Leila (music producer)

Leila Arab (Persian: لیلا عرب, born in 1971), professionally known as Leila, is an Iranian-born record producer and DJ based in London, England. She has released music on the labels Rephlex, XL and Warp.^[3] She has also worked extensively with Icelandic singer Björk.^[4]

Leila
Background information
Birth name	Leila Arab
Also known as	Grammatix,[1] Little Miss Specta
Born	(1971-09-03) 3 September 1971 (age 53)[2] Tehran, Pahlavi Iran[2]
Origin	London, England[2]
Genres	Electronic
Occupation(s)	Producer, DJ
Years active	1993-present
Labels	Rephlex Records, Warp, XL Recordings
Website	warp.net/artists/91393-leila

Biography

Arab was born in Pahlavi Iran and spent part of her childhood there.^[5] Her family fled to London following the Iranian Revolution in 1979.^[6] She became interested in DJing and keyboards, and left college to perform with singer Björk in 1994, later working with her as a sound engineer and live mixer.^[5] She met Richard D. James while both were on tour with Björk, and both James and Grant Wilson-Claridge suggested she release her solo recordings on their label Rephlex Records.^[7]

In 1998, Leila released her debut album, Like Weather, on Rephlex.^[8] In 2000, she released Courtesy of Choice on XL Recordings.^[9] Ben Thompson of The Telegraph referred to these releases as "two collections of spooky electronic soul which [...] established her as an integral member of the Nineties' golden generation of British writer-producers."^[6]

After a hiatus following the death of her parents, she released Blood Looms and Blooms in 2008 on Warp.^[10] It included vocal contributions from Terry Hall and Martina Topley-Bird.^[11] In 2009, she contributed a cover of an Aphex Twin song, "Vordhosbn", to the Warp20 (Recreated) compilation album.^[12]

In 2012, she released her fourth LP U&I on Warp.^[13] In 2015, she released a collaborative EP with Zebra Katz, titled Nu Renegade, on ZFK Records.^[14]

Discography

Albums

• Like Weather (1998)
• Courtesy of Choice (2000)
• Blood Looms and Blooms (2008)
• U&I (2012)

EPs

• Nu Renegade (2015) (with Zebra Katz)

Singles

• "Don't Fall Asleep" (1997)
• “Space, Love" (1998)
• "Feeling" (1998)
• "Sodastream" (1999)
• "Mettle" (2008)
• "Deflect" (2008)
• "(Disappointed Cloud) Anyway" (2011)