Vocalist Pete Philly and producer/instrumentalist Perquisite met up for the first time in Amsterdam, where both were living, in 2002. Perquisite, who also ran the Dutch indie nu jazz/hip-hop label Unexpected Records, liked what he heard in the Aruba-born singer and rapper, and by the next year the duo had issued its first EP, Mind.State, which was followed in 2005 by a full-length European release, and included a guest appearance from Talib Kweli. In 2006, Mind.State came out in North America and Australia. ~ Marisa Brown