The Advent

The Advent is a UK techno duo from London, made up of Cisco Ferreira and Colin McBean, and later becomes primarily the project of Ferreira alone. The act works across techno, detroit techno, electro, hardgroove techno and minimal techno, and it is associated with the Tresor label among others.

Formation and early work

Cisco Ferreira begins his career soon after leaving school, working as an engineer at Jack Trax Records. That role gives him direct exposure to figures including Derrick May and Marshall Jefferson. In 1988 he starts recording with C.J. Bolland as Space Opera, a project that eventually releases four singles on R&S Records. He also records the first Fragile single, “Why Don’t You Answer”, under his own name.

Ferreira later meets Colin McBean, a DJ who has worked with Keith Franklin of Bang the Party as part of KCC. The two begin recording together in 1990, first working as engineers on material for Fade to Black, the alias of Jay Denham. Their first release as a duo appears on a Network Records sampler, before The Advent name is officially launched in 1994 after Ferreira signs to Internal Records.

Albums and releases

The duo’s debut album, Elements of Life, arrives in late 1995. It is followed by the remix album Shaded Elementz in 1996 and the second full-length A New Beginning in 1997. After Internal Records drops the act, The Advent moves to the Metalbox division of Northwest/BMG and returns later in 1997 with Kombination Phunk, which combines remixes with original tracks.

McBean leaves in 1999, saying he does not want to continue touring, but he continues recording separately as G Flame and Mr. G. Ferreira continues The Advent with releases including the “Sound Sketch” 12-inch series for Tresor between 1998 and 2000, the album Time Trap Technik on Gigolo Records in 2001, and Sketched for Life in 2002.

Style and significance

The Advent is known for a forceful, energetic approach to techno that updates the style of early Detroit innovators such as Derrick May and Kevin Saunderson. The project develops from engineering and DJ culture into a long-running London techno act with a catalogue that moves between original productions, remixes and label-based series.