Techno diva Billie Ray Martin was born and raised in Hamburg, spending her teen years in London and Berlin; initially influenced by '60s soul and early '80s industrial, during the mid-'80s she led a Motown-inspired soul band dubbed Billie and the Deep, gaining her first exposure on the Berlin club circuit. After moving back to England in 1987, she formed the techno-pop group Electribe 101, scoring a series of club hits including "Talking with Myself." Eventually going solo, Martin debuted in 1995 with Deadline for My Memories; the first single, "Your Loving Arms," not only reached the UK Top Ten but also topped the American club charts, while its follow-up "Running Around Town" fell just shy of the US Top Ten. Martin resurfaced in 1999 with the Crimes Punishment EP, which was followed two years later by 18 Carat Garbage, her first album released on her own Sonnenstahl imprint. ~ Jason Ankeny, Rovi