Spring Heel Jack, headed by composer Ashley Wales (playing in the early-mid 80s in groups like Five or Six and Shock Headed Peters) and John Coxon (a guitarist for Spiritualized), formed in London, 1993, in the wake of the development of Atmospheric Drum 'n' Bass.
Disappeared [Thirsty Ear 2000-08-22] released in August of 2000. The record runs 57:11 along 11 tracks. It fuses ripping Drum 'n' Bass and contemporary Jazz.
The opener, Rachel Point (6:31) weaves sly trumpet licks with seismic industrial clatter, synthesizing into a forward chugging. Mit Wut (7:06) whimpers then growls into a tense, behemoth bass throb which staggers then solidifies with joyous accompanyment. Disappeared 1 (6:14), with the contribution of John Surman on sax and clarinet, breaks the forward motion of Mit Wut with bird-like chatter on the brass and relaxed keyboard drones before disintegrating into faunal cacophony. Bane (4:34) swaggers with fiery confidence over thumping drums and anthemic trumpet. Galina (7:14) runs a cacophony of alien alert signals. Trouble & Luck (5:49) colors the record with an Americana bluesiness slightly cracked with digital artifacts. I Undid Myself (4:25) is an orchestra of distortion around a spy thriller soundtrack. Lester (1:30) is a conversation in brass over a warm synth blanket. To Die a Little (3:14) is a contemplative chamber piece overlaying foggy jazz percussion. Disappeared 2 (4:59), again with Surman, follows a bouncy sax through a nightmare forest of modern creative free jazz. Wolfing (5:30), ending the album and circling back to that sly attitude of Rachel Point, breathes its grooves freely and cheekishly, unperturbed with industrial agony like the previous tracks.
The record manages an incredible display of balance, as, despite the truly barbaric synth noises, aggressive breakbeats and oft nebulas of auditory shrapnel, it coalesces digestibly through its unique synthesis of jazz and the duo's knack for the emotional feel of arbitrary sound. Take Galina, practically a collage of wacky electronic gargles which disintegrates into bewildered piano, manages to not only maintain an identity but also contribute to the identity and atmosphere of the rest of the record - a sleek, contemporary electronic record that handles the industrial apocalypse with style. Very interesting are the title tracks (and to an extent Lester), operating at opposite poles of the record. Sort of acting as pins that hold the record in place, they highlight the emotional and timbral themes present in every other track which otherwise would go unnoticed had you been focusing on the growling electronics and thumping syncopated rhythms. An overlooked yet essential Drum 'n' Bass record, streamlining a huge gamut of ideas that surpringly seemed to have been waiting to work together - all while maintaining a strong emotional focus. Give it a listen!