After Henry Binns and Sam Hardaker studied sound engineering at respectable academic institutions in England they helped engineer albums by various British recording artists like Pet Shop Boys, Young Disciples and Robert Plant. Feeling a strong artistic need to create music instead of refine it, both Binns and Hardaker decided to form a band, Zero 7, in 1999. The duo's sound is a reflection of what British music was doing in the late 90s: trip hop, downtempo and occasionally some shoegaze. Though the band is primarily considered a duo, the group has been known to use as many as 20 backing musicians to synthesize its sound during live shows.
