Funkopath – Skwirm / Skweel

Andy Guthrie (AKA 100th Monkey) is most known for his collaborative work with UK producers Prana, Medicine Drum, ManMadeMan, Eat Static, Seb Taylor, and Banco De Gaia, but he also made a noteworthy contribution to the psybreaks movement under the guise of Funkopath. Releasing primarily on 21-3 Records, Guthrie put out a handful of original songs and remixes fusing trance and breaks in 1997 and 1998. This particular vinyl single, the fifth from 21-3, marks the debut of the Funkopath project. Engineered by Rob Risso, this record features two tracks that blur the boundary between Goa trance and breakbeat-driven music.

Skwirm is widely regarded as Funkopath’s big hit, largely due to the prominent use of samples from the patron saint of psytrance, Terence McKenna, who can be heard to declare “consciousness expanding… bursting!” Although it is superficially appealing to the ear, I have never been exceedingly enthusiastic about this particular piece. Drowned out by shrill acid riffs, the beat has no bite, even if it is nicely programmed.

Skweel opens with a short teaser sequence—pumping beats that soon give way to the clattering breakbeat groove that dominates the remainder of the song. The mood here is peculiar and delightful, brought to life by fluttering melodies that dance wildly in the space above the rhythm. Without any samples to interfere, this pure piece of light-hearted break-trance emerges as the better of the two tracks here.

Andy Guthrie did well with the first Funkopath single, injecting a new sound into the swirling currents of British trance production. Sounding much like Prana from the original half of Geomantik, these beats fell on to dance floors craving something a little out of the ordinary, and were met by smiles and appreciation all around. Age has not been so kind to this pair—they both sound a little sloppy by now—but this record should nonetheless be recognized as a small milestone in UK trance history. Listeners interested in the psychedelic breaks movement of the late-nineties should give it a listen, and collectors may also wish to track this down. CD buyers will be glad to know that Skwirm is available on All Boundaries Are Illusion, and Skweel can be heard on 21-3’s informal “best of” compilation, Selected Highs.

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