Intastella were an alternative funky, soul, drum and bass, dance band from Manchester, featuring former members of the Indie band Laugh. Fronted by the lush Stella Grundy, Intastella were shining their neon lights during the early 90s, in particular during the underground Indie club scene around the North West. Although Intastella were compared to bands such as St Etienne they were a more multi-faceted, upbeat, euphoric band, whose groovy 60s tinged and 70s funkadelia songs elevated the soulful and sassy vocals of Grundy. As a front woman, Grundy ticked all the boxes, not only was she easy on the eye but she sang with a raw passion which warmed up those  sonic beats.

Whilst Intastella were widely thought of as a funky dance band, songs such as the crunchy guitar “Skyscraper” illustrates their diversity as a band, crossing over to alternative rock and contrasting with their more poppy-dance tunes. A difficult band to pigeon-hole, Intastella often dabbled with 60s psychedlia, churning out sunshine waves through their funky Farfisa with songs such as the hypnotic and ambient “People”, the kinetic “I love the smell of new grass” and the loose-fitting, swaying “Drifter”. At a time when alternative dance music was making waves, Intastella, like  808 State and A Guy Called Gerald, made good use of the Roland TR-808 drum machines which thankfully along with their layered synths helped master the art of producing songs which have stood the test of time.  Songs  such as the caressing and funky “Dream Some Paradise”, the whirly synths and guitar infused “Point Hope” and the menacing  synth and the acid-house bleeping “Century”  have all aged well, evolving into retro old-skool gems as opposed to out-dated dross.

However, what was great about Intastella was how they crossed over and chilled in the Urban dancey drum and bass music suite likened to “Massive Attack”, “Tricky”, “Goldie” and “Everything but the Girl”, which benchmarked them moving with the times. In particular with the smoky and seductive “Grandmaster”, Intastella experimented with a more chilled out lounge lizard vibe. With its slithering textured synths and brooding drum and base beats “Grandmaster” encapsulated the archetypal sounds of mid-90s dance, blowing away the 80s acid-house debris. It was also a song whose western/dessert barren, scrapey guitars and idiosyncratic and salacious lyrics resonates against Grundy’s sultry vocals. Notably it’s the heart-beating, chiming and card-shuffling synths, pogo-jumping bass and high-pitched sweeping synths that create the atmospheric backdrop for this sexually charged song. It’s also a song which illustrates the musical fluidity of Intastella, whilst reinforcing the chanteuse charm of Grundy.

Despite their catalogue of early 90s infectious songs, Intastella will probably be remembered for their 1995 hit “The Night”, taken from their second album, “What You Gonna Do”. Despite it being a cover of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons’ Northern Soul classic, Intastella managed to make it into their own, incorporating those classic sounds from the early 90s club scene. From the dramatic clatter of opening synths , to the whigfield-esque bassline, “The Night” is a dancey number whose sassy vocals shift the song beyond the band’s origins. With its rumbling drums and spacey steps, “The Night” swings and pulsates between the fleeting electronically encased vocals. It’s also a song which bops within an air-tight straitjacket before loosening with the free-style 90s piano-synths. It’s the kind of song which doesn’t wallow with the reverberating vocals, but instead takes a U-turn with the hammering, hungry drums and militant bass.

However for me if there’s one song which sums up Intastella it would have to be “I love the smell of new grass” as for me it amalgamates all the great components of the band. Listening to “I love the smell of new grass” is like travelling on a psychedelic space- jet, at accelerating velocity, dodging the meteorites and sliding down Milky Ways .With its opening wave of gliding and resounding synths, “I love the smell of new grass” spins, rotates and trails like a 3D Frisbee across a mashed up dancefloor. It’s an infectious song, which immediately transports you into a groovy, cosmic underground of colliding beats that spark up nostalgia and release the endorphins.  With its fidgety digital and sonic bleeps which segue into textured acid-Farifsa synths, “I love the smell of new grass” is an adrenaline pumping song which clatters, wiggles and crashes against the rubbing bassline. It’s also a song which stages the sweetly seductive and composed vocals of Grundy, which cascades and neutralises against the supersonic soundscape. Lyrically the song is an aesthetic mix of abstract metaphors and cloud 9 musings encapsulated in the lyric: “ I see the sun and the moon together…” Along with the xylophonic droplets and telescopic clangs, “I love the smell of new grass” is customised by the backing vocals interludes, which propel the song into euphoric and dizzy heights.

Despite their penchant for producing well- crafted and excitable eclectic songs, Intastella had moderate success and to this day is regarded as one of Manchester’s under-rated bands. Although their life-span was relatively long, I think they had a lot more to give, in particular since they were fronted by such a talented front-woman Stella Grundy. Now a successful actress, songwriter, script-writer and a driving force behind “Ultra Violet Productions” Grundy has gone on to produce successful productions at The Lowry, The Library Theatre and Studio Salford, such as “Nico Icon Play” and “Nine Days” which have all received rave reviews. In addition Grundy has also delivered projects in film and theatre in the community sector at Islington Mill, Salford, where she was regarded as an asset and a true star.