Moloko

The Sheffield-based dance-pop duo Moloko is the end result of Irish-born singer Roisin Murphy’s attempt to pick up mixer/producer Mark Brydon at a 1994 party with the come-on, “Do you like my tight sweater? See how it fits my body.” Brydon saw musical potential in her attitude, and the two formed a creative and romantic partnership. Murphy, who had never sung outside of the shower before, was a newcomer to the music business. However, Brydon had many years of experience with U.K. house music acts House Arrest and Cloud 9, helped found Sheffield’s Fon studios, and remixed artists like Eric B & Rakim and Psychic TV. Soon after forming Moloko, they released their debut single, “Where Is the What If the What Is in the Why?,” and signed to Echo Records. The band’s full-length debut, inevitably named Do You Like My Tight Sweater?, came out in 1995 and was an equal mix of Murphy’s slinky attitude and Brydon’s musical prowess. The album combined dance, funk, and trip-hop elements in an approach similar to Portishead or Massive Attack but with a sense of humor and sass unique to Moloko. Though the album’s U.S. release occurred nearly a year later, the single “Fun for Me” was featured prominently on the Batman & Robin soundtrack and received some radio airplay. Moloko toured with kindred musical spirits such as Pulp, built a home studio, and recorded the follow-up to Do You Like My Tight Sweater?, titled I Am Not a Doctor. Released in 1998 (and late 1999 in the U.S.), the album continued in Moloko’s witty, funky tradition and featured their breakthrough single, “Sing It Back.” The group’s third album, Things to Make and Do, which included the hits “The Time Is Now,” “Pure Pleasure Seeker,” and “Indigo,” was issued in the U.K. in the spring of 2000 and was released in the States later that year via Roadrunner. Brydon and Murphy’s romantic relationship ended just before they began work on 2002′s Statues; after finishing the tour supporting the album, Moloko disbanded. ~ Heather Phares