The UK rave scene of the early 1990s, was a seemingly endless ecstatic buzz built on beats, love, the floor being at one, fizzing with dayglo-splattered energy. And then, somewhat inevitably, after the high, the comedown. Chill.
Telepathic Fish: Trawling The Early 90s Ambient Underground is the first-ever illustrated compilation celebrating the seminal underground South London ambient party. The happening turned after-club back-room chill-out spaces into a significant cultural movement, where soundscapes on labels like Ninja Tune, Warp, and Rising High flowed and flourished.
Originally “like being in someone’s living room”, this small squat party expanded its homegrown scene into a public event with its own fanzine, Mindfood. The first Telepathic Fish ran from noon until 10 pm on a Sunday. It felt “like a 1960’s arts lab: bubble lights, computer graphics, inflatables, sleepers, drone music, squat aesthetics”.
The Openmind collective
Hosted by the Openmind collective, Chantal Passamonte (aka Mira Calix – who sadly died in 2022), David Vallade, Mario Aguera, and Kevin Foakes (aka DJ Food). Mixmaster Morris (The Irresistible Force) and Matt Black (Coldcut contributed also).
The ethos, as Matt explained, was simple: “Kevin was a hip-hop fan, David liked heavy metal and Chantal listened to the ambient end of indie music: Spacemen 3 and 4AD label bands such as This Mortal Coil. There were no shared musical visions; simply an idea that the environment for listening to music could be different…”
From squat to, well, not quite mainstream!
And so began some of the earliest chill out events in London and arguably among the most influential. The first proper Telepathic Fish event took place on Sunday, 1 May 1993. It was notable for the inclusion of Richard ‘Aphex Twin’ James and a good friend of Mixmaster Morris.
Chantal recalled: “We found this squat in Brixton, which was run by these completely insane people. It was from Sunday tea on May bank holiday and people just turned up in dribs and drabs all through the night. We made lots of jelly and there was plenty of acid about. That went on for about fourteen, fifteen hours. That was the first proper Telepathic Fish, May 1st, ‘93’.”
From such humble beginnings, the parties got bigger, the staging and lights more ambitious. Within a year the collective was playing VIP after-shows for Orbital.
New book and CD
The new compilation includes a 20-page history of the parties. Its llustrated with personal photos, artwork, and memorabilia from 1992 to 1995. The gatefold sleeve also features their Telepathic Fish logo, mirroring an original T-shirt design they sold in Ambient Soho, a record shop three of the four worked in at different times.
The selections featured are personal favourites that were played at the Telepathic Fish parties. Mario, David, and Kevin combed their collections for key pieces they associate with the time and Chantal’s music tastes. Over a hundred tracks were selected – nearly 11 hours of playing time – before being edited down to the essentials found on the album.
Final thoughts
There is much to enjoy here. Artists include Barbarella, Spacetime Continuum, Nightmares On Wax, Global Communication, and Caustic Window (Aphex Twin). Nostalgia that still, on occasion, sounds like the future. Chill.
Andy Mckay
This article’s author is a lifelong prisoner of music and is one of Chelmsford’s old guard, having been in The Prodigal Sons, Apple Creation, and The White Gospel. Currently with post-punk gaze band, Snakes, he continues to obsess and enthuse over music, film, and writing. Snakes’ latest lp, Expo, is out now.
Telepathic Fish: Trawling The Early 90s Ambient Underground (Various Artists) is out on 5 September 2025 on Fundamental Frequencies.
