With forerunners like the sadly overlooked proto-electronic wizards Gong, this might just be the case. As U.K. festivals transmogrified into raves, the Ozrics continued to mature, connected more intimately to a genuine electronic scene than their American counterparts who seem to be attempting to graft themselves to it with gusto. Their musical language is quite different. Just as an American dialect morphed out of the King's English over time, eventually transforming into something quite different, the music of the Ozric Tentacles has grown into a mutated kind of progressive instrumental music. Where preprogrammed beats are almost unheard of in American improvised music, the Ozrics employ them as a natural part of their sound.
Tracks wind about over a pulsing electronic bed, more composed than anything else.
In places, the band's reliance on synthesizers and processed guitar sounds can sound dated, but the overall effect is hypnotic and does well to paint surreal soundscapes and pull the listener through them. In Britain, their flights of fancy have won them a distinct cult following, free of major publicity, hit singles, music videos, and all those other trappings. As the band continues to tour year in and year out, they continue to push their creative boundaries. If the growth of the new electronic-influenced bands in the past year is any indication, people will eat the Ozrics alive. And, yes, they're still British.