The Advent

Elements of Life / Oct. 1995 / Internal
It’s a bit of a surprise that Cisco Ferreira and Colin McBean could weave ag­
gressive Detroit techno, acid, electro and ambient into such a beguiling,
trademarked sound after the styles had been around for over a decade, but
the hard-school electronics of this double-disc debut Advent album proved
that techno could have a staying power far beyond its original conception. Of
the 16 strong tracks, highlights are hard to choose though the renegade cos­
mic-electro of “Spaceism” and “Farencounters” shine a bit brighter than the
rest. —John Bush
Shaded Elementz / Sep. 2,1996 / London
The Elements of Life remix album includes eight tracks by some of the Ad­
vent’s most sympathetic peers, including Luke Slater, Surgeon, Damon Wild,
Joey Beltram and Cari Lekebusch. There’s no less than three remixes of “It
One Jah,” but Shaded Elementz is another excellent addition to the Advent’s
catalogue. —John Bush
A New Beginning / Apr. 28,1997 /
As the title suggests, the Advent’s second proper album moves on from the
electro/acid feel of their early EPs and debut full-length. Instead, New Begin­
ning is a set of sleek techno movers with intense beats and off-kilter percus­
sion fills to build on the minimalist techno slant. Most of the twelve tracks on
New Beginning were written strictly by Cisco Ferreira. —John Bush
Kombination Phunk / Nov. 24,1997 / Metalbox
The duo’s first album for Metalbox/BMG combined remixes of Advent-ized
material by Dopplereffekt, Joey Beltram and Surgeon, plus original produc­
tions like “Elektra Fix” and “C-On.” The sound is good throughout, covering
their usual blend of the harsher side of techno and electro, but some of the
duo’s own productions sound remarkably similar to other non-remixed orig­
inals before Advent got hold of them. —John Bush

Longtime advocates of sonic terrorism even before banding together as the
Advent in 1993, Cisco Ferreira and Colin McBean’s assault on conventional
techno flourished in part because of abundant glimpses into related styles,
from electro and trance to progressive house. Soon after leaving school, Fer­
reira began working as an engineer at Jack Trax Records, a job which enabled
him to glimpse first-hand the work of such auteurs as Derrick May and Mar­
shall Jefferson. He began recording in 1988 with C.J. Bolland as Space Opera
(eventually releasing four singles for R&S Records) and also recorded the first
single for Fragile (“Why Don't You Answer” as himself) before meeting
McBean, a top DJ who had worked with Keith Franklin of Bang the Party as
the DJ team KCC.
The pair began recording together in 1990; their first activity was an en­
gineering job for Fade to Black (aka Jay Denham), but later they debuted on
vinyl with their first single, recorded for inclusion on a sampler by Network
Records. The official debut of the Advent came in 1994, just after Ferreira
signed to Internal Records (also the home of Orbital). He convinced McBean
to join him in the recording of a series of crucially limited singles, then the
debut Advent album Elements of Life in late 1995. Critics championed the
duo’s energetic update of original techno renegades like Derrick May and
Kevin Saunderson, and the Advent followed with the remix album Shaded
Elementz one year later. Their second proper album A New Beginning ap­
peared in 1997, though Internal Records dropped the duo soon after its re­
lease. After transferring to the Metalbox division of Northwest/BMG, the Ad­
vent returned later that year with Kombination Phunk, which alternated
remixes with several original productions. In 1999, McBean left, citing his re­
luctance to continue touring, though he continued to record under his solo
alias, G Flame and Mr. G. —John Bush

Cisco Ferreira is a bona fide techno legend imo, much respect for producing consistent quality for best part of 3 decades plus. Always with that unmistakable slammin and shaking it advent groove. Cheers

Anyone who was around in the mid 90's / early 20's and was into harder techno...Advent tracks are instantly recognizable. Tell me I'm wrong. Those crispy snare hits and cymbals that almost sound metallic, only Cisco made music with drum sounds like that. He's kept on ever since, with uncompromising, expertly produced thunderbang techno.

The Advent allegedly signed for Internal for £30,000 on a five album contract after working on the first two Salt Tank EPs.

Sick duo which have been pioneers in the techno scene. From that trademark Advent aggressive techno to the upbeat electro to some of the funkier stuff The Advent is synanymous with the term Techno. Now only consisting of Cisco Ferreira his work rate hasn't diminished as this studio genius is always in the forefront of cutting edge techno.