The Lo Fidelity Allstars, quickly gathering critical acclaim and dance-house notoriety for their complex, big-beat album How to Operate With a Blown Mind, began life, appropriately enough, amid a stack of 45s.

"I saw all these bands onstage with thousands of pounds of equipment," said co-founder, turntablist and sampler Albino Priest (born Phil Ward), recalling a 1995 London club gig for which he served as a DJ. "They were calling themselves 'lo-fi.' And here I was with just my record collection, a four-track and a sampler. We were totally lo-fi."

Now, supported by live bass, drums, keyboards and vocals, the Lo Fidelity Allstars are among the more high-profile practitioners of big beat -- a form of English dance music growing in popularity.

Big beat combines DJ technology -- samplers, sequencers, turntables, scratches on the beat -- with rock 'n' roll's monster riffs and songcraft. On How to Operate With a Blown Mind, the London-based ensemble offers what might be the genre's blueprint for the future.

The bass is thick. Beats pound like an ax. Pulsing rockers such as "Lazer Sheep Dip Funk" (RealAudio excerpt) race alongside songs that fold and twist in exotic, often mystical ways.

Nearly every song on the album features vocals, either from sampled recordings or from high-pitched former vocalist Wrekked Train (born Dave Randall), who left the group late last year for personal reasons.

The album's samples range from the robotic to the sophisticated: Among them are Afrika Bambaataa's "Planet Rock," Marvin Hamlisch's "The Way We Were" and "Lara's Theme," the love theme from the film Dr. Zhivago. A number of songs are built on three different samples; one song, "Will I Get Out Of Jail?," uses four.

The mix of sounds has drawn positive notices from American critics. The New York Times called it "original, innovative and intelligent," saying it stands apart from the "cheery rumpus" that usually defines the music of other big beat artists, including DJ/turntablist Fatboy Slim.

Even with its myriad sonic elements, the album -- which includes the singles "Battle Flag" and "Kool Roc Bass" (RealAudio excerpt) -- sounds carefully, almost painstakingly conceived.

Appearances, however, can be deceiving, Albino Priest said. The work, he noted, was the result of all-night, in-studio experiments occurring over five months early last year, a process that cultivated a number of "accidents."

"There was no big plan to sound like anything but a dance record," Albino Priest said. "We're quite surprised by people's reaction to the album. We were shocked by how well they took to it. But this is the kind of album we would buy if we weren't in the band."

Mostly, he and collaborator the Slammer (born Johnny Machin) used a sampler to create a melody and gradually added instrumentation to the mix.

Josh Madell, the owner of Other Music, a New York store that specializes in underground and independently released records, said his customers have so far responded well to the results. The import, he said, sold well after it became available in June. The domestic album also continues to sell well in the weeks since its mid-January release.

"It's a very dancey record, but it's also a very poppy record," Madell said. "That is something that makes it appeal to a more mainstream audience."

The bandmembers -- who now include bassist A One Man Crowd Called Gentilee (Andy Dickinson), keyboardist/co-sampler Sheriff John Stone (Matt Harvey) and keyboardist/engineer The Many Tentacles (Martin Whiteman) -- grew up around London. They were children of the local club scene, attending raves and elaborate DJ parties.

Albino Priest, 31, was introduced to the club world at age 16, working the DJ booth for just 10 people at a local school on his first gig. "It was an amazing atmosphere. And it was good music. We just wanted to be a part of it," he said.

But Albino Priest said that after several years, he grew tired of the music he was spinning and made the decision then to embark on his own career.

The current band came together after he, Sheriff John Stone and Wrekked Train were introduced in 1996. A demo tape soon landed them a deal with Skint Records, the indie label that also signed Fatboy Slim.

Albino Priest credited samplers with making his musical dreams possible. "This is the way music should evolve in general," he said. "It's a great instrument."

Whether big beat emerges as a great vehicle for sample-heavy rock in the United States remains to be seen. And the verdict on the Lo Fidelity Allstars, who are touring the U.S. in support of How to Operate With a Blown Mind, is still out.

"How many big-beat albums are there altogether [in the U.S.]? C'mon, like 20?" Madell said. "It's a pretty young genre. But it's very danceable music."

"It's definitely catching on in this country," said Mike Bindra, the manager of Twilo, a New York dance club. "But I don't know if it will take over dance music or anything."