| Salt Tank possesses an instinct for beautiful techno and trance akin to Orbital though their focus on hard-hitting techno and live-show performance (with guitars and drum kits as well as synthesizer banks) puts them more in line with Underworld. Formed by Malcolm Stanners and David Gates with Andrew Rose added later for an in-concert slant, the trio recorded several singles before signing to Internal Records and finding a surprise British Top 40 single in "Eugina." Originally, Stanners and Gates knew each other from an early age, sharing an affection for world music and the crusty, festival movement. The pair embraced acid-house as well by the mid-'80s, and Stanners began working at Paradise Studio, where he engineered for Hawkwind, the Beloved, Kevin Saunderson's Inner City and Derrick May.
By 1991, Stanners and Gates had earned enough money to buy their own gear, after which they recorded three limited EPs on their own 4 Real Communications. The releases created a buzz in the dance community -- dropped into sets by Andrew Weatherall and Kris Needs -- and made it to the radio as well via The John Peel Show. After signing to Internal Records (also the home of Orbital and the Advent), the duo released their proper debut album, Science and Nature. The single "Eugina" hit the British Top 40, and recruited Andrew Rose as a nominal frontman for their live show. Salt Tank's sophomore LP Wavebreaks followed in 1997, and the trio became one of the few bands to play a live set at the Liverpool super-club Cream. ~ John Bush, All Music Guide |
