Bentley Rhythm Ace

Bentley Rhythm Ace

Bentley Rhythm Ace are a Birmingham, United Kingdom group active since 1997, made up of Richard March and Mike Stokes. Their sound sits within big beat, breakbeat, electronic and electronica, and they are closely associated with the big beat period of the late 1990s.

Career

The group forms in Birmingham in the late 1990s, drawing on the background of former members of Pop Will Eat Itself, with guest appearances by Milf from EMF. They sign to Skint Records and build a strong following, including substantial underground support. Their music also appears in television advertisements, adding to their wider profile.

Their self-titled debut album, Bentley Rhythm Ace, appears in 1997 and includes the single Bentley's Gonna Sort You Out, which becomes their best-known release. A second album, For Your Ears Only, follows in 2000. They also release the single Madam, Your Carriage Awaits.

Other work

Bentley Rhythm Ace also compile the 2CD FSUK 3 collection, presented as mixed discs by the group. They are named after the Rhythm Ace range of analogue drum machines made by Ace Tone, some of which are rebranded and distributed in the UK by Bentley Pianos.

The group continues in name and plays occasional low-key DJ sets, although no further material appears after 2000.