Laika were an English band formed in 1993 and helmed by Margaret Fiedler (lead vocals, programming) and Guy Fixsen (guitar, programming). Their lineup also included John Frenett (bass), Lou Ciccotelli (drums), Louise Elliot (flute, saxophone), and Rob Ellis (drums). Laika were founded following Fiedler and Frenett's departure from the band Moonshake; Laika's other members had previously worked with different artists on the roster of Moonshake's label Too Pure. Laika's experimental style blended diverse genres, including electronica, krautrock, dub, hip hop, and jazz. They released their debut album Silver Apples of the Moon in 1994, and followed with 1997's Sounds of the Satellites, both to critical praise. Laika released two subsequent albums, 2000's Good Looking Blues and 2003's Wherever I Am I Am What Is Missing, after which they entered an indefinite hiatus. As of July 2022, the band's website (active since 90's) is inactive with the domain for sale. History 1993: Formation Margaret Fiedler moved from New York City to London in 1989 in search of music which better suited her interests. The first significant band she joined was Moonshake, in which she was one of two lead vocalists, a songwriter and a multi-instrumentalist predominantly playing guitar, keyboards and samplers. Moonshake's songwriting was split between Fiedler and co-vocalist David Callahan, who had a very different style: Callahan favoured an art-punk storytelling approach with a dub/funk undercurrent while Fiedler preferred a more enveloping and abstract approach drawing on rhythmic krautrock-esque loops and murmured vocals. The early Moonshake records, released on the Too Pure label, were engineered by the producer Guy Fixsen, who had also worked with bands including My Bloody Valentine and The Breeders. The creative tensions in Moonshake ultimately became personal and the band broke up after a tour of the United States in 1993. While Callahan kept the Moonshake name and continued the band (along with the drummer Mig Morland and various guest musicians), Fiedler and the band's bass guitarist John Frenett both left. Fiedler began working with Guy Fixsen as her writing and recording partner, as well as beginning a romantic relationship with him. The new partnership, with Frenett playing bass guitar, continued to develop the approach Fiedler had taken with her songs in Moonshake. The band named themselves after the Russian dog Laika, the first animal to orbit the earth. 1994–2000: Active recording and performance In Laika's first incarnation, Fiedler, Fixsen, and Frenett were augmented by the