Leila

Leila, who originates from Iran and spent part of her youth there before her family escaped to London, moved from keyboard duties alongside Björk and Galliano into releasing her own project on Aphex Twin's Rephlex Records. One of the few female electronica songwriters who refrains from singing, she instead drew on vocal contributions from friends and her sister for the Like Weather album. Interest in DJing and keyboards led her to quit college and join Björk for the 1994 release Debut. She progressed to sound engineer on Björk's next album while assembling a home studio of her own. After signing with Rephlex Records for a solo effort, she issued the single Don't Fall Asleep in 1997 and followed with Like Weather the next year. Love Story and the Sodastream single surfaced in 1999. The year after, her moodier second album Courtesy of Choice appeared on XL. Her mother's death soon afterward prompted Leila to handle the loss through touring and mixing work for Björk. She stayed away from music until her father also passed, at which point she recruited friends and family to assist on her third album. Spring 2008 brought the announcement of her signing to Warp Records, with the singles Mettle and Deflect preceding the summer arrival of Blood, Looms and Blooms. On 2012's U&I she worked with Mt. Sims, shifting her sound toward a darker direction shaped by punk and hard-edged techno.