This line-up (with contributions from other passing members) recorded early singles and EPs plus the seminal 1994 album Hex, before gradually dissolving over the course of 1994, with Sutton moving on to his drum and bass project Boymerang and to production work.

Bark Psychosis is also noted for an extreme dynamic range, varying from quietly-whispered-and-played songs such as "I Know" or "Absent Friend" to thunderous metallic riffing ("Murder City") or deafening sheets of electric noise (the first half of the track "Hex").

"[3] Bark Psychosis was formed in Snaresbrook, Essex in 1986, emerging from the 1980s East London experimental music scene that also produced AR Kane and Disco Inferno.

The trio spent the rest of 1988 rehearsing and composing original material, during which time both Sutton and Ling began to dabble in keyboard playing and digital sampling.

However, his tenure with Bark Psychosis was fairly short and he would later become "a feared journalist", the guitarist in Good Time Pony and leader of The Repton Oaks.

Bark Psychosis' debut appearance on record was the 1988 Clawhammer flexi-disc (a split release on Cheree, shared with Fury Things and Spacemen 3).

"[3]The band's formal live debut (outside of school performances) was at The Sir George Robey in Finsbury Park, London, supporting Extreme Noise Terror.

By this time, Bark Psychosis were establishing a reputation as one of the most unpredictable, innovative live bands in Britain with a great degree of spontaneity and excitement at their gigs.

[6] On record, however, they were developing into a more atmospheric and melodic act, while avoiding many of the standard rock "cliches" such as extended solos and self-mythologizing lyrics: beyond their melody lines and rhythms, the band remained abstract and textural.

Cheree's two new commercial backers were later described by Sutton as "a couple of cons, really, that had screwed so many people," with links to various dubious businesses including pornography.

From that point onward, sampling became a major feature of the Bark Psychosis sound, combining with the effect of Gish's own influences (which included Kraftwerk, New Order, The The and Dead Can Dance).

"[3] Scum experimented with the use of space and extreme dynamics, with music that varied between minimal jazzy chording, airy acoustic drums, clamorous noise guitar, space-ambience and random vocal snippets.

As had been the case with Scum, the sessions made extensive use of the natural acoustics of St John's Church, with other recording work done in studios in Bath, Brighton and London.

It created a very interesting atmosphere..."[1]By this point, the band had developed a singularly unique and varied sound — embedded in lush electronic sampling and textures and accented with electric guitars, piano, and melodica.

"[3] Hex featured guest musicians the Duke String Quartet, Animals That Swim's trumpeter Del Crabtree, Phil Brown on flute, and Neil Aldridge and Dave Ross on assorted percussion.

Once Hex was completed, John Ling also quit Bark Psychosis, feeling "burnt out and unable to play," allegedly due to the stress of making the album.

The vibes track on "Big Shot" (from the Hex album) was a whole mixture of five or six different takes and we sort of just chopped it up and reversed bits and pieces and mixed it all back together again.

Although Hex was not a commercial success at the time, it has continued to sell steadily over the years and retains a reputation as a key album in post-rock and experimental rock circles.

Now reduced to a duo of Sutton and Simnett, Bark Psychosis went on to record the Blue EP, released in May 1994, and promoted with a UK tour, also featuring Gish.

The title track was comparatively more upbeat than the band's work on Hex (and was apparently therapeutic for Sutton, who was allegedly getting over the demise of a "stormy personal relationship" at the time[6]).

Blue was also very strongly influenced by dance music, sounding closer to a New Order pop single than it did to the moody post-rock of previous releases.

Although Bark Psychosis never formally split up, Simnett's departure effectively ended the band, as Sutton had by now lost interest in experimental rock and become a full-scale convert to drum and bass music.

"[8] Later in the summer, Sutton reunited with Daniel Gish to record some new tracks in an ambient and drum and bass style, which they performed at the 1994 Phoenix Festival at Stratford-upon-Avon.

He contributed instrumentation and programming to the Herd of Instinct and Fields And Waves albums as well as the Spoor EP; and remixed the track P53 for single release.

He has produced albums by Jarvis Cocker, Delays, Snowpony, The Veils, Coldharbourstores, British Sea Power, Pellumair and Anjali Bhatia (ex-Voodoo Queens), plus early recordings by The $urplu$ (a band featuring David Callahan of Moonshake and The Wolfhounds).

He has also produced single mixes and remixes for acts including Metallica, Goldie, Brakes, Mansun, Stephen Simmonds, Mandalay, Ed Rush, Collapsed Lung, Ultramarine and Wagon Christ.

Other contributors to the project were Anja Buechele (the singer for The $urplu$), bass player David Panos, New Zealand multi-instrumentalist Rachel Dreyer (piano, vocals, wood flute), Shaun Hyder (Sindhi tamboura), Alice Kemp (bowed guitar) and T.J. Mackenzie (trumpet).

One of the clearest indications that the project had changed was that Sutton was now sharing his lead singer's role with others: Buechele and Dreyer covered many of the vocals, sometimes even singing entire songs.

///Codename: Dustsucker revealed that Bark Psychosis was no longer confined by the formal limitations of either rock band or dance music project, as might have been expected.

Although several pieces featured familiar Bark Psychosis ingredients (such as the interplay of Sutton's tremolo electric guitar and minimal keyboards), others were based around strummed acoustic guitar and resembled either folk music or some of the band's pre-"Scum" psychedelic work, while others had elements of cool jazz, Indian classical sounds, or — as in the case of "Shapeshifting" – a post-Boymerang fascination with the possibilities of extended rhythm and noise.