Leila

Moving from a supporting keyboard role with *Björk* and *Galliano*, Leila is the rare female electronica songwriter who doesn't sing, choosing instead to use vocals from friends -- and even her own sister -- for her Like Weather long-player.

Born in Iran, she spent part of her childhood there but was forced to flee to London with her family. She became interested in DJing as well as keyboards, and left college to play with Björk on her first album, 1994's Debut. Leila graduated to sound engineer for the second Björk LP, and began setting up her own home studio.

Signed to Rephlex Records for a solo album, she released the single Don't Fall Asleep in 1997 and the Like Weather album the following year. Love Story and the Sodastream single appeared in 1999. The following year, Leila released her moodier second album, Courtesy of Choice, on XL.