[Hidden Rarities #42] Skryvania

In the mid-1970s, from the suburban outskirts of Paris, a group of teenage friends and high school classmates set out to do the unthinkable: dethrone Yes and Genesis. Skryvania, an almost entirely instrumental quartet, left behind a single self-titled album — “Skryvania” — released in 1978 on the DIY imprint DMR (Philippe de Magnée Recordings) in a hand-numbered edition of just 300 copies. Today, an original pressing can exceed €3,000 on the collector’s market, making it one of the rarest and most sought-after artifacts of the French progressive rock scene.

The band’s very name carries a piece of their story: “Skryvania” was chosen in tribute to the girlfriend of one of the members at the time — a small, intimate detail that perfectly frames the youthful, earnest spirit behind this extraordinary record.

— The Music —

The sound of Skryvania is a dense tapestry of symphonic prog enriched by Space Rock and psychedelic undertones. Their music is dominated by hypnotic layers of keyboards — primarily organ and string synthesizers — conjuring dreamlike atmospheres reminiscent of fellow countrymen Pulsar or German visionaries like Eloy and Novalis. Balancing these ethereal textures is the guitar work of Olivier Marina: clearly influenced by the lyricism of Steve Hackett and Andy Latimer, yet possessing a rawer, more visceral Rock attitude. This combination — paired with a dynamic rhythm section and fuzz guitar solos that evoke both Jimi Hendrix and Jimmy Page — brings Skryvania close to the most energetic facets of classic Genesis, or to their compatriots Mona Lisa.

The album’s centerpiece is the epic “Tristan & Yseult” — eleven minutes of pure symphonic splendor that showcases the quartet’s remarkable technical skill and compositional ambition, especially impressive for a group of teenagers recording with limited resources.

— Historical Context —

The story of Skryvania begins in the mid-1970s, when a circle of adolescent friends united by a shared obsession — Yes, Genesis, King Crimson, and Pink Floyd — decided to move beyond fandom and create. Starting as a cover band performing in local auditoriums to crowds of hundreds, they gradually developed an original voice. By the end of 1977, they had accumulated enough material for a full album. That same period brought the only significant lineup change: original keyboardist Henry-Jean Aubin departed, making way for Harold Bakobza (cited in some sources as Bazobka).

Despite their financial constraints — which ruled out professional studio access — the group found an invaluable ally in Philippe de Magnée, a well-known local radio presenter and sound engineer. De Magnée served not only as producer and mentor but personally financed the entire project, acting as the essential catalyst without whom the album might never have existed.

— Rarity and the Original Cover —

The album was released in 1978 through De Magnée‘s own label, DMR, in a run of just 300 hand-numbered copies. By choice — whether born of youthful naivety or a deliberate desire to keep their legacy among the chosen few — the band pursued no radio promotion and sought no coverage in the music press, concentrating solely on their live activity. The result: total commercial anonymity, and an original pressing that has since become a ghost artifact of the French Prog underground.

Particularly emblematic is the original cover artwork, which depicts the band as a winged creature overthrowing its own idols — Yes and Genesis (the latter represented as a mouse) — seizing their throne. The image says everything about the ambitions of these Parisian teenagers: audacious, hungry, and utterly unafraid.

Despite the acclaim they earned on the local live circuit, Skryvania failed to find a stable creative direction after the album’s release and dissolved in the summer of 1979.

In 2023, PQR-Disques plusqueréel finally issued the first official vinyl reissue, remastered from the original tapes and accompanied by a bonus CD featuring unreleased live recordings drawn from Philippe de Magnée’s personal mixer tapes.

— Lineup —

Olivier Marina / Guitars, Vocals
Alain Yvorra / Bass, Bass Pedals, Vocals
Benoît Reeves / Drums, Percussion
Harold Bakobza (or Bazobka) / Organ, Synthesizers, Violin
Henry-Jean Aubin / Organ, Synthesizers, Violin (original member until 1977)

— Discography —

(1978) — Skryvania — D.M.Recordings (300 copies, hand-numbered)
(1990) — Skryvania — Musea (CD reissue with bonus tracks)
(2023) — Skryvania — PQR-Disques plusqueréel (LP + Bonus CD, remastered from original tapes)

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