Ladyhawke

Soon after the New Zealand band Two Lane Blacktop (named after the Monte Hellman movie) broke up in 2003, guitarist/vocalist Pip Brown moved to Sydney, Australia. She worked with several bands in the area, including Teenager and Pnau, before launching her own act in 2006. Adopting the name Ladyhawke (named after the Richard Donner movie), she handled instrumental duties herself and fashioned a fresh electronic sound. She relocated once more at the end of 2007, this time to London, where she recorded her debut album with the help of several different producers. The result was a strongly '80s-influenced record, with particular emphasis on the synthesizer. The eponymous album's first single, "Back of the Van," was produced by Michael Di Francesco from Sydney band Van She, who also produced the "Van She Tech Turbo Fire Engine Mix" of the song.