Bent
This studio-based experimental electronica UK duo comprises Simon Mills and Nail Tolliday (real name). Setting up their own label, Sport Recordings, the duo released three EPs (one as Johnny Flash And The Flames) before a highly praised debut, 2000's Programmed To Love. They formed Bent in Nottingham in 1997 after becoming disillusioned with the state of dance music at the time. Tolliday had previously been part of a famous Midlands-based sound system, DIY. Their ethereal, ambient, sample-heavy sound was immediately likened to Air, Moby and even Badly Drawn Boy. The duo was reported to have made their early recordings with nothing more than a sampler and 2000 second-hand records that they bought for £50. An illustration of their irreverent and genre-defying approach surfaced in the use of vocal snippets sampled from Nana Mouskouri on two of the tracks from Programmed To Love, "I Love My Man" and "Always In My Heart". Like many dance music producers (notably Fatboy Slim), they take pride in recontextualising somewhat overlooked material, with the duo claim influences as diverse as Rolf Harris, Geoff Love, John Lennon, the Beach Boys to more clearly dance music-orientated ones such as Kid Loco and Aphex Twin.
Listen to Bent
at Finetune.
Top Tracks
- I Love My Man(Original Version)
- Fellini's Roma (Bent Remix)
Related Artists
Fans