The group's initial recordings in New York City included contributions from musicians Bond Bergland, Hearn Gadbois and Chris Cunningham, who later formed their own group called The Saqqara Dogs. These early recordings, especially the track "Hamam", an original song based in part on the "Rembetiko" standard "Μες Της Πόλις Το Χαμάμ" "(In The Baths Of Constantinople)" re-mixed by New York-based Swiss producer Roli Mosimann, caught the attention of Greek radio deejay Giannis Petridis, who enabled its release as an extended-play maxi-single on the Virgin Greece record label in 1986. Chris Lawrence personally imported copies of the maxi-single and sent them around to radio and club deejays in the U.S. Subsequently Sempepos, Lawrence and Paidoussi recorded more material working as a studio act with occasional guest collaborators, such as John Linnell of They Might Be Giants. In 1987 Virgin Records in the U.K. distributed a full-length vinyl LP called "Hamam" that included most of these early recordings; In 1990 this LP was licensed by Shanachie Records and released in the U.S. with the title "In The Baths of Constantinople" on CD and vinyl.