'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,
began working as an engineer at Jack Trax Records, a job which enabled him to glimpse first-hand the work of such auteurs as
. He began recording in 1988 with
(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
The pair began recording together in 1990; their first activity was an engineering 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 appeared in 1997, though Internal Records dropped the duo soon after its release. After transferring to the Metalbox division of Northwest/BMG,
the Advent returned later that year with
Kombination Phunk, which alternated remixes with several original productions. In 1999,
McBean left, citing his reluctance to continue touring, though he continued to record under his solo alias,
G Flame and Mr. G.
Ferreira continued his busy release schedule, including a 12" series ("Sound Sketch") for Tresor during 1998-2000, the 2002 full-length
Sketched for Life, and Light Years Away in late 2003.
–
John Bush, Rovi