Tortoise

Tortoise formed in Chicago in 1990 around the rhythm section of Doug McCombs and John Herndon, later joined by John McEntire, Dan Bitney, and guitarist Jeff Parker. Their early records established a template for what critics would come to call post-rock: instrumental music that drew on jazz, krautrock, dub, and minimalism rather than the verse-chorus structures of conventional rock. Their 1996 album Millions Now Living Will Never Die, with its centrepiece 20-minute track "Djed", was a landmark moment for the genre.

The band's 1998 album TNT pushed further into jazz territory, while Standards (2001) incorporated more electronic production. Throughout their career, Tortoise have maintained a commitment to collective composition and studio experimentation that sets them apart from more straightforward rock acts. McEntire's role as producer and engineer has been central to their sound — the studio itself functions as an instrument in their hands.

Tortoise have continued recording and touring into the 2020s, releasing their eighth studio album Touch in 2025. Their influence on British post-rock acts — from Mogwai to Bark Psychosis — is profound, and their connection to the UK scene through labels like Domino and their curation of the All Tomorrow's Parties festival in 2001 and 2004 cemented their place in the broader British and Irish alternative music story.