Sidestepper is a Colombian band formed in 1996 by English DJ/producer Richard Blair (born 17 June 1965, London). Several of their albums were co-written and co-produced with Colombian singer-songwriter and producer Iván Benavides, including their influential 2003 album 3AM (In Beats We Trust). The group is one of the originators of the Colombian "electro cumbia" sound, influenced both by Afro-Colombian popular music styles like salsa and cumbia as well as electronic dance music such as drum and bass and dub. Over the years Sidestepper has included a number of vocalists and musicians who have since become well-known artists in their own right in Colombia, such as Gloria "Goyo" Martínez of ChocQuibTown, drummer Kike Egurrola (later of Bomba Estéreo), and Humberto Pernett. Since 2000 they have played all over the world, including festivals such as Glastonbury, Coachella, Roskilde and Womad. History The origins of the band can be traced back to 1992 when Richard Blair, then a studio engineer for Peter Gabriel's Real World Records label, found himself working on the album La Candela Viva by Totó la Momposina. Captivated by the mix of Latin and Afro-Caribbean sounds made by Totó and her band, he made the journey to Colombia to visit her and find out more about her music. Originally intending to stay for just a few weeks holiday, Blair ended up staying in Colombia for three years, as he immersed himself in the culture and the music of the country, funding his stay by producing and engineering the early albums by artists who would later go on to be some of Colombia's best known musicians, including Con el Corazon en la Mano by Aterciopelados and La Tierra del Olvido by Carlos Vives. Returning to the UK in 1996, Blair began DJing under the name Sidestepper and recorded the album Southern Star. Released in 1997 on the UK label Deep South, the album was an instrumental mix of salsa and British styles such as drum and bass and dub. While working on La Tierra del Olvido Blair had met the album's co-producer Iván Benavides, a singer-songwriter who had previously been part of the duo Iván y Lucía. On a visit to Colombia in 1997 Blair played his tracks to Benavides and suggested that they should write some songs together to add vocals to Blair's music. The pair set about putting together a band of the same name, with the intention