Secret Chiefs 3

Secret Chiefs 3 (or SC3) is an American avant-garde 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.

Secret Chiefs 3
Secret Chiefs 3 performing in 2009
Secret Chiefs 3 performing in 2009
Background information
OriginSan Francisco, United States
GenresAvant-garde
Years active1995–present
LabelsWeb of Mimicry, Amarillo
MembersSee "Band members"
Websitewww.webofmimicry.com/label.php?band=sc3

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]

Satellite bands

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. All bands have appeared on at least one of these albums. 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.

Trey Spruance performing in 2009

Band members

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:

Discography

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.

Studio albums
Year Title Artist Notes
1996 First Grand Constitution and Bylaws Secret Chiefs 3
1998 Hurqalya (Second Grand Constitution and Bylaws)
  • Labels: Amarillo (1998), Web of Mimicry (2000)
 Secret Chiefs 3
2001 Book M
  • Label: Web of Mimicry
 Secret Chiefs 3
2004 Book of Horizons
  • Label: Web of Mimicry
 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
  • Label: Web of Mimicry
 Traditionalists
2013 Book of Souls: Folio A
  • Label: Web of Mimicry
 Secret Chiefs 3 Second part of the Book of Truth trilogy

Some individual tracks are credited to the satellite bands

2014 Perichoresis
  • Label: Web of Mimicry
 Ishraqiyun The satellite band's full-length album
2018 Malkhut
  • Label: Tzadik
 Secret Chiefs 3 Arrangements from John Zorn's Masada Book Three – "Book Beri'ah"

Live albums
Year Title Artist Notes
1999 Eyes of Flesh, Eyes of Flame
  • Label: Web of Mimicry
 Secret Chiefs 3 Recording of a live performance at Slims in San Francisco on August 18, 1998

Compilations
Year Title Artist Notes
2007 Path of Most Resistance
  • Label: Web of Mimicry
 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
  • Label: Web of Mimicry
 Secret Chiefs 3 Compilation of previously released 7" singles, re-recordings, and new material

Individual tracks are credited to the satellite bands

DVDs
Year Title Artist Notes
2009 Live at the Great American Music Hall
  • Label: Web of Mimicry
 Secret Chiefs 3 Recording of a live performance at the Great American Music Hall in San Francisco on June 3, 2007

Singles and EPs
Year Title Artist(s) Notes
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
  • Label: Amarillo
 Secret Chiefs 3 Live EP with material from Australia tour
1998 Zulfikar II / Zulfikar III
  • Label: Web of Mimicry
 Secret Chiefs 3
2007 The Left Hand of Nothingness / Personnae: Halloween
  • Label: Web of Mimicry
 The Electromagnetic Azoth / UR
2007 Balance of the 19 / Ubik
  • Label: Web of Mimicry
 Ishraqiyun / The Electromagnetic Azoth
2007 Kulturvultur / Drive
  • Label: Web of Mimicry
 UR
2007 Circumambulation / Labyrinth of Light
  • Label: Web of Mimicry
 UR
2011 Saptarshi / Radar
  • Label: Web of Mimicry
 Ishraqiyun / FORMS
2012 La Chanson de Jacky / The Western Exile
  • Label: Web of Mimicry
 Traditionalists
2014 Medium Aevum / Stars and Stripes Forever
  • Label: Web of Mimicry
 UR / FORMS
2014 Apocryphon of Jupiter / Danse Macabre
  • Label: Web of Mimicry
 FORMS featuring the Golden State Theater Mighty Wurlitzer
2016 Telstar / The New Daylight (Welcome to the Theatron Animatronique)
  • Label: Web of Mimicry
 UR Web-only release
2017 THE SYSTEM OF ANTICHRIST / Bereshith
  • Label: Web of Mimicry
 Traditionalists / Ishraqiyun Web-only release
2017 MUSICA PRACTICA *Geek Pack One*: Bereshith
  • Label: Web of Mimicry
 Ishraqiyun Web-only release (alternative mixes and instrument stems)
2017 Danse Macabre Superdeluxe
  • Label: Web of Mimicry
 FORMS Web-only release (alt arrangements)

References
  1. "Secret Chiefs 3 - Interview with Trey Spruance". October 19, 2011.
  2. Mullen, Jawsh (March 1, 2007). "The Secret Chiefs 3". Denver Westword Music. Denver Westword. Retrieved June 30, 2011.
  3. York, William. "Book of Horizons". Allmusic. Rovi. Retrieved January 12, 2012.
  4. Murphy, Tom (January 24, 2012). "Trey Spruance of Secret Chiefs 3: "I started studying the musical systems of antiquity to try to understand what made them tick"". Denver Westword Music. Denver Westword. Retrieved January 25, 2012.
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