Sneaker Pimps

Sneaker Pimps are a British Trip-hop band formed in Hartlepool, England in 1995, although the official IAMX website quotes the official year of foundation as 1989. They are best known for their first album Becoming X (released in 1996) and particularly the singles "6 Underground," "Spin Spin Sugar," and "Tesko Suicide" from the same album. They took their name from an article the Beastie Boys published in their Grand Royal magazine about a man they hired to track down classic sneakers.The band's founding members were Chris Corner and Liam Howe (both ex-DJs), who then recruited Kelli Dayton (formerly of Lumieres, now recording under the name Kelli Ali) for vocal duties. After the first album, the band felt that demos for second album (on which Corner provided the guide vocals) better suited his voice, especially in regard to the more raw, personal quality of the lyrics. Combined with the fear of being identified with the fad for trip-hop acts (e.g. Portishead), Dayton was asked to... more