Xaara

Xaara was a London-based trio with Eleonora Kondratenko on vocals, Ilya O'Neill handling production and keyboards, and Dan Elliston on drums. Their sound mixed electronic textures with ambient atmospheres, avoiding straightforward genre labels. The band's debut album 'Speak With Caution' came out in 2011, followed by 'The Broken Lines' in 2013 and 'Aether' in 2017.

Their music often drew polarized reactions, with some listeners finding it inaccessible while others connected with its introspective quality. The title track 'Speak With Caution' became something of a signature piece, built around Eleonora's vocals and Ilya's keyboard work. Xaara maintained a fairly private public presence throughout their active years, rarely engaging with media in conventional ways.

Their three albums showed a progression from the more direct approach of their debut toward increasingly atmospheric territory. The 2017 release 'Aether' leaned further into ambient soundscapes than their earlier work. The band's catalog developed a dedicated following drawn to its particular blend of electronic production and ethereal vocal delivery.