Stereolab have earned a distinctive place in the music world thanks to their easily recognizable, singular style, which blends a wide range of influences from popular and experimental music. The Anglo-French band’s sound is a vibrant mix of seemingly irreconcilable contrasts: krautrock and melodic pop of the Beatles era, electronic avant-garde, British guitar inventiveness, film music, funk, bossa nova… All crowned by hypnotic, captivating vocals.
Stereolab were among the groundbreaking trends of 90s music, influencing cult bands like Sonic Youth and Blur as well as the shoegaze scene, all while never yielding to fame and showbusiness. Spin Magazine ranked them among the 50 most influential pop bands, The Independent wrote, “No one can do beautiful, energising crossover pop like Stereolab,” and The Guardian described them as “most addictive music of the moment.” An interesting Czech connection in Stereolab’s work can be found in the tracks Kyberneticka Babicka Pt. 1 and Pt. 2 from the album Fab Four Suture, inspired by Jiří Trnka’s 1962 short puppet film. These days, the band performs only sporadically, making their upcoming Prague show a major event of the year.