The Aloof

Many groups transitioned from straightforward rock into electronic territory during the late 1990s, yet The Aloof originated as a dedicated dance collective and only afterward incorporated a lead singer along with more concise arrangements. The project took shape in 1990 when DJ Dean Thatcher and producer Jagz Kooner, already a member of Andrew Weatherall’s Sabres of Paradise, pressed the limited white-label single “Never Get out of the Boat,” though ffrr Records supplied its first official release and thereby established the group. The next year the pair enlisted vocalist Ricky Barrow and programmer Gary Burns, who also worked with the Sabres, and cut several singles for Cowboy Records. During club PAs across Great Britain the members grew weary of the exhausted house circuit and resolved to function as a genuine live ensemble. Drummer Richard Thair, later of Red Snapper, joined in 1993; the resulting five-piece founded Flaw Records and issued Cover the Crime the following year. The record gained traction on the British indie charts, prompting East West to sign the band, re-release the album in 1995, and issue the follow-up Sinking in 1996. That summer the group appeared at multiple festivals, supported Leftfield, and watched “One Night Stand” climb into the British Top 30. Seeking Pleasure arrived in 1998, but disappointing sales and restructuring inside East West’s dance department led to the band’s dismissal. Kooner departed shortly afterward, after which the remaining members signed with Screaming Target Records and delivered This Constant Chase for Thrills in 1999.