Tim Gane began his musical career in the early 1980s creating harsh noise as part of Unkommuniti, self-releasing cassettes on their Black Dwarf label. From 1985-1990 he played guitar with the politically inclined indie band McCarthy, releasing three albums to minor acclaim.

When McCarthy split, Gane promptly formed Stereolab with Lætitia Sadier, making initial recordings available via the band's own mail-order label Duophonic. 1992 saw the release of Stereolab's first full-length album, Peng!. On the 1993 EP The Groop Played "Space Age Bachelor Pad Music" the band's sound had taken shape as an appealing hybrid of kraut-informed indie rock with easy listening references, propelled by wiry electric guitars and stringent drumming, yet characterized by burbling analogue synthesizers and the delicately stacked vocals of Sadier and Mary Hansen. Their next album, 1993's Transient Random-Noise Bursts with Announcements and 1994's Mars Audiac Quintet continued to build upon their underground success internationally.

Emperor Tomato Ketchup came out in 1996, and is seen by many as Stereolab's zenith. By the time of Dots and Loops in 1997, Stereolab had already made a major impact with their special brand of avant-pop, leading an entire movement of indie kids to embrace the charms of vintage electronic instruments, and motivating young musicians to overdrive their outboard filters and overload their echo units. The band maintained a defiantly obscure stance, keeping at least a few steps ahead - or aside - from the temptation of potential mass appeal. Stereolab continued to release critically acclaimed and engaging records before announcing an indefinite hiatus in 2009.