23 Skidoo is a British music group formed in London in 1979. Originated by Fritz Catlin, Johnny Turnbull, and Sam Mills, the group incorporates interests in martial arts, Burundi and Kodo drumming, Fela Kuti, The Last Poets, and William S. Burroughs into a fusion of industrial, post-punk, funk, and world music. Its debut single, “Ethics”, was released in 1980, followed by the single “The Gospel Comes to New Guinea” in 1981, and a John Peel session recorded on September 16, 1981. The debut album, Seven Songs (1982), went straight to Number 1 on the Independent charts. Subsequent releases include the EP Tearing Up the Plans (1982) and the albums The Culling Is Coming (1983) and Urban Gamelan (1984), the latter of which features bassist Peter Martin. After shifting focus to hip-hop, they released the compilation Just Like Everybody (1987) and established the record label Ronin Records. They signed with Virgin Records in 1991 and released the album 23 Skidoo (2000), which features contributions from Pharoah Sanders and Roots Manuva. They also released the compilation Just Like Everybody Part Two (2002) and scored the documentary film Beyond Time, which was accompanied by a soundtrack album of the same name in 2015.
