Sharp’s efforts became central to the post-rave resurgence of ambient music, yet he was always scanning new horizons. In 1991, he bravely relocated from rave-crazed London to the U.S., where dance music has always been the redheaded stepchild to rock’s blue-eyed boy. Sharp cushioned the blow by choosing San Francisco, a city with a relatively thriving electronic-music underground. Once there, he and his wife Billee launched their own label, Reflective, to release his first Spacetime Continuum EP, Florescence (previous Sharp records had appeared under various names).

Sharp’s label proved to be as pioneering as his music. Reflective’s list of releases includes futurist staples by the likes of Single Cell Orchestra, Velocette, and Kid Spatula, as well as Subtropic’s Homebrew, the first full-length U.S. release from a solo drum-and-bass artist. Meanwhile, Sharp himself became the first U.S. resident signed to Astralwerks Records (future home of hitmakers Fatboy Slim and the Chemical Brothers).

Following Alien Dreamtime, a didgeridoo-tinged collaboration with botanist/philosopher Terence McKenna, Spacetime Continuum created the ambient landmark Sea Biscuit. For his next record, however, Sharp made a welcome return to the dance floor. Encouraged by downtempo’s transformation into more dance-friendly styles, he revisited Detroit techno and explored the burgeoning drum-and-bass genre. The sensibility of a veteran DJ infused his next record, Emit Ecaps, which inspired its own remix collection, Remit Recaps, featured spin-doctoring by everyone from Autechre to Plaid to Carl Craig to Sharp himself.

Sharp continued to pursue a funkier, more vibrant sound on 1997’s Real Time, a stylistic precursor to the masterful Double Fine Zone, released two years later. On this jazzy outing, Sharp came full circle, playing drums, synth, sampler, and Rhodes piano, and was accompanied on several tracks by Brian Iddenden’s creamy, smooth saxophone. Sharp expertly navigated a range of longtime influences, from movie composer Lalo Schiffrin to jazz legends Max Roach and Sun Ra.

Like pal Carl Craig, Sharp avoids slipping into New Age noodling by melding his jazz impulses with rigorous rhythm. The latest Spacetime track, “Nuspheric,” provides five minutes of shimmering, low-key chill-out to please old fans and recent converts alike. Sharp maintains the cinematic aura of Double Fine Zone, but replaces the electro-funk leanings with subtle, bell-like beats. It’s a smooth and swanky trip with a touch of Starsky and Hutch grit.

Over the years, aside from his acclaimed solo efforts, Sharp has collaborated with a slew of luminaries, including Detroit techno genius Craig, Japanese composer Tetsu Inoue, influential German ambient maestros David Moufang and Pete Namlook, and legendary producer Bill Laswell. His prevailing interest in film scores led him to contribute to the soundtrack of the idiosyncratic 1998 thriller ð.

Through it all, Sharp has continued to bring intelligence to the dance floor, providing welcome relief for the glow-stick-and-pacifier-impaired among us. He’s not afraid to mix it up, taking a decidedly no-nonsense approach to his masterful fusions of ambient, techno, and jungle elements. As Sharp himself explained a few years ago to the San Francisco Bay Guardian: "At the end of the day, it really doesn't matter what [equipment] you have, because everything makes noise. Any gear can make any kind of sound. It's up to you to make it do it."

-- Jackie McCarthy

Jackie McCarthy is the former music editor of Seattle Weekly, and writes about music and other topics for CMJ New Music Monthly, Seattle Weekly, and Resonance on paper, and CDNow and Wall of Sound on the web.