Team Sleep

Following the achievement of the Deftones' third record, The White Pony, vocalist Chino Moreno declared plans to launch a separate endeavor while stepping away from his primary band for a period. That endeavor took shape as Team Sleep, featuring Moreno on vocals alongside turntablist DJ Crook and guitarist Todd Wilkinson. A longtime friend from Moreno's early years, Wilkinson had never appeared on a released album up to that point. The trio sought to merge the atmospheric weight of Moreno's main outfit with the atmospheric grooves associated with Massive Attack. Toward the close of 2001 they began sessions at the studio under the guidance of producer Terry Date for what would become their first album. Additional contributors included ex-Hole bassist Melissa Auf Der Maur, Helium singer Mary Timony, Mr. Bungle/Faith No More frontman Mike Patton, and multiple Deftones personnel. While still tracking material, the group brought the emerging songs to live stages in order to refine their collective sound and build onstage chemistry. The resulting self-titled debut reached listeners in spring 2005. After a prolonged break, Moreno revealed in 2014 that Team Sleep had reconvened to develop a successor to their initial release. Captured at Applehead Recording studio in Woodstock, New York, the still-untitled second album carried a provisional target of 2015.