Spooky Biography
Not to be confused with the New York DJ/producer of the same name, London-based duo Spooky consists of Duncan Forbes and Charlie May, who began recording for William Orbit's Guerilla label in the early '90s after Orbit discovered the pair in a record shop. Best known for providing one of the first big blasts in the London progressive house movement, Spooky's debut, Gargantuan, is an enduring classic of the style, fusing thick analog production with deep, melodic house phrasing and sturdy rhythms. The group's reincarnation after Guerilla dissolved as an experimental techno/electro act in the Warp/GPR tradition surprised fans and detractors alike, but Spooky have been as successful with more recent releases such as "Schmoo" and their 1996 follow-up to Gargantuan, the fervently experimental Found Sound, suggesting there's more to the group than mere novelty and timing. Found Sound, for it's part, is a deliriously percussive update of '80s electro with an almost austere musique concrete foundation, indicative of Forbes and May's professed admiration for minimalist composer such as Steve Reich and Arvo Part, as well as non-Western percussion-based musical traditions such as gamelan and the Indian raga. In fact, most of the drum and melody sounds on the album were either constructed from scratch or sampled from real-world objects such as sheet metal, flowerpots, even the group's studio's heating unit. Found Sound followed the release of three singles on the group's own Generic imprint (a subsidiary of A&M, with whom Forbes and May hammered out a deal following Guerrilla's demise), and was itself followed by a European tour (opening for 808 State) and a double-pack single, "Bamboo," featuring a Dave Angel remix and a live version of the Gargantuan classic "Little Bullet." May later joined trance DJ Sasha, and worked on programming for the popular mixer's Xpander EP. ~ Sean Cooper, All Music Guide
Popular Biographies:
Basteroid Biography: Alongside friends Metope and Konfekt, Basteroid (aka Sebastian Riedl) founded the German minimal techno label Areal in 2000. Getting started on electronic music production at an early age, Riedl left...
Marasma Biography: Electronica duo Marasma consists of Antonio Feola and Gabi Matzeu. The debut 1998 EP Pimp in Velvet was followed in 1999 by the full-length Signals. ~ Steve Huey, All Music...
Dianogah Biography: The Chicago post-rock unit Dianogah comprised bassists Jay Ryan and Jason Harvey in tandem with drummer Kip McCabe. The group debuted in 1995 with the single "100% Tree," followed early the next year...
Powermad Biography: Minnesota-based speed-metal band. ~ Dan Heilman, All Music...
International pony Biography: Formed in 1998 when turntablist DJ Koze and percussionist and singer Cosmic DJ met up with classically trained keyboardist Erobique (who had also previously played in jazz and soul bands),...
Wiley Biography: Quite possibly the key U.K. grime player -- though he calls his knotty, brittle style "eski" or "eskibeat" -- producer and MC Wiley (born Richard Cowie) was a member of Pay as U Go Cartel and was...
Ohm square Biography: The drum'n'bass sounds of Ohm Square have changed over the years, due to growing production influences and experiences. The band was formed in 1996 with members Jan Cechticky, Jan Klenick, Dusan...
Babylon zoo Biography: Babylon Zoo raised expectations to astronomical heights when their first record, "Spaceman," debuted at number one in England in 1996. It became the fastest-selling single in U.K. history, moving...