Finnish group Pepe Deluxé initially found success around the turn of the 21st century as a sample-based electronic act before their sound evolved into an ambitious hybrid of vintage styles such as neo-psychedelia and Baroque pop. Early releases such as 1999's Super Sound (which included the U.K. Top 20 hit "Before You Leave") were stylish, lounge-friendly fusions of trip-hop and big beat. The band gradually shifted away from sampling, with 2007's fuzz guitar-heavy Spare Time Machine featuring the talents of dozens of musicians. Pepe Deluxé's 2012 "esoteric pop opera in three parts" Queen of the Wave made use of several obscure and bizarre instruments, and the group continued their exploration of the unusual with 2021's Phantom Cabinet, Vol. 1, self-described as "an impossible adventure."