Though never commercially successful, Acacia attracted a good deal of underground attention during their existence and were notable for their eclectic musical approach and for Nilere's unorthodox, polysexual image.
"[3] Nilere had first learned to play the guitar to Chinese and Balinese scales (before being introduced to R'n'B forms) and the band's songs were strongly influenced by this factor.
"[4] Alexander Nilere (the son of a wealthy and prominent Nigerian family based in the UK) had originally been scheduled to travel to America and study medicine.
[2][3] Initially forming Acacia as a duo project, Nilere and Sigsworth subsequently recruited Maurizio Anzalone (a self-taught Spanish/Italian guitarist who'd developed a playing style blending punk and the avant-garde).
As percussionist, they recruited future world-music/British-Asian club music star Talvin Singh, who'd already established himself as a live performer with Siouxsie And The Banshees, Björk and the On-U Sound System.
He was replaced by another British Asian: Ansuman Biswas, an experimental poet and performance artist who happened to play tabla, percussion and santoor.
They released their debut single, "Maddening Shroud" in April 1994 - a song fusing Balkan gypsy voices and gamelans to "an insistent nursery rhyme melody".
Both singles, plus the interest built up by the band's compelling live concerts, attracted enough attention and then a deal from London label Radar Records.
By this time, Acacia had gained a part-time fifth member in the shape of backing singer Imogen Heap, who was recruited to the project by Sigsworth after he had heard her voice on a demo tape.
Members of Acacia would return the favour by performing in Heap's backing band for her 1996 showcase at the Prince's Trust Concert in Hyde Park, London.
In particular, Guy Sigsworth and Alexander Nilere maintained their writing partnership, working together on songs for both Imogen Heap and for British soul singer Hinda Hicks.
He has since moved into the premier league of pop sessions and productions thanks to his collaborations with Britney Spears, Alanis Morissette and Madonna (for the latter, he co-wrote and produced the smash hit single "What It Feels Like for a Girl").
Alexander Nilere went on (under the new pseudonym of "Blackmoth") to form the R'n'B/club music project Hexdragon with Nellee Hooper, which produced the singles "Da Boogaloo" and "Two Summers".