Tystion

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Tystion is a musical project from Wales which began in 1991. Steffan Cravos, then 15 and influenced by the sounds of Public Enemy and the Dead Kennedys, worked from his bedroom in Carmarthen using two tape decks and a mixer. He wanted to create an anser to the current state of the Welsh musical mainstream. By 1995, he was joined by Gruff Meredith.

1 Background
2 Discography
- 2.1 Albums
- 2.2 Singles
3 References

[edit] Background

Tystion ‘witness/testify’ sings hip-hop/rap mostly in Welsh but with some English as well. “<There’s more to this than meets the eye. Our words expose the lies around us.>” they sing in Dallt Y Dalltins . They became more than just Steffan in October 1996 when MC Sleifar (Steffan Cravos) and G Man (Gruff Meredith) decided to release a Welsh-language rap album. A year later they released the album Rhaid i Rhywbeth Ddigwydd (Something’s Got to Happen) on Fitamin Un.

“We knew we wouldn’t get away with lyrics like ‘I fucked that Michelle in the kitchen, man that bitch was twitching’.” Instead they aimed to “Prove that Wales wasn’t all about choirs, chapels and mountains; and to move rap away from the mysoginy and cliché that prevails all too often.” In 1998 they were picked up by Angstmusik, and in 1999 they released Shrug Off Ya Complex. “If ever there was a call to arms for the Welsh underclass, this was it.” And it is this album’s lyrics we’ll take a closer look at.

Many lyrics are forward-looking and speak of a regrouping of Wales, ostensibly Y Fro Gymraeg and a Welsh-speaking Wales. “<Enough of this oppression. About time to re-energize Wales. Let’s unite and organize, make ourselves heard in the towns.> “<Stepping forward, not looking back. … C’mon, it’s time to be decisive. … Too many voices, no one’s innovating. We have to be strong, will that day come? … I can’t relax, I’m being strangled. We need our own rules. We can’t be treated like a machine. Break free, and start teaching self-confidence. If we are to leave the gutter, get up, NOW!>” This is a similar call to the one Saunders Lewis gave when he proclaimed that the Welsh language could be saved and that people had to be willing to pay fines and face prison sentences for their beliefs.

Interestingly enough, although songs like Wermod Lwyd <Wormwood> talk about Tystion in rehab and their struggle against the world’s toxins, in Shrug Off the Complex he asserts that “<in the face of major powers we are being trampled like snails on the ground. We’re slow, y’all. Got any blow? Got any speed? No! I have none cos I need a clear mind to save my rights, it’s clear and totally obvious, Independent, Underground, the voice of revolution in the area transmitting to the nation on a secret wavelength.>” Unlike some American rap where excesses of drugs are sometimes extolled, here Tystion is clear that in order to effectively create change, one must be free of drugs and clear of mind. Furthermore, we are warned that “you’ll never get any solace smoking a joint, what’s the point, you sit in front of the tele, you sit still, that’s when the enemy comes in for the kill.” “We ain’t justifying aggression. We don’t have to justify anything. hip hop poetry in motion. Streets are in commotion. Our mother tongue was stolen. The lies of lay men. They tried to crush the nation. Henry VIII destroyed our religion, burnt our books, stole our faith. Our history is a set of lies agreed upon, but some has another notion and over the years planned revolution. Shrug off the complex.” It is interesting here that aggression isn’t being called for—and many of the Welsh protests have been non-violent—and the listener is also given a mini history lesson from a point of view they might not have heard in school. “History is a set of lies agreed upon” is a quote from Napoleon Boneparte.

Tryweryn is a song about the village of Capel Celyn and the Tryweryn valley near Bala which were drowned in 1965 in order to supply water for the City of Liverpool. 800 acres of land, including the school, post office, chapel, and cemetery, as well as 12 farms and land belonging to four other farms were drowned to create the Llyn Celyn reservoir. Neither the Welsh members of parliament or the local authorities had any power or voice in the decision. “<Water is a gift from the clouds to keep us from thirst and to wash our bodies, but sometimes the elements are the enemy. When the water drowned the valley I wasn’t even born, but I remember Tryweryn. … It’s only through communication that we can understand everything that’s happened and enjoy opening new doors. By listening and reasoning we’ll get rid of oppression. We’ll learn—we’ll win. It’s about time that the history of Wales gets the platform it deserves. Remember Tryweryn, resistance by the people. I can see the future, improving every year, our hands on the wheel, our people faithful. No heads int9he clouds, we’ve reached the summit. It’s downhill from now on. It’s written. C’mon we’re out in front. … I’m decisive like Saunders and D.J. when they burnt down the old school. The seeds have been sown. There’s no boundaries to the ideas. Turn hindrances into words. Turn devastation into rhymes. I remember a small town in ’62.”> Once again the listener is encouraged to remember the past and communicate and use words as resistance. Knowledge is power. Saunders Lewis has been mentioned before, but “he was one of the "Penyberth Three": along with Lewis Valentine and D.J. Williams, he protested the government’s establishment of a bombing school on the Llyn Peninsula, an area deep in the Welsh heartland. In September of 1936, the three set fire to one of the buildings on the site and then turned themselves in to the authorities. The incident drew only temporary attention to the nationalist issue, though, as World War II was on the horizon.”

“<We can rock, no problem. The beats and music take us out of trouble, instead of destruction and violence I use my words and voice. I had enough of being told I’m wrong. Off your knees. Plan and design the future. Leave the past, design the future. Leave the past, create the future. A free Wales built on faith. A free Wales full of faith.>” Although this song began with talk of “<getting a gun to blow a hole in his [[[William Hague]] ] mouth>” it is clear that this is a verbal metaphor of distress and it is words and communication which are to be used in resistance. As with other lyrics the themes of communication, remembrance of past history, waking of from apathy, and strength in unity are emphasized. William Hague was the leader of the Conservative Party from 1997 to 2001.

[edit] Discography

[edit] Albums

Year	Album	Label	Additional information
1995	Dyma'r Dystiolaeth	Fitamin Un	Cassette-only release.
1996	Tystion vs Allfa Un	Fitamin Un	Cassette-only release.
1997	Rhaid I Rhywbeth Ddigwydd	Fitamin Un	Debut album
1999	Shrug Off Ya Complex	Ankstmusik
2000	Hen Gelwydd Prydain Newydd	Ankstmusik

[edit] Singles

Year	Song	Album	Label	Additional Information
1998	"TBrewer Spinks EP"		Ankstmusik	Melody Maker's single of the week.
1999	"Shrug EP"	Shrug Off Ya Complex	Ankstmusik	12" Single
1999	"Toys EP"		Ankstmusik	12" Single
2001	"Y Meistri EP"		Fitamin Un
2002	"M.O.M.Y.F.G EP"		Fitamin Un	final vinyl-only release. Review Video