Aquasky

Kieron Bailey, Brent Newitt and Dave Wallace began life in Bournemouth before relocating to London, emerging from a wave of junglists who avoided narrow allegiance to breakbeats or any blend of jungle with outside influences such as hip-hop, reggae or jazz. Recording as Aquasky, the three explored several directions: certain tracks captured the clean, jazz-inflected atmosphere associated with LTJ Bukem productions, while others issued on Moving Shadow revived the raw energy of early hardcore drum'n'bass, and still more rested on hip-hop foundations featuring guest rappers, among them Big Shug from Gang Starr.

Childhood friends at school, the three later followed separate routes. Bailey performed on drums in metal and funk groups, Newitt immersed himself in electro and hip-hop as both listener and break-dancer, and Wallace developed technical production skills shaped by Kraftwerk and the Art of Noise. Each had already begun releasing material—Bailey under the name Jazziac Sunflowers, Newitt as Artinis, and Wallace engineering for both—when they reconvened in 1993 within Britain’s drum’n'bass scene. Adopting the Aquasky moniker, they issued twelve singles between 1993 and 1996 on Moving Shadow, Reinforced, Black on Black, Blue Bazique and their own Aqua Records, and they also supplied a remix for the Art of Noise’s Drum & Bass Collection. The mini-LP Orange Dust appeared in 1997, with their first full-length album Bodyshock arriving two years later. In addition to their work under the Soul Motive and Skindivers aliases, Wallace has released material under his own name on Moving Shadow and All Good Vinyl.