Banco de Gaia is an English electronic music project formed in 1989 by Toby Marks (born 1964, South London, England). Marks states that he works in “world‑music‑infused dance and ambient/chill‑out styles.” Influenced by the acid house and ambient house movements of the 1980s, as well as jazz and progressive rock bands such as Pink Floyd, his music incorporates elements of rock, reggae, ambient, worldbeat, jazz and electronica. Beginning at age 14, Marks played various instruments in several bands. He studied psychology, philosophy and religion at the University of Warwick, though he did not graduate. He was not initially interested in electronic music until hearing John Peel play the Coldcut remix of Eric B. & Rakim’s “Paid in Full,” which featured samples of Ofra Haza. Performing as a rock and jazz guitarist did not satisfy Marks creatively, but he was drawn to ethnic fusion music. Around 1987, he temporarily moved to Glasgow to study jazz guitar, where he also became interested in the new dance music emerging in clubs. He sought to combine these influences with atmospheric textures reminiscent of Pink Floyd’s Wish You Were Here and The KLF’s Chill Out. The 1989 single “A Huge Ever Growing Pulsating Brain That Rules from the Centre of the Ultraworld” by The Orb opened a new artistic direction for him. “It’s Pink Floyd meets techno meets acid house meets sampling meets soundscape,” he said. “Add in a bit of world music and I was set on my course.” Alongside acts such as Transglobal Underground, Banco de Gaia became a popular performer at London dance venues including Whirl‑Y‑Gig and Club Dog. His first experiments with synthesizers and samplers resulted in the self‑released 1990 cassette album Medium. His track “Soufie” appeared on the compilation Ambient Dub Volume 1: The Big Chill in August 1992.
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