Delia Derbyshire was busy being Bjork-like back when there weren’t no Bjork. Delia was told by Decca Records in 1959 that the company DID NOT employ women in their recording studios. This didn’t slow her down much; by 1960 she was working with the BBC as a trainee studio manager. This, at the age of 24, as a woman in the UK. Think about it. During her stint with the BBC’s Radiophonic Workshop, she anonymously created or was involved in numerous works, including familiar pieces like the much-covered Dr Who theme. She worked at various points with a stellar array of artists like Paul McCartney, Karlheinz Stockhausen, George Martin, and Pink Floyd. As part of the organization Unit Delta Plus she practically invented the rave in 1967, and did an early version of scratching and sampling, only with reel-to-reel tape decks, for crying out loud. See a YouTube clip here. To this day she is covered and credited by bands like Aphex Twin and The Chemical Brothers. Check out this clip of a Kraftwerk/House-like beat (which she describes as a toss-off) from the early sixties, or some of the eerie and textural soundscapes downloadable here. Rock on Delia – wherever your atoms went – you’re an inspiration!