Jorge Francisco Isidoro Luis Borges Acevedo (24 August 1899 – 14 June 1986) was an Argentine short-story writer, essayist, poet and translator, and a key figure in Spanish-language and international literature. His best-known books, Ficciones (Fictions) and El Aleph (The Aleph), published in the 1940s, are compilations of short stories interconnected by common themes, including dreams, labyrinths, philosophers, libraries, mirrors, fictional writers, and mythology.^[3] Borges’s works have contributed to philosophical literature and the fantasy genre, and influenced the magic realist movement in 20th century Latin American literature.^[4] His late poems converse with such cultural figures as Spinoza, Camões, and Virgil.

Herbert Marshall McLuhan (July 21, 1911 – December 31, 1980) was a Canadian philosopher whose work is among the cornerstones of the study of media theory.^[7][8][9] Born in Edmonton, Alberta, and raised in Winnipeg, Manitoba, McLuhan studied at the University of Manitoba and the University of Cambridge. He began his teaching career as a professor of English at several universities in the United States and Canada before moving to the University of Toronto in 1946. McLuhan coined the expression “the medium is the message” and the term global village, and predicted the World Wide Web almost 30 years before it was invented.

Radiohead are an English rock band formed in Abingdon, Oxfordshire, in 1985. The band consists of Thom Yorke (vocals, guitar, piano, keyboards), brothers Jonny Greenwood (lead guitar, keyboards, other instruments) and Colin Greenwood (bass), Ed O’Brien (guitar, backing vocals) and Philip Selway (drums, percussion). They have worked with producer Nigel Godrich and cover artist Stanley Donwood since 1994. Radiohead’s experimental approach is credited with advancing the sound of alternative rock.

Kurt Hermann Eduard Karl Julius Schwitters (20 June 1887 – 8 January 1948) was a German artist who was born in Hanover, Germany. Schwitters worked in several genres and media, including dadaism, constructivism, surrealism, poetry, sound, painting, sculpture, graphic design, typography, and what came to be known as installation art. He is most famous for his collages, called Merz Pictures.

John Robert Parker Ravenscroft OBE (30 August 1939 – 25 October 2004), known professionally as John Peel, was an English disc jockey, radio presenter, record producer and journalist. He was the longest-serving of the original BBC Radio 1 DJs, broadcasting regularly from 1967 until his death in 2004. Peel was one of the first broadcasters to play psychedelic rock and progressive rock records on British radio. He is widely acknowledged for promoting artists working in a multitude of genres, including pop, dub reggae, punk rock and post-punk, electronic music and dance music, indie rock, extreme metal, and British hip hop. 

Boards of Canada are a Scottish electronic music duo consisting of brothers Michael Sandison and Marcus Eoin. The duo’s music incorporates vintage synthesiser tones, samples from outdated media, hip hop-inspired beats, and analogue production methods; it has been described as exploring themes related to nostalgia,^[5][6] as well as childhood memory, nature, and more arcane subjects.

Hans Peter Wilhelm Arp (16 September 1886 – 7 June 1966), better known as Jean Arp in English, was a German-French sculptor, painter, and poet. He was known as a Dadaist and an abstract artist.

Sophie Henriette Gertrud Taeuber-Arp (19 January 1889 – 13 January 1943)^[1] was a Swiss artist, painter, sculptor, textile designer, furniture and interior designer, architect, and dancer.

Hugo Ball (German: [bal]; 22 February 1886 – 14 September 1927) was a German author, poet, and essentially the founder of the Dada movement in European art in Zürich in 1916. Among other accomplishments, he was a pioneer in the development of sound poetry.

Talk Talk were an English band formed in 1981, led by Mark Hollis (vocals, guitar, piano), Lee Harris (drums), and Paul Webb (bass). The group achieved early chart success with the synth-pop singles “Talk Talk” (1982), “It’s My Life“, and “Such a Shame” (both 1984) before moving towards a more experimental approach informed by jazz and free improvisation in the mid-1980s,^[5] pioneering what became known as post-rock.

The Penguin Cafe Orchestra (PCO) were an avant-pop band led by English guitarist Simon Jeffes. Co-founded with cellist Helen Liebmann, it toured extensively during the 1980s and 1990s. The band’s sound is not easily categorized, having elements of exuberant folk music and a minimalist aesthetic occasionally reminiscent of composers such as Philip Glass.^[2]

My Bloody Valentine are an Irish alternative rock band formed in Dublin in 1983, known for their early and influential shoegaze style. Since 1987, the band’s lineup has consisted of founding members Kevin Shields (vocals, guitar, sampler) and Colm Ó Cíosóig (drums, sampler) with Bilinda Butcher (vocals, guitar) and Debbie Googe (bass). Their music is best known for its post-rock merging of dissonant guitar textures, androgynous vocals, and unorthodox production techniques.

Catherine Bush CBE (born 30 July 1958) is an English singer, songwriter, musician, dancer and record producer. Bush’s eclectic and experimental musical style, unconventional lyrics, performances, and literary themes have influenced a diverse range of artists.

Roberta Joan “Joni” Mitchell CC (née Anderson; born November 7, 1943) is a Canadian-American singer-songwriter. Drawing from folk, pop, rock, classical, and jazz, Mitchell’s songs often reflect on social and philosophical ideals as well as her feelings about romance, womanhood, disillusionment and joy. 

Massive Attack are an English trip hop collective formed in 1988 in Bristol by Robert “3D” Del Naja, Adrian “Tricky” Thaws, Andrew “Mushroom” Vowles and Grant “Daddy G” Marshall. The band currently consists of Del Naja, Thaws and Marshall, with Shara Nelson and Horace Andy as guest vocalists.