THE sudden death of Mary Hansen in a cycling accident in London has come as a huge shock to her colleagues in Stereolab and to fans of the group’s experimental but accessible music.

Born in Queensland, Australia, Hansen was a quiet and private woman who eschewed the high-profile life of many pop stars. When her death was announced, even the group’s publicist admitted that he had never got to know her well. She did not give interviews and preferred to leave the promotional chores to others in the group.

Yet her voice made a key contribution to Stereolab’s unique, futuristic art pop, which ranged from John Cage to bubblegum — as the title of one of the group’s early releases suggested.

Hansen joined the British-based group founded by Tim Gane and Laetitia Sadier in time to appear on its 1993 album The Groop Played Space Age Bachelor Pad Music and indeed on John Cage Bubblegum. She remained a constant presence through more than a dozen albums and mini-albums which straddled rock, experimental dance, minimalism, ambient sound and electronica. Yet such diverse influences were always held together with an effortless pop sensibility.

The group’s earlier releases revelled in bizarre titles such as Transient Random Noise Bursts with Announcements and combined difficult, experimental music with the sweetest pop in a most unusual but appealing juxtaposition.

This blend found favour with fans of both dance music and indie rock but a wider breakthrough came with the 1996 Emperor Tomato Ketchup, an LP that seemed to represent the distillation of all their many styles and influences.

Recorded in Chicago with John McEntire of Tortoise, the album benefited from arrangements by Sean O’Hagan of the High Llamas and a long-time Stereolab collaborator.

The follow-up, Dots and Loops, released in 1997, continued in similar vein but was warmer and more melodic. Taking in mood music, Sixties French pop, mellow jazz and even Muzak influences, the songs highlighted the chanteuse-like singing of Hansen and Sadier more strongly than ever before.

In 1999 came the acclaimed Cobra and Phases, regarded by many as their most complete album to date. Assisted for the first time by the Chicago producer Jim O’Rourke (who was much in demand and is now a member of Sonic Youth), it worked within an established pop formula but pushed at its boundaries with a rare imagination and wit.

Martin Pike, the group’s manager at Duophonic, said of Hansen: “Known for her beautiful voice and witty stage banter, Mary was the easiest of people to become friends with. She was always ready to listen, with a fine sense of humour, caring and always eager to talk to fans of the band.”

The group’s most recent album, Sound Dust, was released in 2001 and they have recently been back in the studio preparing their next record. But whatever the future holds for Stereolab, the voice of Hansen is going to be greatly missed.

Mary Hansen, singer, was born on November 1, 1966 in Maryborough, Queensland, Australia. She died in a road accident in London on December 9, 2002, London, aged 36.