Formed in Exeter in 1995, the band originally comprised James Brooks (guitar), David Ireland (percussion) and Stuart Christie (bass).
[2][3][4] The mini-album Six Modular Pieces followed in 2000, an album of "droning, atmospheric" tracks,[5] described by Allmusic as "lo-fi garage numbers with layers of textured guitars, bleep effects, and vintage synthesizers", [6] and regarded by the NME as "a creative breakthrough".
[7] Imperial Metric (2002) was seen as more diverse, with Allmusic's Tim DiGravina identifying Neu!, Joy Division and The Velvet Underground as influences, describing the album as "deceptively complex, melodic, and timeless mood music".
[8] Pitchfork's Paul Cooper saw it as an improvement on their previous work, calling it "a fascinating blend of post-punk dub, primitive electronics, and Soviet-menace nostalgia".
In October 2010, the RROOPP label released Appliance, Reconditioned, a retrospective 3-CD boxed set of early recordings, unreleased material and Peel sessions.