Moloko

The dance-pop duo Moloko, based in Sheffield, took shape after Irish vocalist Roisin Murphy approached mixer and producer Mark Brydon at a 1994 party with the direct proposition “Do you like my tight sweater? See how it fits my body.” Brydon detected creative promise in her stance and entered into both an artistic and personal alliance with her.

Murphy had confined her singing to the shower until that point and arrived in the business with no prior experience, while Brydon already possessed a lengthy résumé that included work with the U.K. house acts House Arrest and Cloud 9, a hand in founding Sheffield’s Fon studios, and remixes for artists such as Eric B & Rakim and Psychic TV. Shortly after the partnership began, Moloko issued the single “Where Is the What If the What Is in the Why?” and secured a contract with Echo Records.

Their first album, titled Do You Like My Tight Sweater?, appeared in 1995 and fused Murphy’s languid persona with Brydon’s technical command. It wove together dance, funk, and trip-hop threads in a manner reminiscent of Portishead or Massive Attack, yet distinguished by Moloko’s own brand of humor and impudence. The U.S. edition surfaced nearly a year later, but the track “Fun for Me” found an early spotlight on the Batman & Robin soundtrack and earned modest radio exposure.

Moloko shared stages with sympathetic acts such as Pulp, assembled a home studio, and completed the follow-up I Am Not a Doctor. Released in 1998 and issued stateside in late 1999, the record sustained the group’s sharp, groove-oriented style and introduced the breakthrough single “Sing It Back.” Their third album, Things to Make and Do, which featured the hit singles “The Time Is Now,” “Pure Pleasure Seeker,” and “Indigo,” reached the U.K. market in spring 2000 and arrived in the United States later that year through Roadrunner. The romantic partnership between Brydon and Murphy dissolved just before sessions for the 2002 album Statues; once the subsequent tour ended, Moloko disbanded.