TV on the Radio

Biography

One of most innovative bands of the 2000s, this Brooklyn-based quintet blends a slew of disparate elements —electronics, indie guitar rock, free jazz, funk, soul and a cappella doo-wop vocals —into a vibrant and arty sound that recalls Funkadelic, the Beach Boys, the Jesus and Mary Chain, Otis Redding and even Aphex Twin. Tunde Adebimpe, who grew up in Nigeria surrounded by Indian and African musical styles, and his roommate David Andrew Sitek, producer of underground rock acts such as the Yeah Yeah Yeah’s and Liars, formed TV on the Radio in 2001. Adebimpe and Sitek were both visual artists: Adebimpe had worked as an animator on MTV’s “Celebrity Death Match,” and Sitek painted. As TVOTR, the pair self-released a bizarre, lo-fi collection of songs called OK Calculator, a Zappa-esque album whose title parodied Radiohead’s OK Computer. A buzz grew around the duo, which expanded into a full band with the arrival of guitarist Kyp Malone, drummer Jaleel Bunton and bassist Gerard Smith. – Rolling Stone