Performance Is The Product

.


The Bays- Live electronic music done the right way

Track 3 From Jena, Germany 2004 MP3

Download the full show and learn more about The Bays

There are many bands in the US that play improvisational music with an electronic edge to it. The Disco Biscuits, Sound Tribe Sector Nine, The New Deal, Brothers Past, Lotus, and Signal Path are a handful of bands who have been known to drop the beats mid-jam. Even though they may have some electronic elements to their sound, I wouldn't classify it as "electronic music". I have been listening to a band out of the UK called The Bays and every time I listen I forget that they are a band, it is a live show, and it is all improv. EVerything from downtempo to tech house, they sound like a live pa or a dj's record...and a good record at that.

From British Council:

The Bays are Andy Gangadeen (drums), Jamie Odell (keyboard), Simon Richmond (CDs & FX) and Chris Taylor (Bass). Intentionally avoiding the influence wielded by record companies and commercial sponsors, The Bays' coined the slogan: "Performance is the Product" to sum up their philosophy. Recordings of their music cannot be bought. The Bays can only be heard live in concert or via mp3 download from the Internet.

The quartett has developed a completely unique approach to club music making and live concerts: all sounds, all songs are improvised on the spot without prior discussion or arrangement. Thus, no two concerts are ever the same. The Bays are about spontaneity and response within the group. Each musician relies on his/her awareness of the other musicians and, from a completely "blank canvas", they together create all the colours and patterns of the finished performance. No one person dominates or indulges in solos.

The Bays never rehearse as a group, yet they are all about teamwork. They practice individually, only bringing ideas together during the concert itself. This creates a unique tension which gives the performance a "first take" vibe. Bays concerts include a wide variety of styles such as breakbeat, house, electro, garage, drum&bass, hip hop, dub, ambient, funk, techno and ragga. For the past three years, The Bays have been included in the line-ups of numerous important festivals including Lowlands, Drum Rhythm, Big Chill, Pukkelpop, Ministry of Sound, Eurosonic, Glastonbury, Roskilde und Dour.

British Council Article

VIDEO of The Bays