Part of the dark pop/dance output of Britain's XL Records, whose other famed bands include Prodigy and Maxim, Stroke was formed slowly throughout the '90s after core member Jason Kelly moved from Manchester to London. One by one he added new collaborators to the project, including keyboardist Paul Beard, bassist Matt Bristow, drummer Tom Hooper and guitarist Pascal Glanville. The quintet released a number of vinyl and cd singles for the label in late 1998 and 1999, then issued First In, Last Out in the early days of 2000. ~ Stacia Proefrock, All Music Guide