Republica

During the mid-1990s, when Brit-pop continued to hold sway across England, Republica reached the charts with an electronic edge that echoed 1980s indie-dance outfits including the Pet Shop Boys and New Order. Born in Nigeria, vocalist Saffron first performed with club fixtures N-Joi and the Shamen, as well as Jah Wobble. She connected in 1995 with keyboardists Tim Dorney, an alumnus of Flowered Up, and Andy Todd, whose production credits already included Barbra Streisand and Bjork. Songwriting sessions followed, and once guitarist Johnny Male and drummer Dave Barborossa joined, the band introduced itself through the single "Out of the Darkness." U.K. indie-dance imprint Deconstruction signed them and issued the self-titled debut album. Single "Ready to Go" scored success in both England and the States, entering the alternative Top Ten by late 1996. The subsequent release, Speed Ballads in 1998, appeared only in British markets.