Ambient/jazz jungle producer Jamie Odell was near the top of the hype list for 1997, his Jimpster project upped by the likes of Mixmaster Morris and Coldcut. However, as jungle's avant-garde veered into techstep territory and "ambient" and "jazz" switched from drum'n'bass adjectives to unsavory invectives, Jimpster's appeal switched from the dancefloor to the armchair, gaining popularity instead (like Squarepusher and Cujo's Amon Tobin) among electronica audiences. His string of EPs, released through the Manchester-based Freerange label, found a welcome audience in those repelled by techstep's murky, bleating hoovers but craving something a little more sophisticated than the rolling, housey breaks and pad washes characteristic of most dancefloor ambient and jazz drum'n'bass. His debut full-length, Martian Arts, was a compilation of those Freerange singles, and was released by the New York-based Instinct label in mid-1997.