Nine to the Universe is a posthumous tenth studio album of American guitarist Jimi Hendrix, released in March and June 1980 in the United States and the United Kingdom respectively. It was the seventh Hendrix studio album released after his death and the third to be produced by Alan Douglas. The album contains five jam sessions, edited by Douglas. It only charted in one country - the United States, and even then only, briefly, reaching 127th on the Top 200 Billboard chart, before dropping out quickly. Various versions of the jams on the LP had previously circulated widely on bootlegs.

The universe is commonly defined as the totality of everything that exists, including all matter and energy, the planets, stars, galaxies, and the contents of intergalactic space. Definitions and usage vary and similar terms include the cosmos, the world and nature. Scientific observation of earlier stages in the development of the universe, which can be seen at great distances, suggests that the universe has been governed by the same physical laws and constants throughout most of its extent and history. There are various multiverse theories, in which physicists have suggested that our universe might be one among many universes that likewise exist.

Throughout recorded history, several cosmologies and cosmogonies have been proposed to account for observations of the universe. The earliest quantitative geocentric models were developed by the ancient Greek philosophers. Over the centuries, more precise observations and improved theories of gravity led to Copernicus's heliocentric model and the Newtonian model of the Solar System, respectively. Further improvements in astronomy led to the realization that the Solar System is embedded in a galaxy composed of billions of stars, the Milky Way, and that other galaxies exist outside it, as far as astronomical instruments can reach. Careful studies of the distribution of these galaxies and their spectral lines have led to much of modern cosmology. Discovery of the red shift and cosmic microwave background radiation revealed that the universe is expanding and apparently had a beginning.^{[citation needed]}

James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix (born Johnny Allen Hendrix; November 27, 1942 – September 18, 1970) was an American musician and singer-songwriter. He is widely considered to be the greatest electric guitarist in music history, and one of the most influential musicians of his era despite mainstream exposure limited to just three years. After initial success in Europe with his group The Jimi Hendrix Experience, he achieved fame in the United States following his 1967 performance at the Monterey Pop Festival. Later, he headlined the iconic 1969 Woodstock Festival and the 1970 Isle of Wight Festival. He often favored raw overdriven amplifiers with high gain and treble and helped develop the previously undesirable technique of guitar amplifier feedback.

Hendrix helped to popularize use of the wah-wah pedal in mainstream rock, which he often used to deliver tonal exaggerations in his solos, particularly with high bends, complex guitar playing, and use of legato. As a record producer, he also broke new ground in using the recording studio as an extension of his musical ideas. He was one of the first to experiment with stereophonic phasing effects for rock recording.^{[citation needed]} He was influenced by blues artists such as B.B. King, Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, Albert King and Elmore James,rhythm and blues and soul guitarists Curtis Mayfield and Steve Cropper, and the jazz guitarist Wes Montgomery. Hendrix began dressing and wearing a moustache like Little Richard when he performed and recorded in his band from March 1, 1964 through to the spring of 1965. In 1966, he stated, "I want to do with my guitar what Little Richard does with his voice".

Evil Nine is a DJ duo comprising members Tom Beaufoy and Pat Pardy. Their musical style is primarily classified as breakbeat, although it additionally encompasses other influences.

The pair first came together in 1998 after meeting in Brighton. After sending in a demo cassette they were signed by Adam Freeland to his Marine Parade record label, with their first release being the single "Less Stress". According to Beaufoy (in an interview given to Fabric Nightclub) part of the reason that their demo cassette tape was actually listened to rather than thrown away (by 1998 cassettes had become virtually obsolete in favour of CDs) was because of their friendship with Jemma Griffiths, who worked for Marine Parade at the time. She has since gone on to achieve chart success as a singer-songwriter under the stage name "Jem".

After further single releases their debut album You Can Be Special Too was released to critical acclaim in 2004, winning the breakspoll 2004 award for best album. Prior to the release of You Can Be Special Too, Marine Parade suffered financial difficulties as a result of one of its distributors going into liquidation. This resulted in only 1000 copies of the album making it into stores initially, causing it to be a highly sought after item on eBay. The record eventually had a full release in greater numbers after the financial problems had subsided. The album featured collaborations with Aesop Rock and Juice Aleem, amongst others. The album track "Hired Goons" features in the video game Test Drive Unlimited.