Heard Ya Missed M WELL I'M BACK!

This month: I Monster

- Chris Wheatley

In the latter half of the 90s, a number of bands rose to prominence that fell under the loose umbrella term of 'big beat', fusing adventurous, upbeat, electronica with live vocals and samples. Bentley Rhythm Ace, Propellerheads, and Lionrock, all enjoyed their time in the sun, but two particular quirky and inventive acts from that era are back in the spotlight: The All Seeing I with a remastered and expanded edition of their 1999 LP, Pickled Eggs & Sherbert, and I Monster, with a new album in the works.

Sheffield-based producer Dean Honer, who formed one third of All Seeing I, and who makes up one half of I Monster, tells the inside story.

“We were just three blokes messing around in the studio,” says Honer, the ‘we’ being Honer, Jason Buckle, and DJ Parrot, who, as The All Seeing I, recorded just the one album together. In 1999, Honer was an established producer with connections throughout the vibrant Sheffield music scene. Buckle and Parrot shared Honer’s taste for the unusual, and together they struck gold. Locals Jarvis Cocker and Philip Oakey, with special guest Tony Christie, contributed vocals to Pickled Eggs & Sherbert, which spawned two hit singles: The Beat Goes On and Walk Like A Panther. The latter, with Christie singing lead, peaked at No 10, but that success came with added pressure from the group’s label, London Records.

“It was like, ‘Oh, you have to go on tour now,” says Honer, adding: “Well, as I say, we were just three blokes.”