Sandals

London-based acid jazz quartet the Sandals endured for just a single album, yet their major-label deal and the mainstream pop success of “Feet” signaled how readily dancefloor sounds could cross from niche scenes into broader acceptance. Some critics have never forgiven them for that trajectory, even though both Rite to Silence and the EP Cracked stand as outstanding early-’90s dance releases.

The four members—Ian Simmonds, Derek Delves, Will Blanchard, and John Harris—first connected through South London’s mid-’80s nightlife, frequenting the same clubs, shops, and record stalls. Delves promoted a weekly event called Violets that expanded beyond music to feature spoken-word performances, live art, and exhibitions of paintings and photographs. In 1990 the group opened Rich and Strange, a stall inside the Trocadero that sold records, books, and clothing to fellow enthusiasts; while operating the shop they also rehearsed in its back room, with Delves handling lead vocals and percussion, Harris playing reeds, Simmonds on bass, and Blanchard on drums. Because they lacked a permanent guitarist or keyboardist, they brought in different friends for each track.

In 1991 Eddie Piller, founder of Acid Jazz Records, took on management duties and arranged both an art exhibition at Los Angeles’ Marquart Gallery and a series of demo sessions with producers Paul Daley and Neil Barnes, better known as Leftfield. The results drew interest from London Records. Although the musicians hesitated over the implications of a major-label contract, most were married and raising families, so financial security prevailed. London issued Rite to Silence in early 1994, fronted by the single “Profound Gas.” Follow-up “Feet” became a hit and reviews were largely favorable, yet the A&R executive who had championed the band soon departed, leaving a successor who neither liked nor grasped their sound. After releasing the 1995 EP Cracked—now regarded by some listeners as a key early trip-hop artifact—the Sandals recorded another album with Luke Gordon, aka Spacer, the producer of the EP. London turned the project down, internal tensions mounted, and the group disbanded in early 1996.

Simmonds later issued several well-received jazz-inflected solo albums under his own name and the alias Juryman while launching his ATL label, whose initials stood for “All That’s Left,” a wry nod to the band’s contentious breakup. Delves collaborated with United Future Organization, and Blanchard played drums for both Dot Allison and Beth Orton.