Neon Neon

A collaboration between Super Furry Animal's Gruff Rhys and left-field hip-hop producer Boom Bip — who first worked together in 2005 when Rhys added vocals to "Do's & Don'ts" from Boom Bip's Blue Eyed in the Red Room — Neon Neon play warm, dancey music informed by '80s new wave, Prince, and Kraftwerk, among others, while also calling on the contributions of artists like Spank Rock, Yo Majesty, Har Mar Superstar, and the Magic Numbers to fill out their sound. They began recording their debut album in the summer of 2006, playing a finalized version of it at a CMJ party the following year, and around the same time the first two singles, "Trick for Treat" and "Raquel," were released. However, the final product, Stainless Style (which was meant to revolve around the life of the carmaker John DeLorean), didn't come out until March 2008 on Lex Records; it was ultimately on the shortlist for that year's Mercury Prize. The duo reteamed for 2013's Praxis Makes Perfect, a musical portrait of publisher and left-wing activist Giangiacomo Feltrinelli.