Remembering Ian ‘Spatts’ Allen

When the news broke that Milton Keynes had lost one of its dance music innovators, it was a blow not just to his many friends, family and collaborators, but also to the scene he had been active in for so long.

Spatts, aka Ian Allen, one of lauded hip hop mob The Criminal Minds, passed away on December 30, 2023. His passing was unexpected, and he was taken too soon.

It’s perhaps not surprising that his friends have responded to the devastation in the most obvious of ways – with music, and lots of it.
“We first met at one of my Gauge gigs at The Pitz alongside Tuesday Strange and Able Mesh,” recalled Craig White, who became a friend and longtime collaborator of Spatts, “I was coming to the end of this industrial tinged project with Magic Alec, and Spatts stepped in and did a remix for us – from there SIR-VERE was born and we worked together on all the early band recordings.”

Fans can temper their sadness at Spatts’ loss by revelling in his work with a mighty feast of sounds just cut loose for you; Three EPs by The Secret Screens featuring SIR-VERE are yours to engage with.

My Dark Places, Mind Bomb and Brain Drain have been out for a couple of weeks now, and the long-players Relics 1 & 2 have just followed, all available through Worldsound/Virgin Music.

All of the tracks have been available previously, but in decidedly limited numbers. “This is the first time the whole collection is available at the same time on the same label,” Craig told Pulse Music, “All 46 tracks have been remastered and a couple reworked from the demos I did with Spatts. It was a direct collision of all our combined works into one big collective project showcasing our hip hop, breakbeat, twisted house, funk and lots of post punk vibes.”

These releases are part of a huge SIR-VERE catalogue reissue series through Virgin Music, with these particular choices being brought forward following the passing of Spatts.

Craig reflects on his union with Spatts as a period of creativity that knew no bounds – there was no being held back when the two of them let their musical minds roam.

“We had fun and we laughed together. We both wanted to push boundaries in the electronic world and not be scared to throw all the styles into the pot,” Craig said, “His incredible ear for music was truly unique – he had the creative power to make whatever I threw at him musically, work.

“The Secret Screens will carry on pushing those boundaries and sonics of electronic music, with Spatts’ heartbeat at the core,’’ Craig promised, “The void he has left can never be filled. It’s still not real and I still think the phone may ring with him suggesting more ideas.
“I will always miss him, but will keep his legacy, his beats, and his soul alive in whatever we do.”

Visit Bandcamp and tap in sir-vere to access everything, or visit the usual download platforms.