Bentley Rhythm Ace

The Birmingham-based duo Bentley Rhythm Ace consists of Mike Stokes, also known as Michael Barrywhoosh, and former Pop Will Eat Itself bassist Richard March, who performs under the name Barry Island. The pair came together in 1995 when a mutual friend introduced March to Stokes during a house party where Stokes was handling the DJ duties. Bonded by an affinity for screwball novelty records and offbeat groove tunes, the two later convened in the studio to explore a potential collaboration. They have so far issued two EPs and one album on Brighton's big-beat Skint label, earning broad praise for an energetic, irreverent mix of hip-hop, funk, and the eccentric lounge, jazz, and exotica records that first sparked their partnership. Their puzzling moniker stems from a weekend ritual of hunting rare vinyl at car-trunk junk sales across their Midlands hometown, a practice also honored on their initial Skint twelve-inch, "This Is Carbootechnodiscobooto." Much of the character in their music arises from the skill with which they merge those weekend discoveries into tight, infectious rhythms and engaging arrangements. After their Skint debut appeared, Stokes and March began a monthly residency at Heavenly's Sunday Social club, the same venue that launched the Chemical Brothers, and their rapid popularity has kept them a critic's favorite ever since. Skint put out the self-titled debut LP in 1997, which included remixed versions of several early tracks alongside a selection of new material. The pair has also built a loyal club audience through campy live shows that regularly feature odd costumes and props, many of which trace back to the same car-boot sources as their records.