Level 42

Formed in 1979 on the Isle of Wight, England, Level 42 originally brought together Mark King, Mike Lindup, Phil Gould and Boon Gould around an instrumental repertoire mixing jazz-funk, fusion, British funk and sophisticated pop. The band later incorporated more vocals and steered its songwriting toward melodic new wave, polished dance-rock and synth-pop firmly rooted in the 1980s. At the heart of Level 42’s sound were Mark King’s percussive bass, Mike Lindup’s keyboards and harmonies, and the regular contributions of Wally Badarou, which gave the music a balance of groove, pop hooks and looser, jazz-derived arrangements. After Love Games, Level 42 released Level 42 (1981), The Pursuit of Accidents (1982), World Machine (1985) and Running in the Family (1987), a period when the band significantly broadened its audience. The late 1980s and early 1990s saw several personnel changes — notably Gary Husband, Alan Murphy and other musicians — on records such as Staring at the Sun (1988), Guaranteed (1991) and Forever Now (1994). The group split the same year but reformed from 2001 around Mark King, with Mike Lindup returning to the lineup, and has maintained a steady live presence since, supplemented by the album Retroglide in 2006.