The production arm of early synth popsters Heaven 17 and occasionally a recording entity in its own right, B.E.F. (or British Electric Foundation) was formed by Martyn Ware and Ian Craig Marsh just after their exit from the original lineup of The Human League. Ware and Marsh had formed The Human League in 1977 as a completely electronic synthesizer band.

After adding vocalist Philip Oakey and Adrian Wright, the group released the seminal 1978 single "Being Boiled" and two LPs, 1979's Reproduction and the following year's Travelogue.