After receiving the single of the week award in the NME magazine for "Smoke the Prophets", they recorded three Peel Sessions, the first of which was broadcast in April 1995. The Peel session enabled them to secure a recording contract with EXP, which was run by Feargal Sharkey from The Undertones and Richard Norris from The Grid. Their debut album, Yemen Cutta Connection was released in September 1996, with a press launch on Dartmoor involving Jimmy Cauty and Bill Drummond from The KLF. The album received critical praise, including album of the week in The Guardian. After the demise of EXP, Rob Dickens from WEA signed Black Star Liner, and they recorded their second album Bengali Bantam Youth Experience, which featured the single "Superfly and Bindi".