A.R. Kane

A.R. Kane
Promotional image of A.R. Kane
Background information
Origin	East London, England
Genres	Dream pop, experimental pop
Years active	1986–1994
Labels	Rough Trade, 4AD, One Little Indian, Luaka Bop/Sire
Associated acts	MARRS, Sufi, MusicOne, Alex!
Website	http://arkane.co.uk
Past members	Alex Ayuli Rudy Tambala

A.R. Kane (sometimes AR Kane or A.R.Kane) was a British musical duo formed in 1986 by Alex Ayuli and Rudy Tambala. In the late 1980s, the duo coined the term "dream pop" to describe their eclectic sound, which drew on diverse sources such as dub, psychedelia, free jazz, and house. After releasing two early EPs to critical acclaim, A.R. Kane topped the UK independent charts with their albums 69 (1988) and "i" (1989). They also released the surprise dance hit "Pump Up the Volume" in 1987 as part of the one-off collaboration MARRS.

After an early-'90s hiatus, they released their third album New Clear Child in 1994 and subsequently broke up. Though their work fell into relative obscurity in subsequent years, they have been characterized by critics as among the most innovative and underrated groups of their era. In 2012, One Little Indian released Complete Singles Collection, which compiled the group's single and EP releases.

Ayuli and Tambala first met as school children in an East London primary school. Ayuli is of Nigerian descent, while Tambala was born to a Malawian father and English mother. Both were involved in formative and culturally diverse music communities as adolescents. In 1983, Ayuli became an advertising copywriter, one of few black creatives working in the London ad business. Attending a party in 1986, Tambala was asked how he and Ayuli knew each other; he lied that the two played together in a band, going on to describe their sound as "a bit Velvet Underground, a bit Cocteau Twins, a bit Miles Davis, a bit Joni Mitchell." A week later, the two were contacted by a label on the strength of Tambala's fabrication. The duo recorded their demo without a drummer, using a guitar and two cassette players.