View source for Skiz Fernando

{{Short description|American writer and musician}}
{{Infobox person
| name          = Skiz Fernando
| image         = <!-- filename only, no "File:" or "Image:" prefix, and no enclosing [[brackets]] -->
| alt           = <!-- descriptive text for use by speech synthesis (text-to-speech) software -->
| caption       = 
| birth_name    = Sarath H. Fernando Jr.
| birth_date    = {{birth year and age|1968}}
| birth_place   = [[Texas]]
| other_names   = S. H. Fernando Jr.
| occupation    = {{flatlist|
* Journalist
* writer
* record producer
* rapper
}}
| years_active  = 
| alma_mater    = [[Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism]]
| module        =
{{Infobox musical artist
| embed             = yes
| alias             = {{flatlist|
* Spectre
* The Ill Saint
* Wordsound I-Powa
* Slotek
* Minister Fernando
* Skza
* The Eye
}}
| origin            = [[Brooklyn, New York]]
| genre             = {{flatlist|
* [[Illbient]]
* [[Hip hop music|hip hop]]
* [[trip hop]]
}}
| instrument        = 
| years_active      = 1994–present
| label             = WordSound
| current_member_of = 
| past_member_of    = {{flatlist|
* Scarab
* Crooklyn Dub Consortium
}}
| website           = <!-- {{URL|example.com}} or {{Official URL}} -->
}}
}}

'''Sarath "Skiz" Fernando'''<ref>{{cite web|title=Sarath "Skiz" Fernando Songs, Albums, Reviews, Bio & More|url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/sarath-skiz-fernando-mn0001732359|website=[[AllMusic]]|access-date=4 August 2023}}</ref> (born 1968) is a former music critic, who has written for ''[[The New York Times]]'', ''[[Rolling Stone]]'', ''[[The Source (magazine)|The Source]]'', ''[[Spin (magazine)|Spin]]'', and ''[[Vibe (magazine)|Vibe]]''. Later, under the alias '''Spectre''',<ref>{{cite web|last1=Mcdermott|first1=Matt|title=PAN reissue obscure illbient hip-hop mixtape from Spectre|url=https://ra.co/news/28104|website=[[Resident Advisor]]|access-date=4 August 2023}}</ref> he became a [[record producer]], [[rapper]], and [[electronica]] artist. He is the founder and the head of his own label WordSound,<ref name="Baltimore CityPaper" /> as well as the author of several books about hip hop music.

==Early life==
Sarath H. Fernando Jr. was born in 1968<ref>{{cite interview|last=Fernando|first= Sarath|interviewer-last= Butts|interviewer-first=Brandon Rashad|title=Between Two Succulents with guest S.H. Fernando JR|date= 2021|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WFoge9ba2uc|quote=I'm pretty much the same age as [[Wu-Tang Clan|these guys]]. I'm 1968, so I'm the same age as [[Ol' Dirty Bastard|ODB]]|access-date=4 August 2023}}</ref> in [[Texas]].<ref name="bourdain">{{Cite episode|title=Sri Lanka|series=Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations|series-link=Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations|last=Bourdain|first=Anthony|network=[[Discovery Travel & Living (Europe)|Discovery Travel & Living]]|date=March 2, 2009|season=5|number=9|minutes=3}}</ref> His parents are [[Sri Lanka|Sri Lankan]] immigrants,<ref>{{cite web|title=Learning 'Sri Lankan Home Cooking' A Family Affair|url=https://www.npr.org/2011/12/29/144442096/learning-sri-lankan-home-cooking-a-family-affair|website=[[NPR]]|date=December 29, 2011|access-date=4 August 2023}}</ref> and he is the only person in his family to be born in the United States.<ref>{{cite web|title=Learning 'Sri Lankan Home Cooking' A Family Affair|type=transcript|url=https://www.npr.org/transcripts/144442096|website=[[NPR]]|date=December 29, 2011|access-date=4 August 2023}}</ref> Fernando was raised in [[Pikesville, Maryland|Pikesville]], [[Baltimore County, Maryland]] and attended [[St. Paul's School for Boys (Maryland)|St. Paul's School for Boys]].<ref name="bsun">{{cite web|last1=Gonzales|first1=Michael A.|title=Pikesville native, Prince Paul collaborator drops crazy new album|url=https://www.baltimoresun.com/citypaper/bcp-cms-1-1385471-migrated-story-cp-20121010-music-20121010-story.html|website=[[The Baltimore Sun]]|access-date=5 August 2023|date=10 October 2012}}</ref>

Throughout childhood, he was listening to music records his brother and sister would bring home. His siblings were "much older" than him and were listening to [[Parliament-Funkadelic]], [[Bob Marley]], and [[David Bowie]]. In 1979, when he was around 11 years old, he heard the song "[[Rapper's Delight]]" on the radio. "For me, that was it. I had no idea what hip-hop even was, but I was mesmerized. A few years later, when [[Soulsonic Force|Soul Sonic Force]] released '[[Planet Rock (song)|Planet Rock]],' I knew I wanted to be a part of that music", recalls Fernando. He became friends with "the only three black guys" in his school and started listening to their favorite music, which included [[LL Cool J]] and [[Run-DMC]], while continuing listening to rock bands like [[the Smiths]]. In the following years, Fernando would dedicate time to exploring record stores in search of new artists and genres.<ref name="bsun" />

After graduating from [[Harvard College]],<ref>{{cite web|last1=Ali|first1=Lorraine|title=Dread, Beat, and Brooklyn|url=https://www.villagevoice.com/dread-beat-and-brooklyn/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230805011641/https://www.villagevoice.com/dread-beat-and-brooklyn/|url-status=dead|archive-date=August 5, 2023|website=[[The Village Voice]]|access-date=5 August 2023|date=September 21, 1999}}</ref> Fernando moved to [[Greece]], where he worked as a school teacher. At that time, he was unsure about his future plans. Since he loved hip hop, a year later he decided to move to New York City, which he viewed as the central place for hip hop. To justify the decision to his parents, he enrolled in the [[Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism]],<ref name="housepodcast">{{cite interview|last=Fernando|first=Sarath|interviewer-last=Agoston|interviewer-first=Peter|title=Ep. 8 - S.H. Fernando Jr (aka Spectre)|date=2017|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=achTLXX7nSc|access-date=6 August 2023}}</ref> which he later graduated from.<ref name="bio">{{cite web|title=Skiz Bio|url=http://www.wordsound.com/skza.html|publisher=Wordsound}}</ref>

==Journalistic career==
During his time in Harvard, Skiz Fernando would listen to the ''Street Beat'' show on [[WHRB]], a student radio station.<ref name="dubspot">{{cite interview |last= Fernando|first= Sarath|interviewer-last=Mesinai|interviewer-first=Raz|interviewer-link=Raz Mesinai|title=Skiz Fernando (Spectre / WordSound) @ Dubspot - Talks Influences, Dub, Hip Hop|date= 2012|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4WfLpCKRzmQ|access-date=5 August 2023}}</ref> The show was hosted by two Harvard College students, [[David Mays]] and [[Jonathan Shecter]], who would later create ''[[The Source (magazine)|The Source]]''. Started as a one-page newsletter,<ref>{{cite news|last1=Mehren|first1=Elizabeth|title=Head of the Class in College of Letters, Arts and Rap|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1990-04-16-ca-933-story.html|access-date=5 August 2023|agency=[[The Los Angeles Times]]|date=April 16, 1990|at=sec. F, pp. 1,8}}</ref> ''The Source'' quickly turned into what ''[[The New York Times]]'' described as "the leading magazine on hip-hop music, culture and politics".<ref>{{cite news|last1=Carmody|first1=Deirdre|title=THE MEDIA BUSINESS; Magazines|work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1994/10/17/business/the-media-business-magazines.html|access-date=5 August 2023|agency=[[The New York Times]]|date=October 17, 1994|at=sec. D, p. 8}}</ref> Around 1992, after returning from Greece and meeting with Shecter, Fernando started writing for ''The Source'' magazine.<ref name="housepodcast" /><ref name="bio" /> In the following years, he contributed to various other publications, including ''[[Vibe (magazine)|Vibe]]'', ''[[Rolling Stone]]'', ''[[Spin (magazine)|Spin]]'', and ''The New York Times''.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Williams|first1=Jaelani Turner|title=A Biography Recounting the Life of MF DOOM Is In the Works|url=https://www.okayplayer.com/culture/a-biography-recounting-the-life-of-mf-doom-is-in-the-works.html|website=[[Okayplayer]]|access-date=4 August 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Batey|first1=Angus|title=Features {{!}} Tome On The Range {{!}} Talent & Natural Game: S.H. Fernando Jr On The Wu-Tang Saga|url=https://thequietus.com/articles/31063-s-h-fernando-jr-interview-from-the-streets-of-shaolin-the-wu-tang-saga|website=[[The Quietus]]|date=29 January 2022 |access-date=4 August 2023}}</ref>

==Music career==
===1993–1994: Beginning of music career and launching WordSound===
Working as a journalist allowed Skiz Fernando to make connections in the music industry, giving him an opportunity to launch his own music career. In 1993, while working on a review for [[Material (band)|Material]]'s ''[[Hallucination Engine]]'', Fernando contacted the band's bassist [[Bill Laswell]] to take an interview. The two immediately became friends, and afterwards, Fernando would frequently visit Laswell's studio. There he met other artists, including funk musician [[George Clinton (funk musician)|George Clinton]] of [[Parliament-Funkadelic]] and jazz drummer [[Tony Williams (drummer)|Tony Williams]].<ref name="bsun" /> With a $1000 loan from Laswell, Fernando launched his own record label.{{sfn|Wheaton|2022|p=99}} He called it WordSound, after a [[Dub music|dub]] [[compilation album]] ''Word Sound 'ave Power: Dub Poets And Dub''.<ref name="dubspot" /> A warehouse in [[Williamsburg, Brooklyn]] was used as the label's headquarters.{{sfn|Shapiro|1999|p=373}}

WordSound released its first albums in 1994: ''The Red Shift'' compilation album and ''Scarab'' by the band Scarab.{{sfn|Shapiro|1999|p=374}} The band initially consisted of Skiz Fernando and his friend Professor Shehab.<ref name="bandcamp_daily">{{cite web|last1=Freeman|first1=Philip|title=The Roots of Dubstep Echo in the Haunting Sound of '90s Label WordSound|url=https://daily.bandcamp.com/label-profile/wordsound-label-dub-brooklyn|website=[[Bandcamp Daily]]|access-date=August 16, 2023|date=January 12, 2017}}</ref> During that time, Fernando was trying to capture the music of like-minded artists around himself. The resulting compilation ''Certified Dope, Vol. 1'' was released on WordSound in 1995, under the name Crooklyn Dub Consortium. The collective, apart from Fernando, also included drummer [[Doug Scharin]] as HiM, Bill Laswell as Automaton, the duo Sub Dub, Dr. Israel, and the band We™.{{sfn|Fintoni|2022|loc=Tape 4 – Destruction Of Syntax}} According to [[AllMusic]]'s Rick Anderson, the album "heralded the emergence of a new sound in underground music".<ref>{{cite web|last1=Anderson|first1=Rick|title=Various Artists - Crooklyn Dub Consortium, Vol. 1: Certified Dope Album Reviews, Songs & More|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/crooklyn-dub-consortium-vol-1-certified-dope-mw0000648415|website=[[AllMusic]]|access-date=12 August 2023}}</ref> In 2015, ''[[Fact (UK magazine)|Fact]]'' magazine placed it at number 13 on their list of the 50 best trip-hop albums of all time, describing it as an album that "blended the dusty [[boom bap]] that ruled the city at the time with the mixing desk mysticism of Jamaican dub".<ref>{{cite web|last1=Twells|first1=John|last2=Fintoni|first2=Laurent|title=The 50 best trip-hop albums of all time|url=https://www.factmag.com/2015/07/30/50-best-trip-hop-albums/|website=[[Fact (UK magazine)|Fact]]|access-date=12 August 2023|date=30 July 2015}}</ref>

===1995–1996: Debut solo album and working with Prince Paul===
While working on his 1994 book ''The New Beats'', Fernando started learning [[Hip hop production|music production]],{{sfn|Fintoni|2022|loc=Tape 4 – Destruction Of Syntax}} making music every night to relax. He took the pseudonym Spectre, which, according to the artist, represents his dark [[alter ego]] that is the exact opposite of himself, allowing him to "express his dark side".<ref name="dubspot" /> Later, he would use several other pseudonyms, including the Ill Saint, Slotek, and Wordsound I-Powa.<ref name="allmusic_ruff">{{cite web|last1=Simpson|first1=Paul|title=Spectre - Ruff Kutz Album Reviews, Songs & More|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/ruff-kutz-mw0002826603|website=[[AllMusic]]|access-date=12 August 2023}}</ref> Spectre's debut solo album, ''The Illness'', was released through WordSound in 1995. Thomas Quinlan of ''[[Exclaim!]]'' noted the "morbid shred of fear and decay" in the album's sound,<ref name="exclaim_end">{{cite web|last1=Quinlan|first1=Thomas|title=Spectre – The End|url=https://exclaim.ca/music/article/spectre-end|website=[[Exclaim!]]|access-date=12 August 2023}}</ref> while AllMusic's John Bush in his review called ''The Illness'' a fusion of "hip-hop mysticism more than worthy of [[Wu-Tang Clan|Wu-Tang]]" with production techniques akin to those used by the Jamaican producer [[Lee "Scratch" Perry]].<ref>{{cite web|last1=Bush|first1=John|title=Spectre - The Illness Album Reviews, Songs & More|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/the-illness-mw0000188399|website=[[AllMusic]]|access-date=12 August 2023}}</ref> The style of music, employed on this album, would later be called [[illbient]].<ref name="exclaim_end" />

The release of ''The Illness'' ultimately led to Skiz Fernando collaborating with the producer [[Prince Paul (producer)|Prince Paul]].{{sfn|Shapiro|1999|p=374}} The mid-1990s was a troubled period in Prince Paul's career. Known for his early 1990s work with [[De La Soul]] and [[Gravediggaz]], he now faced financial difficulties due to low album sales and was frustrated with the music industry. Fernando contacted him about recording an album, offering to do a small release of 1000 physical copies.<ref name="bsun" />{{sfn|Fintoni|2022|loc=Tape 6 – Fantastic Damage}} According to Prince Paul, he wanted to make "one of the craziest recordings ever",<ref name="bsun" /> marking the end of his career.<ref name="nyt_psycho">{{cite news|last1=Smith|first1=Dinitia|title=Guiding Hip-Hop Toward Operatic Leaps; Prince Paul Imagines a Movie as He Makes Rap Relevant for the Suburbs|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1999/04/12/arts/guiding-hip-hop-toward-operatic-leaps-prince-paul-imagines-movie-he-makes-rap.html|access-date=13 August 2023|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|date=12 April 1999|at=sec. E, p. 1}}</ref> The album, titled ''[[Psychoanalysis: What Is It?]]'', was released in 1996, through WordSound. It was one of the earliest [[instrumental hip hop]] albums,{{sfn|Fintoni|2022|loc=Tape 6 – Fantastic Damage}} featuring almost no rapping, with the only vocals throughout the majority of the album being [[Hip hop skit|skits]].<ref name="xxl_psycho">{{cite web|last1=Berry|first1=Peter A.|title=Today in Hip-Hop: Prince Paul Drops 'Psychoanalysis: What Is It?'|url=https://www.xxlmag.com/today-in-hip-hop-prince-paul-psychoanalysis-what-is-it-album/|website=[[XXL (magazine)|XXL]]|access-date=12 August 2023|date=25 June 2018}}</ref> The album consists of rappers' monologues, where they discuss their obscene thoughts and dreams with a psychoanalyst with a distinct [[Vienna|Viennese]] accent,<ref name="nyt_psycho" /> over [[jazz]]-inspired beats.<ref name="xxl_psycho" /> ''Psychoanalysis: What Is It?'' performed commercially far better than both the label and the artist anticipated, and became one of the best selling albums of the label. That prompted [[Tommy Boy Records]] to buy the album rights and re-release an updated version a year later.{{sfn|Fintoni|2022|loc=Tape 6 – Fantastic Damage}} Prince Paul has said that the album "catapulted [his] career".<ref name="bsun" /> Fernando later introduced him to [[Dan the Automator]], which resulted in the formation of the [[Handsome Boy Modeling School]] duo and the subsequent release of their critically acclaimed debut album ''[[So... How's Your Girl?]]'' (1999).<ref>{{cite web|last1=Cho|first1=Jaeki|title=Prince Paul Tells All: The Stories Behind His Classic Records (Part 2)|url=https://www.complex.com/music/a/jaeki-cho/prince-paul-tells-all-the-stories-behind-his-classic-records-part-2|website=[[Complex (magazine)|Complex]]|access-date=13 August 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Extance|first1=Andy|title=Album Review: Handsome Boy Modelling School - White People|url=https://drownedinsound.com/releases/3839/reviews/10803-handsome-boy-modelling-school-white-people|website=[[Drowned in Sound]]|access-date=13 August 2023|date=11 November 2004}}</ref>

Several other albums were released by WordSound in 1996. One of them was the second Crooklyn Dub Consortium compilation, titled ''Certified Dope, Vol. 2''.{{sfn|Wheaton|2022|p=19}} ''[[MTV]]''{{'s}} music critic [[Kembrew McLeod]] praised the album's unique sound. He called Crooklyn Dub Consortium "some of the most innovative and cutting-edge sound sculptors", noting that despite ''Certified Dope, Vol. 2'' being a compilation album it still sounds cohesive due to the artists' association with the label.<ref>{{cite web|last1=McLeod|first1=Kembrew|author1-link=Kembrew McLeod|title=Get Your RDA of Certified Dope|url=https://www.mtv.com/news/24v32b/get-your-rda-of-certified-dope|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230815221508/https://www.mtv.com/news/24v32b/get-your-rda-of-certified-dope|url-status=dead|archive-date=August 15, 2023|website=[[MTV]]|date=November 4, 1998|access-date=August 15, 2023}}</ref> The German magazine ''[[Spex (magazine)|Spex]]'' placed ''Certified Dope, Vol. 2'' at number 20 of their list of the 50 best albums of 1996.<ref>{{cite magazine|author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line --> |title=Jahresrückblick 1996: Lange|magazine=[[Spex (magazine)|Spex]]|page=|date=January 1997}}</ref> Among other albums Fernando released that year were ''Live from the Planet Crooklyn'', released under the pseudonym Wordsound I-Powa through [[ROIR Records]],<ref>{{cite web|last1=Anderson|first1=Rick|title=WordSound I Powa - WordSound I Powa: Live from the Planet Crooklyn Album Reviews, Songs & More|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/wordsound-i-powa-live-from-the-planet-crooklyn-mw0000183426|website=[[AllMusic]]|access-date=August 16, 2023}}</ref> ''Dread Western'' by Roots Control duo, a collaborative album with his former roommate Jeremy "Likkle Jer" Dawson,<ref name="bandcamp_daily" /><ref>{{cite web|last1=Anderson|first1=Rick|title=Roots Control - Dread Western Album Reviews, Songs & More|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/dread-western-mw0000648414|website=[[AllMusic]]|access-date=August 16, 2023}}</ref> and a highly acclaimed ''Subterranean Hitz, Vol. 1'' compilation.{{sfn|Shapiro|1999|p=374}}<ref name="cmj_subter2">{{cite magazine|last=Haslett|first=Tim|date=April 1998|title=Reviews – Dance|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3CoEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA62|magazine=[[CMJ New Music Monthly]]|page=62|access-date=20 August 2023}}</ref> Described by AllMusic's John Bush as a mix of illbient and [[abstract hip hop]],<ref>{{cite web|last1=Bush|first1=John|title=Ill St. Presents Subterranean Hitz, Vol. 1 - Various Artists|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/release/ill-st-presents-subterranean-hitz-vol-1-mr0001083539|website=[[AllMusic]]|access-date=August 17, 2023}}</ref> ''Subterranean Hitz, Vol. 1'' featured a number of hip hop artists, including [[Rob Swift]] of [[X-Ecutioners]], [[Scott Harding (musician)|Scott Harding]], Prince Paul, and [[Afrika Baby Bam]] of [[Jungle Brothers]].{{sfn|Shapiro|1999|p=374}} In his review of the album, Tony Herrington of ''[[The Wire (magazine)|The Wire]]'' magazine categorized its tracks as "insulated studio odysseys" which require listeners to have "superhuman levels of concentration".<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Herrington|first=Tony|date=April 1997|title=Soundcheck: Various Artists – The Ill St Presents Subterranean Hitz Vol. 1|magazine=[[The Wire (magazine)|The Wire]]|page=68}}</ref> According to Skiz Fernando, soon after the release he went to Fat Beats, one of the biggest hip hop record stores in New York City, asking them to sell copies of ''Subterranean Hitz, Vol. 1''. But despite the album featuring numerous hip hop artists, the owner of the store refused to sell it, saying that "this isn't hip hop".{{sfn|Fintoni|2022|loc=Tape 6 – Fantastic Damage}}

===1997–1999: WordSound's peak period===
Spectre released his second solo album, ''The Second Coming'', through WordSound in 1997.<ref name="allmusic_ruff" /> ''[[Spin (magazine)|Spin]]'' magazine's reviewer Richard Gehr described the album as a "vampire-movie soundtrack", commending the album's sound, but noting that Spectre's ideas "[run] out of steam" towards its second half.<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Gehr|first=Richard|date=May 1998|title=Reviews: Spectre – The Second Coming|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NhMpG7hKAr0C&pg=PA140|magazine=[[Spin (magazine)|Spin]]|pages=140–141|access-date=17 August 2023}}</ref> During that year Fernando also introduced a new pseudonym, releasing the album ''7'' as Slotek. AllMusic's John Bush called the album a "sample mayhem",<ref>{{cite web|last1=Bush|first1=John|title=Slotek - Hydrophonic Album Reviews, Songs & More|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/hydrophonic-mw0000048820|website=[[AllMusic]]|access-date=August 17, 2023}}</ref> praising its production.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Bush|first1=John|title=Slotek - 7 Album Reviews, Songs & More|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/7-mw0000030244|website=[[AllMusic]]|access-date=August 17, 2023}}</ref>

1998 saw the release of ''Subterranean Hitz, Vol. 2''. Like the first compilation, it featured Rob Swift, Afrika Baby Bam, Prince Paul and Scott Harding.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Huey|first1=Steve|title=Various Artists - Subterranean Hitz, Vol. 2 Album Reviews, Songs & More|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/subterranean-hitz-vol-2-mw0000239708|website=[[AllMusic]]|access-date=August 20, 2023}}</ref> The album received positive reviews from music critics. Tim Haslett of ''[[CMJ New Music Monthly]]'' called it a "mandatory [listen] for anyone even remotely interested in the future of electronic music with hip-hop sensibilities at its heart".<ref name="cmj_subter2" /> ''The Wire''{{'s}} Will Montgomery commended the album, noting its "broader set of sounds" and lyrics, that "expose just how dull your average raps are".<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Montgomery|first=Will|date=March 1998|title=Soundcheck: Various artists – Subterranean Hitz Volume 2|magazine=[[The Wire (magazine)|The Wire]]|page=62}}</ref> The same year Spectre released ''Ruff Kutz'', a 90-minutes [[mixtape]] that featured [[remix]]es and unreleased tracks from a number of label's artists, including [[Sensational (musician)|Sensational]], Mr Dead, Dubadelic, [[Techno Animal]], Bill Laswell, and Jungle Brothers.<ref>{{cite web|title=Pan reissuing Spectre's illbient mixtape|url=https://www.thewire.co.uk/news/35294/pan-reissuing-spectre_s-illbient-mixtape|website=[[The Wire (magazine)|The Wire]]|access-date=August 22, 2023}}</ref><ref name="ruff_tinymix">{{cite web|last1=W.|first1=Hugh|title=PAN to reissue Spectre's Ruff Kutz mixtape from 1998 to show y'all who's boss|url=https://www.tinymixtapes.com/news/pan-to-reissue-spectres-ruff-kutz-mixtape-from-1998|website=[[Tiny Mix Tapes]]|access-date=August 22, 2023}}</ref> Originally a limited WordSound [[Cassette tape|cassette]] release,<ref>{{cite web|last1=Eaton|first1=James|title=PAN to Reissue 1998 Hip-Hop Mixtape from Spectre|url=https://xlr8r.com/news/pan-to-reissue-1998-hip-hop-mixtape-from-spectre/|website=[[XLR8R]]|access-date=August 22, 2023|date=February 3, 2015}}</ref> in 2015 ''Ruff Kutz'' was remastered and re-released on double vinyl and digitally, through PAN,<ref name="ruff_tinymix" /><ref>{{cite web|title=PAN readies reissue of Spectre's '98 experimental hip-hop mixtape Ruff Kutz|url=https://www.factmag.com/2015/02/03/pan-readies-reissue-of-spectres-98-experimental-hip-hop-mixtape-ruff-kutz/|website=[[Fact (UK magazine)|Fact]]|access-date=August 22, 2023|date=February 3, 2015}}</ref> an [[imprint label]] of Berlin-based artist Bill Kouligas.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Kent-Smith|first1=Jasmine|title=PAN: How Bill Kouligas and his clubland cohorts built an experimental empire|url=https://mixmag.net/feature/pan-label-focus-bill-kouligas-best-releases|website=[[Mixmag]]|access-date=August 22, 2023}}</ref> ''Fact'' magazine placed the re-release on their list of 25 best reissues of 2015, calling it a "freeform hotbox hit-parade of dirty [[Bowery]] beats, [[chopped and screwed]] breaks, and hefty helpings of echo-chamber dub mixology", that perfectly encapsulated the New York underground scene of the 1990s.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Jones|first1=Mikey|title=The 25 Best Reissues of 2015|url=https://www.factmag.com/2015/12/03/25-best-reissues/25/|website=[[Fact (UK magazine)|Fact]]|access-date=August 22, 2023|date=December 3, 2015}}</ref>

Multiple projects were released in 1999. Among them was the second Slotek album, ''Hydrophonic''. AllMusic's John Bush noted Slotek's move away from [[Sampling (music)|samples]] towards "raps reminiscent of [[KRS-One]]" and praised the production that fits the album well.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Bush|first1=John|title=Slotek - Hydrophonic Album Reviews, Songs & More|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/hydrophonic-mw0000048820|website=[[AllMusic]]|access-date=August 23, 2023}}</ref> Another album released by WordSound that year was ''Certified Dope, Vol. 3: Escape From New York'' compilation. For the third album in the series, Crooklyn Dub Consortium collective was renamed to Crooklyn Dub Outernational, which signified their expansion into other territories, such as Europe, the UK, Jamaica and Japan.<ref>{{cite magazine|last1=Hollings|first1=Ken|last2=Young|first2=Rob|date=October 1999|title=Soundcheck: the compiler|magazine=[[The Wire (magazine)|The Wire]]|page=66}}</ref> ''The Wire'' magazine placed ''Certified Dope, Vol. 3'' on their list of the best albums of 1999.<ref>{{cite magazine|author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line --> |title=1999 Rewind|url=https://www.thewire.co.uk/issues/charts/1999-rewind|magazine=[[The Wire (magazine)|The Wire]]|date=January 2000|issue=190/191|access-date=August 30, 2023}}</ref>

===2000–present: WordSound's decline and later solo projects===
Despite being an influential underground label and a pioneer of the illbient genre in the 1990s,<ref>{{cite web|last1=Anderson|first1=Rick|title=Various Artists - Shake the Nations Album Reviews, Songs & More|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/shake-the-nations-mw0000031284|website=[[AllMusic]]|access-date=August 23, 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Fintoni|first1=Laurent|title=And this one time...the best Bandcamp releases of the month, June 2013|url=https://www.factmag.com/2013/06/13/and-this-one-time-the-best-bandcamp-release-of-the-month-june-2013/7/|website=[[Fact (UK magazine)|Fact]]|access-date=August 23, 2023|date=June 13, 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Sensational & Kruton unveil 'You In The Right Spot'|url=https://www.factmag.com/2016/01/27/sensational-you-in-the-right-spot-bintus-milo-smee/|website=[[Fact (UK magazine)|Fact]]|access-date=August 23, 2023|date=January 27, 2016}}</ref> in the early 2000s WordSound started gradually fading away from the mainstream media. In 2004, ''[[XLR8R]]'' magazine reported the label's "disappearance".<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Serwer|first=Jesse|date=October 2004|issue=81|title=Sound-Ink, Brooklyn Beats and the Agriculture|magazine=[[XLR8R]]|page=96|quote=But Sound-Ink isn't the only label filling the ADD-beats-meet-high-concept hip-hop void left open by the disappearance of Skiz Fernando's Wordsound Records.}}</ref> In a letter published by the magazine in one of the later issues, Skiz Fernando explained that he didn't receive a $38,000 payment from one of the distributors in 2001, and in 2004 their European distributor {{ill|Energie für Alle|de}} closed, owing the label $80,000. The artist believed those factors ultimately led to the decline in visibility of an already underground label, which he was running from his living room.<ref>{{cite magazine|date=December 2004|issue=83|title=Letters: WordSound Sounds Off|magazine=[[XLR8R]]|page=16}}</ref> Fernando had also moved from Brooklyn to his hometown [[Baltimore]] due to "skyrocketing rents".{{sfn|Wheaton|2022|p=151}} Nevertheless, he continued releasing music through WordSound over the years, but kept it mostly to his solo projects.<ref name="bandcamp_daily" />

The third album in Spectre's trilogy,<ref name="exclaim_end" /> ''The End'', was released in January 2000<ref name="Bush">Bush, John "[{{AllMusic|class=artist|id=p206666/biography|pure_url=yes}} Spectre Biography]", Allmusic, Macrovision Corporation (also published in ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=Wr1lmklsD8QC&dq=spectre+%22the+illness%22&pg=PT461 All Music Guide to Hip-Hop]'' by Vladimir Bogdanov, Chris Woodstra, Stephen Thomas Erlewine, John Bush, Backbeat Books, 2003, pp. 450–451, {{ISBN|0-87930-759-5}}, {{ISBN|978-0-87930-759-2}})</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line --> |title=Reviews: Must hear|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=86qdz9zBkJYC&pg=PA28|magazine=[[CMJ New Music Report]]|page=28|date=January 31, 2000|access-date=24 August 2023}}</ref> (the release date is sometimes reported as late 1999).<ref>{{cite web|title=Spectre Discography|url=http://www.wordsound.com/spectredisc.html|publisher=WordSound|access-date=August 24, 2023}}</ref> In his review for ''Exclaim!'', Thomas Quinlan highlighted the album's atmospheric nature and its blend of exotic Spectre's instrumentals with tracks featuring guest vocalists.<ref name="exclaim_end" /> ''The Wire'' magazine included ''The End'' in their list of the best albums of the year 2000.<ref>{{cite magazine|author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line --> |title=2000 Rewind|url=https://www.thewire.co.uk/issues/charts/2000-rewind|magazine=[[The Wire (magazine)|The Wire]]|page=|date=January 2001|issue=203|access-date=August 30, 2023}}</ref> The Ill Saint's third compilation album, ''Subterranean Hitz, Vol. 3: The III School'', was also released in 2000. Mike DaRonco of AllMusic thought the album featured "hard-hitting beats" combined with "street-smart wit",<ref>{{cite web|last1=Daronco|first1=Mike|title=Various Artists - Subterranean Hitz, Vol. 3: The III School Album Reviews, Songs & More|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/subterranean-hitz-vol-3-the-iii-school-mw0000068608|website=[[AllMusic]]|access-date=August 25, 2023}}</ref> while ''Exclaim!''{{'s}} Thomas Quinlan found the album "worth repeated listens", despite feeling that some of the tracks were disappointing.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Quinlan|first1=Thomas|title=Various – Subterranean Hitz Vol. 3|url=https://exclaim.ca/music/article/various_artists-subterranean_hitz_vol_3|website=[[Exclaim!]]|access-date=August 25, 2023}}</ref>

While working on his follow-up solo album, Spectre released two albums through Belgian label Quatermass.<ref>{{cite web|title=Spectre Bio|url=http://www.wordsound.com/spectrebio.html|publisher=WordSound|access-date=August 25, 2023}}</ref> 2002's ''Parts Unknown'' was based on previously unreleased material and was a collaborative album with the rapper Sensational.<ref>{{cite web|title=Biographie Sensational|url=https://www.laut.de/Sensational|website=[[laut.de]]|access-date=August 25, 2023|language=de}}</ref> The second Quatermass album was ''Retrospectre'' (2004) compilation. ''Dusted'' magazine's Casey Rae-Hunter noted the album's "captivating freshness", despite it spanning more than a decade's worth of material.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Rae-Hunter|first1=Casey|title=Dusted Reviews: Spectre - Retrospectre|url=http://www.dustedmagazine.com/reviews/1473|website=Dusted|date=June 20, 2004|access-date=August 29, 2023}}</ref>

Spectre's fourth album,<ref name="allmusic_psy">{{cite web|last1=Anderson|first1=Rick|title=Spectre - Psychic Wars Album Reviews, Songs & More|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/psychic-wars-mw0001294119|website=[[AllMusic]]|access-date=August 29, 2023}}</ref> ''Psychic Wars'', was released in 2003.<ref name="dusted_psy">{{cite web|last1=Jones|first1=Mason|author-link=Mason Jones (guitarist)|title=Dusted Reviews: Spectre - Psychic Wars|url=http://www.dustedmagazine.com/reviews/667|website=Dusted|access-date=August 29, 2023}}</ref> In her review for ''XLR8R'', Selena Hsu called the album "considerably less sludgy and not as obscured by [Spectre's] trademark impenetrable haze",<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Hsu|first=Selena|date=|title=Spectre — Psychic Wars / Sensational – Natural Shine|magazine=[[XLR8R]]|page=70}}</ref> while Heinrich Deisl of the German magazine {{ill|Skug (magazine)|lt=''Skug''|de|Skug – Journal für Musik}} named it the most accessible release from Spectre.<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Deisl|first=Heinrich|date=2003|title=Spectre – "Psychic Wars" / Mentol Nomad – "Mentallica and its Inhabitants"|url=https://skug.at/psychic-wars-mentallica-and-its-inhabitants-spectre/|lang=de|magazine=Skug|issue=55|page=|access-date=August 30, 2023}}</ref> Rick Anderson of AllMusic commended "more energetic beats and lively interpolations of exotic foreign musical elements", but criticized the beginning of the album as being unnecessary.<ref name="allmusic_psy" /> ''Dusted''{{'s}} [[Mason Jones (guitarist)|Mason Jones]] thought the music on the album was "melancholy and slow", as it featured "orchestral stabs and ultra-low synth bass dominating the doom-laden sonic environments". He also noted that some of the samples fit "rhythmically awkwardly", but he believed it enhances the mood of the album.<ref name="dusted_psy" />

WordSound released the fourth Crooklyn Dub Outernational's compilation, ''Certified Dope, Vol. 4: Babylon's Burning'', in 2004.<ref name="wire_dope4">{{cite magazine|author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line --> |title=2004 Rewind|url=https://www.thewire.co.uk/issues/charts/2004-rewind|magazine=[[The Wire (magazine)|The Wire]]|pages=39–49|date=January 2005|issue=251|access-date=August 30, 2023}}</ref> AllMusic's Chris Nickson called it a "good summation of the state of global dub today from a label that stays permanently on the edge".<ref>{{cite web|last1=Nickson|first1=Chris|title=Crooklyn Dub Outernational - Certified Dope, Vol. 4: Babylon's Burning Album Reviews, Songs & More|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/certified-dope-vol-4-babylons-burning-mw0000440198|website=[[AllMusic]]|access-date=August 30, 2023}}</ref> ''XLR8R'' reviewer Daniel Siwek commended the collective for their ability to provide a diverse range of musical styles while striking a perfect balance between classic elements and a modern sound.<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Siwek|first=Daniel|date=February 24, 2004|title=Various Artists – Certified Dope Vol. 4: Babylon's Burning|url=https://xlr8r.com/reviews/certified-dope-vol-4-babylon-s-burning/|magazine=[[XLR8R]]|issue=75|page=90|access-date=August 30, 2023}}</ref> ''Exclaim!''{{'s}} David Dacks thought the album deviates from the traditional dub sound, instead "[continuing] this series with an assemblage of spine crushers and outward-bound riddims".<ref>{{cite web|last1=Dacks|first1=David|title=Various – Certified Dope Vol. 4|url=https://exclaim.ca/music/article/various_artists-certified_dope_vol_4|website=[[Exclaim!]]|access-date=August 30, 2023}}</ref> ''The Wire'' named it one of the best albums of the year.<ref name="wire_dope4" />

Spectre released his next solo album, ''Transcendent'', in 2006 through [[digital distribution]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Transcendent, by Spectre|url=https://therealspectre.bandcamp.com/album/transcendent|website=[[Bandcamp]]|access-date=August 30, 2023}}</ref> It was followed by 2008's ''Internal Dynasty'', released digitally through WordSound,<ref>{{cite web|title=Internal Dynasty, by Spectre|url=https://therealspectre.bandcamp.com/album/internal-dynasty|website=[[Bandcamp]]|access-date=August 30, 2023}}</ref> with a limited vinyl release through Monkey Tool label.<ref>{{cite web|title=Monkey Tool 09 - Word Sound LP 54 - Spectre|url=https://www.toolboxrecords.com/en/product/8232/hip-hop/monkey-tool-09-word-sound-lp-54/|publisher=Monkey Tool|access-date=August 30, 2023}}</ref> Mike Lupica of ''Dusted'' magazine noted that the album "[remains] systemically disquieting, off-kilter and reassuringly distanced from any current trend in hip hop".<ref>{{cite web|last1=Lupica|first1=Mike|title=Dusted Reviews: Spectre - Internal Dynasty|url=http://www.dustedmagazine.com/reviews/4878|website=Dusted|access-date=August 30, 2023}}</ref> In 2010, the artist released the next album by Spectre, titled ''Death Before Dying''.<ref>{{cite web|title=Death Before Dying, by Spectre|url=https://therealspectre.bandcamp.com/album/death-before-dying|website=[[Bandcamp]]|access-date=August 30, 2023}}</ref>

In 2012, Spectre released his ninth solo album, ''The True & Living''. The album was funded through [[Kickstarter]], and released both digitally and on vinyl. Laurent Fintoni, writing for ''[[Fact (UK magazine)|Fact]]'' magazine, highlighted the album's "crisp and snappy" beats, but warned younger readers that it may sound dated.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Fintoni|first1=Laurent|title=And this one time...the best Bandcamp releases of the month, June 2013|url=https://www.factmag.com/2013/06/13/and-this-one-time-the-best-bandcamp-release-of-the-month-june-2013/7/|website=[[Fact (UK magazine)|Fact]]|access-date=August 31, 2023|date=June 13, 2013}}</ref> ''Exclaim!''{{'s}} reviewer Thomas Quinlan called ''The True & Living'' a "dark and brooding" album, noting the consistency of Spectre's style and his improvements to it.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Quinlan|first1=Thomas|title=Spectre – The True & Living|url=https://exclaim.ca/music/article/spectre-true_living|website=[[Exclaim!]]|access-date=August 31, 2023}}</ref> Spectre's next project, ''Brand New Second Hand'', was released digitally in 2014.<ref>{{cite web|title=Brand New Second Hand, by Spectre|url=https://therealspectre.bandcamp.com/album/brand-new-second-hand|website=Bandcamp|access-date=August 31, 2023}}</ref>

The tenth solo album by Spectre, ''The Last Shall Be First'', was released in 2016. It was funded through Kickstarter, and was asserted to be the final album released as Spectre.<ref name="bandcamp_daily" /> To promote the Kickstarter campaign, Skiz Fernando released ''Doom & Boom: The Spectre Chronicles (1995-2015)'', a free compilation album which included tracks from every album previously released. Philip Freeman, in his article for ''[[Bandcamp Daily]]'', described the album's sound as "beats verging on [[Industrial music|industrial]] at times, and the bass as tar-like as ever".<ref name="bandcamp_daily" /> In 2021, Fernando released [[Extended play|EP]] titled ''Èminence Grise''. It was released digitally under the pseudonym Tha Ill Saint, with a limited vinyl release through  a German label LOWHOP-Records.<ref>{{cite web|title=Eminence Grise EP, by Tha ILL Saint|url=https://therealspectre.bandcamp.com/album/eminence-grise-ep|website=Bandcamp|access-date=August 31, 2023}}</ref>

== Crooked ==
In 2000 while visiting family in Sri Lanka, Fernando wrote the script for a movie called ''Crooked''.  The film was shot in 25 days in April 2001 then edited and put through post production through the summer and winter of the same year.  It was released on the Wordsound label as a soundtrack and a two disc DVD set in 2002.<ref name="Baltimore CityPaper">Bret McCabe{{cite web|url=http://www.citypaper.com/music/review.asp?rid=7157|publisher=[[Baltimore City Paper]]|date=2002-05-29|title=Wordsound and Vision|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110814160240/http://www2.citypaper.com/music/review.asp?rid=7157|archive-date=2011-08-14}}</ref>

==Discography==
{{col-begin}}
{{col-2}}
;Studio albums
* ''The Illness'' (WordSound, 1995, as Spectre)
* ''The Second Coming'' (WordSound, 1997, as Spectre)
* ''7'' (WordSound, 1997, as Slotek)
* ''Hydrophonic'' (WordSound, 1999, as Slotek)
* ''The End'' (WordSound, 2000, as Spectre)
* ''Psychic Wars'' (WordSound, 2003, as Spectre)
* ''Transcendent'' (WordSound, 2006, as Spectre)
* ''Internal Dynasty'' (WordSound, 2008, as Spectre)
* ''Death Before Dying'' (WordSound, 2010, as Spectre)
* ''The True & Living'' (WordSound, 2012, as Spectre)
* ''Brand New Second Hand'' (WordSound, 2014, as Spectre)
* ''The Last Shall Be First'' (WordSound, 2016, as Spectre)

;Extended plays
* ''Èminence Grise'' (LOWHOP, 2021, as Tha Ill Saint)

;Mixtapes
* ''Ruff Kutz'' (WordSound, 1998, as Spectre)
{{col-2}}
;Collaborative albums
* ''Scarab'' (WordSound, 1994, as The Mystic as part of Scarab)
* ''Dread Western'' (WordSound, 1996, as part of Roots Control)
* ''Parts Unknown'' (Quatermass, 2002, as Spectre {{feat.}} [[Sensational (musician)|Sensational]])
* ''Acid & Bass'' (WordSound, 2009, as Spectre feat. Sensational)

;Compilation albums
* ''Certified Dope, Vol. 1'' (WordSound, 1995, as part of Crooklyn Dub Consortium)
* ''Certified Dope, Vol. 2'' (WordSound, 1996, as part of Crooklyn Dub Consortium)
* ''Live from the Planet Crooklyn'' ([[ROIR]], 1996, as Wordsound I-Powa)
* ''Subterranean Hitz, Vol. 1'' (WordSound, 1996, as The Ill Saint)
* ''Subterranean Hitz, Vol. 2'' (WordSound, 1998, as The Ill Saint)
* ''Certified Dope, Vol. 3: Escape From New York'' (WordSound, 1999, as part of Crooklyn Dub Outernational)
* ''Subterranean Hitz, Vol. 3: The Ill School'' (WordSound, 2000, as The Ill Saint)
* ''Certified Dope, Vol. 4: Babylon's Burning'' (WordSound, 2004, as part of Crooklyn Dub Outernational)
* ''Retrospectre'' (Quatermass, 2004, as Spectre)
* ''Tunes from the Crypt'' (WordSound, 2006, as Spectre)
{{col-end}}

==Publications==
* ''The New Beats: Exploring the Music, Culture, and Attitudes of Hip-Hop'' (1994, [[Payback Press]]; {{ISBN|038547119X}})
* ''Rice & Curry: Sri Lankan Home Cooking'' (2011, [[Hippocrene Books]]; {{ISBN|0781812739}})
* ''From the Streets of Shaolin: The Wu-Tang Saga'' (2021, [[Hachette Books]]; {{ISBN|9780306874444}})
* ''The Chronicles of Doom: Unraveling Rap's Masked Iconoclast'' (2024, [[Astra House]]; {{ISBN|9781662602177}})

==References==
{{Reflist}}
===Works cited===
* {{Cite book|last=Wheaton|first=Robert J.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=J0CUEAAAQBAJ|title=Trip-Hop|publisher=[[Bloomsbury Publishing]]|year=2022|isbn=9781501373602 |series=[[33⅓]]}}
* {{Cite book|last=Shapiro|first=Peter|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=IxEpAyPvyXoC|title=Drum 'n' Bass: The Rough Guide|year=1999|publisher=[[Rough Guides]]|isbn=978-1-85828-433-0|author-link=Peter Shapiro (concert promoter)}}
* {{Cite book|last=Fintoni|first=Laurent|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TUppEAAAQBAJ|title=Bedroom Beats & B-sides: Instrumental Hip Hop & Electronic Music at the Turn of the Century|date=2022|publisher=Velocity Press|isbn=978-1-913231-21-7}}

==External links==
*[http://www.wordsound.com/ Wordsound Official Website]
* {{Discogs artist|Spectre|Spectre}}
* {{Discogs label|WordSound|WordSound}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fernando, Skiz}}
[[Category:American record producers]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Place of birth missing (living people)]]
[[Category:21st-century American rappers]]
[[Category:American people of Sri Lankan descent]]
[[Category:Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism alumni]]
[[Category:Harvard College alumni]]
[[Category:1968 births]]