http://www.hooverphonic.com/

Ask most people, and you'll find out that when their relatives emigrated through Ellis Island to the United States, surnames were changed. We can't leave well enough alone, can we? Same goes for Hooverphonic. Our UK counterparts know them as just Hoover, but here we have to jazz things up a bit.

And Hooverphonic's jazzy enough as it is. The band formed in Belgium in 1995. Two studio technicians (Alex Callier and Frank Duchene) met up with a tax official who played guitar named Raymond Geerts. They found an ethereal voice in Liesje Sadonius, who was studying at the Academy of Dramatic Art.

Even before their debut cd was released, one of their songs was featured on the soundtrack for Stealing Beauty. That song, "2wicky", ended up becoming a hit in several countries. Hooverphonic's debut album, A New Stereophonic Sound Spectacular, showcased their combination of electronics and classical for a fusion of pop music meets beats. It received rave reviews. With no hard feelings, Liesje left the group and was replaced by Geike Arnaert.

Hooverphonic toured with Fiona Apple and played all the European summer festivals. Blue Wonder Power Milk was released 1998. It was successful overseas, but didn't make much of a mark in the U.S. (big shock, there) with the countinued trip-hop sound. The Magnificent Tree (2000) utilizes diverse instruments such as cellos, a children's choir and a theremin.

With their unorthodox vibe and haunting feel, it's difficult to pigeonhole Hooverphonic. Add in the fact that Hooverphonic constructs samples around songs, not the other way around, and you've got a genre without a name on your hands. Whatever you call it (and them), Hooverphonic is rich.