They are from Manchester, so I suppose we must associate them with that scene - and indeed they are definitely acid house music. Their early records sound like just simple but effective early techno and early versions of house music. And it is early, so it sounds primitive at first, but the noises they make are very satisfying from the start and only get better as they move forward, all the way to present day (well, 2003) material that is glossy and refined yet still weird and interesting. Aphex Twin was an early champion of their first record in 1998, which makes sense. They also remind me a lot of Art of Noise and Orb/Orbital (and I hope that I when I get to 'O' I'll have finally learned how to accurately distinguish between those two bands).
They break into the scene with a pop break-through hit "Pacific State," and they weren't really an album oriented band at first. It is non-rewarding listening to hear an "album" that is essentially several versions of just a few songs, to say nothing of the remixes EPs and such. However, 1996's Don Solaris is a standout as a more album-oriented sound- a well-put together collection. And their introduction of drum-and-bass sounds later in their career is an extremely welcome addition to the already pleasant variety of electronic sounds and styles. I might also call this pre-post dance music. It's not nearly as glitchy as today's post-EDM sound, but it's still abstract enough at times - that's acid house for ya.
Perhaps the most exceptional track in their whole catalog is their song with Bjork on guest vocals, "Opps." She did wordless vocals on at least one other track of theirs, but this delightful number was like finding a lost song by the Sugarcubes, which is really say something considering that band's limited output.
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