As the name otherwise suggests, is actually one
Rob Haigh. His debut album,
The Deepest Cut1, earned placement in the 1995 year-end top ten charts of three major UK magazines. It was acclaimed for its innovative
drum & bass that was a deviation from the breakneck-speed beats and ragga vocals at the time. He is widely credited as a major pioneer in the
jungle subgenre.
Haigh released a track called Feel Good in 1993, which quickly sold 1000 copies in a week with the help of LTJ Bukem. The Moving Shadow label noticed this new talent and signed him. His next track, Mystic Stepper, earned him further respect from techno DJs around the world. He produced several more tracks, notably Renegade Snares, before releasing his debut album The Deepest Cut, from which he received critical acclaim from mainstream media. His second album, The Haunted Science, followed in 1997 and reached #1 in the UK dance chart and #43 in the UK pop chart and earned him remixing duties with bands such as Everything But the Girl.
At a time when the trendiest mainstream media outlets started to feature generic rolling basslines in their ads, Omni Trio emphasized different approaches. His ethereal instrumentation, combined with the complex percussion and vocals of the early breakbeat style2, resulted in proof that drum n' bass was not just one specific sound.
Omni Trio started making music with trackers, and actually produced Mystic Stepper, Renegade Snares, and most of The Deepest Cut with Octamed. He currently uses Cubase with Akai samplers and an assortment of analogue and vintage synthesizers.
While not a total recluse, Haigh has kept a relatively low profile. He runs an underground dance music record store called Parliament, about 30 miles north of London3. He does not perform live sets, preferring to leave that job to others.
1 Titled Music for the Next Millenium on the Sm:)e label, which distributed the UK's Moving Shadow label's releases in the United States
2 To put it in context, early breakbeat could be labeled what we currently apply the term "hardstep" to.
3 According to several sources, many of the customers are unaware of the proprietor's alter ego.