Liam Howe and Chris Corner met as teenagers in the '80s and formed Sneaker Pimps in Hartlepool in 1994, becoming forerunners of trip-hop. They were joined by Kelli Ali (then known as Kelli Dayton) on vocals, with Ian Pickering writing the lyrics. Their debut album Becoming X went Gold in 1996, spawning the hit singles "Spin Spin Sugar" and "6 Underground." The album later inspired the remix album Becoming Remixed, featuring a slew of DJ supremos.