Seefeel - Quique

Between 1992 and 1996, Melody Maker made a brief attempt to herd various artists into a category called 'Isolationist'. Since the bands, including Seefeel, Main and Godflesh, shared little more than an interest in merging ambient electronics and guitar noise, the genre swiftly fractured, leaving experimental and popular music far apart. Quique is typical. On the cusp of dreamy pop and experimental dance, it utilises drones, repetition, found sounds and loops. Titles like Climatic Phase 3 indicate the album's cerebral, hallucinogenic drift: they eschew the dance-floor and catchy hook, slowly immersing the listener through subtle shifts. Classical forms are adapted, stretched out and relaxed. It emerges from sultry nonchalance towards glowing glacial majesty. Quique expresses what has been lost. It is intelligent and emotional, representing a moment when cross-fertilisation between techno and rock was more than a few bleeps over a hackneyed riff. This re-release is as vibrant as when it first slid out of the speakers. [Gareth K Vile]