The five members of Radiohead first met at a private boys school in Abingdon, a small, picturesque town on the outskirts of Oxford, UK. In 1987, a week after his first rehearsal with the band, On A Friday played their debut gig at the now defunct Jericho Tavern in Oxford. With a musical canon resembling a youthful Talking Heads, they added two saxophone-playing sisters to fill out the line-up. However, the band were then put on hold while the members pursued their academic careers, in an effort to appease already frantic parents (Jonny finished his schooling). Colin became entertainments officer at Peterhouse College, Cambridge University, and helped get his friends together for occasional gigs there.

Third installment from our Carbon Based Lifeforms feature is Photosynthesis from the album World of Sleepers. Dreamy pads and luminous shades against rhythmic sequences and distinctive downtempo beats. World Of Sleepers drifts from weightless ambient mists where synthetic minutiae hang on the artificial air like sonic spangles through to climactic driving structures where circling arpeggiators and steady beats reach almost anthemic intensity. Crunchy loops, distorted crackles and percussive ephemera are laid against low bass kicks in restful downtempo structures frequently interlocking with sequencer patterns and rubbery, pulsing basses. Male and female voices populate a number of the tracks - whispered, softly spoken, recurring, spelling obscure formulae, murmuring thoughtful musings. The electronic atmospheres that float in the softer interludes are cleverly spun into organic complexity. multi-layered and painstakingly punctuated with intriguing detail.