The Bays have taken over quite a bit of space on my iPod and have become a constant in my day-to-day listening. They’ve made it onto my “Live electronica” playlists, and continue to help me zone out in front of the computer screen for reading, writing, and other boring activities that need not be mentioned.

While several bands on this side of the Pond have been fusing live, electronic beats and improvisational rock (with the Disco Biscuits, the New Deal, and Sound Tribe Sector Nine leading the way since the late 90s), the Bays not only bring an entirely different feel of live electronica (being that they’re European), they also have decided to remain entirely improvisational, professing to never rehearse before walking on stage. While the New Deal, Canada‘s “live, progressive, breakbeat house” champions probably come closest to this open, improvisational approach, I really dig the Bays’ purely spontaneous take no matter how contrived it might seem when they’re bassist picks up the mic to explain it at seemingly every single show (you’ll see what I mean). They also have a uniquely open approach to releasing their material, professing that they do not sell albums, merchandise, or anything beyond the concert experience for their audiences. Best of all, much of their music is posted online for download, allowing people like me (who do not live in Europe) the chance to check them out…and you can be sure that if they ever tour the U.S., I will definitely not miss the chance to check them out in person.

If you’re a fan of electronic music, but really enjoy the “liveness” of a more traditional rock’n'roll concert, I would certainly point you to any of the aforementioned bands. But, the Bays just seem to come from a purely electronic perspective and it plays out in their performances. I will undoubtedly post about them again (esp. if anything new gets posted on their site), but for now, interested folks can stream their live show from the BBC Peel Sessions, catch an interview about their approach, and download a few shows from their website (note: you need to add your email address, but rest assured, no spam and they rarely ever send out emails).

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