Starting out as a synth-pop duo in the ’80s, vocalist Rob Birch and producer Nick Hallam evolved more into hip-hop to create quintessential ’90s dance tracks. With the addition of Cath Coffey, DJ Cesare and the late Owen If, they released Connected – a generational classic that topped the charts and cemented the group in rave culture. However, the follow-up did not appear for almost a decade. Remixes for Madonna and Jungle Brothers kept Stereo MC’s busy, and in 2001 they released Deep Down & Dirty.