Representative Albums: "Bentley Rhythm Ace," "For Your Ears Only"
Representative Songs: "Bentley's Gonna Sort You Out," "Midlander (There Can Only Be," "Whoosh"
Biography
Based in Birmingham, Bentley Rhythm Ace are Mike Stokes (aka Michael Barrywhoosh) and ex-Pop Will Eat Itself bassist Richard March (aka Barry Island). The group formed in 1995 after Marsh was introduced to Stokes at the house party of a mutual friend where Stokes was DJing. Discovering a shared love for screwball novelty records and offbeat groove tunes, the pair met up afterwards to see if they couldn't make a go of a studio collaboration. To date, they've released two EPs and a long-player for Brighton's big-beat Skint label, attracting wide acclaim for their energetic, irreverent blend of hip-hop, funk, and the bizarre lounge, jazz, and exotica records that initially brought them together. The duo's head-scratcher of a name derives from their weekend habit -- also commemorated on their first Skint twelve, "This Is Carbootechnodiscobooto" -- of rare vinyl shopping at the ubiquitous car-trunk junk sales in their Midlands home; a good deal of the flavor of their material comes from their knack for fusing the fruits of those dusty weekend jaunts with tight, infectious rhythms and engaging arrangements. Following the release of their Skint debut, Stokes and Marsh took up a monthly residency at Heavenly's Sunday Social club (where the Chemical Brothers got their start), and their instant popularity has meant they've been something of a critic's darling ever sense. Their self-titled debut LP was released by Skint in 1997, and featured remixed versions of a few early tracks together with a number of new cuts. The pair have also cultivated something of a devoted club following through their campy live performances, which often involve strange and unusual costumes and props (probably originating from the same car boots as their records). ~ Sean Cooper, All Music Guide
The band was formed in Birmingham, in 1995 by March, former members of the group Pop Will Eat Itself (with guest appearances by James Atkin, a member of indie band EMF) and Mike. "Both more or less penniless, they drank in the same pub and were forced to buy their records at the cheapest place possible - car boot sales"[1]. Their live drummer was Fuzz Townshend, with whom March previously played in Pop Will Eat Itself.
A second album, For Your Ears Only, was released in 2000 on Parlophone but was less popular. A further single "Madam, Your Carriage Awaits" was released. The group also compiled a two CDFSUKcompilation album.
In 2004, the Bentleys put out a 4 songs record with Sophia Lolley called Angel Face.
The name likely refers to the Rhythm Ace line of analoguedrum machines manufactured by Ace Tone, some of which were rebranded and distributed by Bentley Pianos in the UK[2].
The group epitomises the Big Beat era. Signed to Skint Records, they have enjoyed much commercial success with their music being used on television advertisements and with an enormous underground following.
The group have all but split, playing the occasional low-key DJ set, but have released no further material since 2000. March and Townshend also both teach at Halesowen College in the Music department.
The album track "T-Spot" was used in a commercial for Nik Naks.
The song "Bentleys Gonna Sort You Out!" was used in a commercial for L'Oréal Shampoo along and an advert for Lynx deodorant in the UK. It was also used as the soundtrack for several of the "100 Greatest..." shows on the UK TV channel, Channel 4.
"Bentleys Gonna Sort You Out!" was used by CBC Radio as the opening theme for the Saturday afternoon show Definitely Not The Opera. It has since been replaced by an original composition by Owen Pallett as of September 2008.
"Bentleys Gonna Sort You Out!" is based on the song "Bodybuilding" by Orchester Werner Müller which appears on The In-Kraut
The song "Feelings" is found only on the PS2 Music Generation Game, MTV:Music Generator 2
