Undone: Live at the Crypt is the first record by the trio of Dave Okumu, Tom Herbert and Tom Skinner. The three London musicians have played together since their teenage years. Okumu and Herbert are members of the Mercury-nominated The Invisible, while Skinner drums with Sons of Kemet and records under his own alias Hello Skinny. On 15 June 2018 they met at The Crypt in Camberwell, south-east London, for an informal night of deconstructed compositions played in an improvising format. The Vinyl Factory released the recording on double vinyl in November 2019.
The line-up is guitar, bass and drums, with Okumu on guitar, Herbert on bass and Skinner behind the kit. The concert was recorded by Winston Skerritt, then edited and mixed by Skinner himself. Guy Davie mastered it at Electric Mastering, and Paul Camo designed the artwork. Their common ground, built up over two decades of sessions and bands, runs through funk, punk, hip hop and electronic music, filtered through the language of jazz.
Twelve pieces mix covers and originals. Side A opens with Timeless, the title track of John Abercrombie's 1975 album, split into two parts, followed by Björk's Undo. Side B begins with Landcruisin', the 2016 track by A.K. Paul, turned into an instrumental for the trio. The fourth side starts with a reading of Miles Davis's So What and closes with One For Charles. Throughout, the songs are taken apart rather than reproduced: a melody is stated, then opened up for long improvised passages before the trio finds its way back. The set also includes a piece by Factory Floor.
Okumu explained the choice of the A.K. Paul song simply: "I'm completely in love with this song. It's a definite desert island disc for me." FACT filmed the trio playing it for RE:COVER, a series in which artists reinterpret songs by their heroes. For Skinner the album closed a long circle: "It has taken 20+ years of friendship and playing to get to this point," he said when it was announced.
Two 180-gram black vinyl LPs in a double gatefold sleeve, with artwork and design by Paul Camo and photography by George Nelson, limited edition of 1000 copies.