Stateless

Forming in Leeds, England during 2003, Stateless emerged as an electronics-tinged rock outfit positioned outside the mainstream, with sounds that at times echoed Radiohead, the post-Protection period of Massive Attack, and Coldplay. Fronting the group was Chris James, who supplied falsetto vocals while also playing keyboards and guitar. Early demos of the emotive tracks "Exit" and "Prism #1" gained airplay on BBC Radio 1, which in turn drew Sony’s attention and led to the 2004 single "Down Here" appearing on that label. The Sony-BMG merger soon terminated the band’s major-label agreement. A brief association with Regal followed, producing the four-track Bloodstream EP. James next supplied lyrics and vocals for the DJ Shadow tracks "Erase You" and "You Made It," both included on the 2006 album The Outsider. A subsequent short-lived contract resulted in the self-titled Stateless album, issued by !K7 in 2007. The follow-up full-length Matilda arrived on Ninja Tune in 2011, incorporating string arrangements by the Balanescu Quartet on three selections. By then the lineup consisted of James together with kidkanevil on turntables and programming, David Levin on drums, and Justin Percival on bass.