Laika

Drawing its moniker from the Soviet-launched canine celebrated as the first living organism to breach Earth's atmospheric envelope, Laika charted interstellar routes by crafting an unprecedented, boldly experimental blend of hip-hop, jazz, electronica, dub, and Krautrock. An informal Too Pure roster supergroup, the London-based collective coalesced in autumn 1993 around ex-Moonshake vocalist/programmer Margaret Fiedler alongside bassist John Frenett, onetime PJ Harvey drummer Rob Ellis, noted producer Guy Fixsen, ex-God percussionist Lou Ciccotelli, and saxophonist/flutist Louise Elliott; their inaugural EP, Antenna, surfaced the next summer. The band's widely lauded first album, Silver Apples of the Moon, arrived in early 1995; following a break, they returned with Sounds of the Satellites in early 1997 to heightened acclaim. Good Looking Blues emerged in 2000, with Wherever I Am I Am What Is Missing appearing in 2003.