding Smokebath (2005)
• The Skaters / Wooden Wand / The Vanishing Voice (2005; with Wooden Wand and the Vanishing Voice)
• Live at KDVS 90.3 FM, Sacramento, CA 3-25-2005 (March 2005; with Axolotl and Mouthus)
• Untitled or The Skaters (August 2005)
• Diminishing Shrine Recycles (2006; VHS)
• Live Split (2006; with Tomutonttu)
• Shadow Watcher Levitations (2006; released under the aliases "Acid Eagle" (Ferraro) and "Vodka Soap" (Clark))
• Talking Head (2006)
• Raising Spheres of Crossing Angel Minds (April 2006)
• The Skaters / Axolotl (June 2006; with Axolotl)
• Dripping Avenues / Wind Drapeing Incense (December 2006)
• Dispersed Royalty Ornaments (May 2007)
• Monopoly Child Star Searchers / Angel Snake (2008; released under the aliases "Angel Snake" (Ferraro) and "Monopoly Child Star Searchers" (Clark))
• Wind Drapeing Incense (2008)
• The Temple Defectors / Claypipe (March 2008; with Claypipe, released under the alias "the Temple Defectors")
• Physicalities of the Sensibilities of Ingrediential Stairways (August 2008)
• Mountaineer Skyness of Majestic Planes (October 2008)
• Live at Spooky Action Palace (year unknown; with Axolotl, C. Spencer Yeh, and Lambsbread)

Note: Some Ferraro releases, such as Rerex 1–2 and Body Fusion 1–2, have been referred to by Ferraro as being a part of the Skaters' catalog. ^[10]

References

1. "Into the Mystic". SF Weekly . January 11, 2006. Retrieved November 13, 2025.
2. "The Skaters' Spencer Clark reissues bizarre French band Vox Populi!'s Half Dead Ganja Music". Fact . June 25, 2013. Retrieved November 13, 2025.
3. Lynch, Martin (February 20, 2013). "Spencer Clark". Bomb . Retrieved November 13, 2025.
4. Daniel, Drew (January 4, 2007). "The Skaters: 3 Track Review". Pitchfork . Retrieved November 13, 2025.
5. Joyce, Colin (March 21, 2013). "The Skaters' James Ferraro Hints at Noise Duo's Reunion". Spin . Retrieved November 13, 2025.
6. Kretowicz, Steph (February 15, 2020). "Rewind: James Ferraro - Far Side Virtual". Resident Advisor . Retrieved November 13, 2025.
7. "Into The Vortex: update". The Wire . October 6, 2009. Retrieved November 13, 2025.
8. Reynolds 2011, p. 412.
9. "Interview: James Ferraro And His Music Multiverse". Red Bull Music Academy . March 6, 2012. Archived from the original on March 21, 2012. Retrieved November 13, 2025.
10. Ferraro, James (August 17, 2009). "THE NEW BREED, SUMMER HEADRUSH 2009 SERIES IS HERE". muscleworksinc.blogspot.com. Retrieved November 13, 2025– via Blogger.

Bibliography

• Reynolds, Simon (July 19, 2011). Retromania: Pop Culture's Addiction to Its Own Past. New York: Faber & Faber. ISBN   978-1-4299-6858-4.
• Whiteley, Sheila; Rambarran, Shara (2016). The Oxford Handbook of Music and Virtuality. Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN   978-0-19-932128-5.