A sloop (from Dutch sloep, in turn from French chaloupe) is a sail boat with a fore-and-aft rig and a single mast farther forward than the mast of a cutter.

A sloop's fore-triangle is smaller than a cutter's, and unlike a cutter, a sloop usually bends only one headsail, though this distinction is not definitive; some sloops, such as the Friendship Sloop, have more than one. Ultimately, the position of the mast is the most important factor in determining whether a ship is classified as a sloop.^{[citation needed]}

The majority of modern sailboats are sloops, or, to put it another way; most modern sailboats are sloop-rigged. A typical modern sloop carries a mainsail on a boom aft of the mast, and a single headsail (a jib or a genoa jib) forward of the mast.

Modern sloops may be further divided into masthead-rigged sloops and fractional-rigged sloops. In the case of the masthead-rigged sloop, the forestay (on which the headsail is carried) attaches at the top of the mast. On a masthead-rigged sloop, the headsail is often larger than the mainsail. This is especially true if the headsail is a large genoa jib. In the case of a fractional-rigged sloop, the forestay attaches to the mast at a point below the top. It might attach 3/4 of the way to top, or perhaps 7/8 or some other fraction. This is the origin of the term fractional-rigged. The mast of a fractional-rigged sloop is also usually placed farther forward, and compared to a masthead-rigged sloop, this results in a much smaller jib relative to the size of the mainsail. The J-24 (pictured) has a fractional rig.

The Beach Boys are an American rock band, formed in 1961 in Hawthorne, California. The group was initially composed of brothers Brian, Dennis and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and friend Al Jardine. They were managed early on by the Wilsons' father, Murry. The band's leader, composer, arranger and producer Brian Wilson was responsible for writing most of the band's early singles and albums. After signing with Capitol Records in mid-1962, Wilson wrote or co-wrote more than two dozen Top 40 hits including "Surfin' Safari", "Surfin' USA", "Surfer Girl", "Little Deuce Coupe", "Be True to Your School", "In My Room", "Fun, Fun, Fun", "I Get Around", "Dance Dance Dance", "Help Me Rhonda" and "California Girls". These songs and their accompanying albums were internationally popular, making The Beach Boys one of the biggest acts of their time. The band's early music gained popularity across the United States for its close vocal harmonies and lyrics reflecting a Southern California youth culture of surfing, cars, and romance. By the mid-1960s, Brian's growing creative ambition and songwriting ability would dominate the group's musical direction. The primarily Brian-composed Pet Sounds album and "Good Vibrations" single (both released in 1966) featured a complex, intricate and multi-layered sound.

John B (born John Bryn Williams, 1977, Maidenhead, Berkshire, England) is an English DJ and electronic music producer. He is widely recognised for his eccentric clothing and wild hair and his production of several cutting edge drum and bass tracks.

John B ranked #76 in DJ Magazine 's 2010 Top 100 DJs annual poll, announced on 27 October 2010.

Williams started producing music around the age of 14, and now is the head of drum and bass record label Beta Recordings, together with its more specialist drum and bass sub-labels Nu Electro, Tangent, and Chihuahua. He also has releases on Formation Records, Metalheadz and Planet Mu.

Williams was ranked 1st drum and bass DJ on the 2009 DJMag's top 100. and #92 on the DJ List as of October 3, 2009.

He attended Durham University.

While his trademark sound has evolved through the years, it generally involves female vocals and trance-like synths (a style which has been dubbed "trance and bass", "trancestep" and "futurestep" by listeners). His most recent concentration is an 1980s electroclash influenced fusion of electro and drum and bass, which was dubbed 'electrostep'. At first (around early 2002), this style seemed odd and comical to some in the drum and bass community. However, this move has given John the ability to carry his style of drum and bass forward. He has dabbled in darkstep, jazzstep and various other styles in his time. When he DJs, he is known to spin both drum and bass and electrohouse, sometimes with other genres such as disco and rock, in the same sets.