A.R. Kane

Arguably the most criminally under-recognized band of their era, the British duo A.R. Kane anticipated virtually all of the key musical breakthroughs of the 1990s a decade before the fact, with the roots of everything from shoegazing to trip-hop to ambient dub -- even those of post-rock -- lying in their dreamy, oceanic sound. Formed in London in 1986, A.R. Kane were essentially the partnership of Alex Ayuli and Rudi Tambala; hailed in the press as "the Black <a href="spotify:artist:4rjlerN21ygkIhmUv55irs">Jesus and Mary Chain</a>" upon debuting the following year on <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22One+Little+Indian%22">One Little Indian</a> with the single "When You're Sad," they moved to <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%224AD%22">4AD</a> later in 1987 to release the follow-up EP Lollita, an impressively eclectic blend of gorgeous dream pop bliss and nightmarish squalls of feedback produced by <a href="spotify:artist:5Wabl1lPdNOeIn0SQ5A1mp">the Cocteau Twins</a>' <a href="spotify:artist:3ZqRIzadY4WYQEg4Hj2vGC">Robin Guthrie</a>.

While at <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%224AD%22">4AD</a>, label chief Ivo Watts-Russell suggested that Ayuli and Tambala team with roster mates Martyn and Steven Young of <a href="spotify:artist:0uAnwMXg0tsGQsOdVwudkb">Colourbox</a>, champion mixer <a href="spotify:artist:0GGvtc3aJtSkuYcfsiN6eC">Chris "C.J." Mackintosh</a>, and London DJ Dave Dorrell to record a single fusing the rhythms and beats of classic soul recordings with state-of-the-art electronics and production. Dubbing the collaboration <a href="spotify:artist:13jRo2FyagCX9wrKIpOt46">M/A/R/R/S</a>, the resulting single, "Pump Up the Volume" -- a breakthrough effort heralding sampling's gradual absorption from hip-hop into dance music and ultimately the pop mainstream -- soon topped the British charts, the first <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%224AD%22">4AD</a> release ever to accomplish the feat. Plans for a <a href="spotify:artist:13jRo2FyagCX9wrKIpOt46">M/A/R/R/S</a> follow-up never materialized, however, and A.R. Kane again picked up stakes, moving on to <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Rough+Trade%22">Rough Trade</a> to begin work on their much-anticipated full-length debut.

The resulting album, 1988's 69, fulfilled all the promise of A.R. Kane's earlier work and more; cosmic yet funky, its liquid grooves immersed in waves of ecstatic noise, the record's mastery of atmosphere and mood -- in tandem with its nearly formless songs -- establish it as a clear antecedent not only of the nascent shoegazer sound but also much of the underground dance music to emerge in the years to follow. The duo's double-LP follow-up, 1989's "i", was even more impressive in its scope, breathlessly veering from melodic dance-pop to eerie drone-rock to epic dub mosaics. And then...nothing: only three years later did the next A.R. Kane LP, Americana -- a handful of new tracks combined with past highlights -- appear on the <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Luaka+Bop%22">Luaka Bop</a> label. By the time of a proper follow-up, 1994's New Clear Child, the moment had clearly passed. ~ Jason Ankeny, Rovi