(c’89-?) David Gates (synths), Malcolm Stanners (synths), and Andy Rose (percussion / vocals).

This electronic / trance trio from Guildford, started with just Gates and Stanners who had embraced acid-house in the mid-’80s. Stanners began working at Paradise Studio, where he engineered for Hawkwind and The Beloved. By ’91, the duo had earned and saved enough money to buy their own gear.

Salt Tank

The result was three limited EPs on their own 4 Real Communications label: 91’s ‘Ease the Pressure’ [4R0001], ’92’s ‘Ethereal’ [4R0002] and June ’93’s 12 inch ‘ST1’. The bands “Aura” appeared on ‘Return to Farnborough Groove Vol.3′ in ’93. They quickly followed ‘ST1’ in September ’93 with ‘ST2’, signing to the Internal label and releasing their first LP in mid ’94 titled ‘ST3’, which was accompanied by two 12″ promo releases: “Charged UP” and “Final Charge”.

Salt Tank’s “ST3” LP released in 1994

These releases created enough buzz to be used in sets by Andrew Weatherall and Kris Needs and saw them compared to Orbital; who were also on Internal. They had also been performing live with the addition of Rose (ex-EB and the System) which drew further comparison, but this time to Underworld.

They recorded a session for The John Peel Show that was broadcast on 5 August ’94. Shortly after the broadcast they released their second LP ‘ST4 – Science and Nature’ along with the 12 inch promo “Gaza Strip”. The Peel Session would later be released as an EP titled ‘ST5’ in ’95. David Cavanagh describes the group in ‘Good Night and Good Riddance’ as “not quite hippy-ish enough for the ambient-dub crowd, but too hippy-ish for the superclub hordes at Ministry of Sound and Cream”.

Salt Tank

Their following 12 inch, titled ‘ST6’, again on Internal, carried a surprise British Top 40 single in the track “Eugina.” Salt Tank’s follow up LP ‘Wavebreaks’ came in ’97, and they became one of the few bands to play a live set at Cream (how wrong was Cavanagh). [Ed – There is more to write…].

Back when Gates was training to be a dentist he did a stint in Iceland, meeting The Sugarcubes on the way over. They invited him to a gig in Reykjavik which he reviewed and was published in, we believe, Melody Maker. They did gig, notably at The Old Trout, Windsor.

Rose died from cancer in November 2012.

Tracks:


Gallery:

Salt Tank’s 1991 “Ease The Pressure” EP [4R0001]
Salt Tank’s 1992 “Ethereal” EP [4R0002]
Salt Tank’s June 1993 “ST1” 12 inch
Salt Tank’s September 1993 “ST2” 12 inch
Salt Tank’s “Charged Up” 12 inch Promo for ST3 from 1994.
Salt Tank’s “Final Charge” 12 inch promo for ST3 from 1994
Salt Tank’s second LP “ST4”, also released in 1994
Salt Tank’s “Gaza Strip” 12 inch promo for ST4 from 1994
Salt Tank’s Peel Session released as the “ST5” EP in ’95
Salt Tank’s 12 inch, titled “ST6”, carried a surprise British Top 40 single in the track “Eugina”.
ST7
ST8
Salt Tank
Salt Tank
Salt Tank
Salt Tank’s “Aura” appeared on Return Of Farnborough Groove Vol.3 in 1993. Picture courtesy of Pete Cole