Ceephax Acid Crew

Ceephax Acid Crew is the alias of Andy Jenkinson, an electronic musician from Chelmsford, United Kingdom, born in 1979. He is also credited simply as Ceephax, a name that plays on the BBC teletext service Ceefax. His work is associated with acid house and drum and bass, and his verified genre is acid house.

Background and style

Jenkinson is the brother of Tom Jenkinson, known as Squarepusher. He also spends time working with Jonathan Taylor, known as Global Goon, and for a period he shares accommodation with him. His early music develops from a home-recording approach that uses vintage electronic instruments and equipment, including the Roland TR-909 and TR-606 drum machines, the Roland TB-303 and SH-101 synthesizers, the Korg MS-20, and a Roland MSQ-700 sequencer. These recordings are made onto a 4-track cassette deck and issued on vinyl and cassette, reflecting a deliberately lo-fi acid house method at a time when computer-based production and compact disc releases are becoming more common.

By 2003, he also performs live on BBC radio using sounds from a Commodore 64 SID chip, showing a move towards chiptune material. He also makes drum and bass tracks on early Akai samplers, often using the “Amen” breakbeat sample, which connects his work to 1980s and early 1990s dance music.

Releases and labels

His first record appears when he is 18. Early releases come out on underground labels including Firstcask, Lo Records and Breakin' Records. Rephlex Records and Warp Records both release remixes of Squarepusher by Ceephax. His discography includes the albums (Untitled) with Drive Time bonus cassette, Exidy Tours, Ceephax Acid Crew, Ceephax Acid Crew Part One and Ceephax Acid Crew Part Two. His EPs and singles include Radiotin EP, Bainted Smile EP, Acid Quakers 1000, Acid Legacy EP, Hardcore Wick / Acid Varsity Speciale, Hardcore Esplanade and The Crisp Chronicles OST.

His music also appears in bootleg and file-sharing circulation. In 2003 he plays unreleased songs on Mary Anne Hobbs’s BBC Radio 1 show, and some of these tracks remain available only through bootlegs or Soulseek files. Live bootlegs also circulate from performances in Berlin and on Resonance 104.4 FM, alongside material posted via his website.

Collaborations and side projects

Jenkinson works with his brother and with Phillie T on a number of comic side projects. These include the rap outfit The Odd Job Men and the improvised blues group The Chelmsford Blues Explosion. In 2005 he also acts in short comedy films made by Philie T of Chelmsford. He and the others are connected through the Chelmsford Film Society.