Bleep

The influence of Telepathic Fish has been spoken of throughout the South London scene, but now the foundational ambient underground party gets its first proper history lesson with a compilation that leaves no stone unturned. Founded by the beloved Chantal Passamonte AKA Mira Calix alongside illustrator David Vallade, and DJ partners Mario Aguera and Kevin Foakes AKA DJ Food, Telepathic Fish sat at a fated crossroads between Warp, Ninja Tune and Solid Steel, and Rising High, presenting a chilled out alternative to the high energy raves of the early 90s.

It’s not hard to see why Telepathic Fish was a meeting space for so many of electronic music’s luminaries: press play on the opening ‘Barbarella (The Irresistible Force Mix)’ and you’re immediately transported by wobbling synths and chandeliers of chimes, like entering a sonic portal, easing into a lowkey, airy atmosphere with patient rhythms. From intoxicated funk deluges to ambient dub charting undersea wonders, these selections are vibe shifts testament to Telepathic Fish’s hideaway from the relentless four to the floors just across the motorway.

Even when the drum machines and rave synths do filter in, these tracks keep the temperature to a snowy chill. Aphex Twin’s ‘Cordialatron’ under his Caustic Window alias revels in the beats and slightly acidic synth glides, brightly coloured by bells and stuttering pianos, while David Morley sends distorted synths from the dancefloor onto a reflective ambient journey on his ‘Kinetic’ remix. The wooziest scene-setters here are also the showstoppers: Nightmares On Wax’s ‘Nights Interlude’ imbues whistling keys and a bouncy pulled bass, and Keiichi Suzuki’s ‘Satellite Serenade (Trans Asian Express Mix)’ takes its time to evolve into a mystical techno trek, with David Attenborough narration informing the paced out sonic environment.

A vital piece of electronic music history finally gets the spotlight with this Telepathic Fish compilation.