Banco De Gaia interview & premiere of ‘Mir’ from new album Trauma
Early Pink Floyd meets the Soviet Space Station? We’re in
Ahead of the release of his new album, Trauma, Banco de Gaia is sharing ‘Mir’, his “paean to peace in these tumultuous times”, exclusively with Juno Daily readers.
Featuring the sublime soprano saxophone of Matthew Jenkins, ‘Mir’s spacious sounds bring to mind both early Pink Floyd and the Soviet Space Station of the same name.
Hear the track on YouTube:
Or Soundcloud
Trauma is due for release September 6 on eco-mix vinyl and CD, and, as well as sharing ‘Mir’, Banco de Gaia aka Frome-based Toby Marks has also settled down for a chat with us to tell us all about it.
Hi and thanks for your time…. First of all, can you tell us where you are right now, and what kind of day you’re having… Been anywhere already or going anywhere interesting later?
I’m at home right now working on a remix for Children of the Bong, who we recently signed to my label after finding out their classic albums weren’t available anywhere any more. It’s the 30th anniversary of our first tour together next year! I’m not planning on going anywhere else today, sitting in the garden in the sun this evening will do me just fine, but I will be DJing at a new local festival this weekend which should be fun.
It’s been eight years since your last album – why the wait?
There was a five track EP in 2020 which was originally meant to be a full album, but a combination of both my parents developing dementia and Covid meant everything ground to a halt on the music front for a while. I’ve gradually managed to make more time for music again over the last few years and finally, here we are.
Musically, it’s quite a departure in parts, at least with hip-hop breakbeats and dubstep influences alongside your more trademark sounds… You’ve explored themes both personal and global on the album, from war
and environmental collapse to mortality… Is that why you went for the
title Trauma, to tie these strands up into one?
In a nutshell, yes. The family issues, ongoing environmental crisis and now the wars in Ukraine, Gaza and elsewhere, have kept my focus fixed on what’s wrong in the world and in particular the trauma that individuals, societies and the ecosystem are suffering both now and historically. I found myself using the music to process what I was absorbing and to work through a more positive response rather than just despairing, and as the subject matter was not not what I have tended to work with in the past, some of the styles and techniques I brought in are a bit different too.
One of our favourites is ’My Little Country’ – tells us more about it and the funny chap it samples…
There was a TV documentary on the 70s about a guy landing on an old naval gun platform off the coast of Essex and claiming it as his own country. In it he admits that every country started out with someone grabbing a piece of territory and then claiming ownership for themselves which I thought was very revealing, and his take on it rather amusing. I got an ex-BBC friend of mine to do the ‘interviewer’ voice then turned the whole thing into a retro 90s dance track (why not?). Originally the track started out as part of a larger project about illegal, or at least morally dubious, activities on the high seas, which was a lot darker!
You’ve very kindly given us ‘Mir’ to premiere – the album’s opener – so tell us a bit about that…
I was fiddling about in the studio one day trying to come up with a rich, floaty texture and ended up with something quite similar to the start of Pink Floyd’s Wish You Were Here album. Well, once I had that it was hard not to follow the vibe and I got Matt Jenkins in to add some soprano sax which worked beautifully. This was around the time of the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine and my thoughts were full of sadness for the friends in both countries who I quite possibly would never be able to see again. Wishing for quick return to peace I named the track Mir, which is Russian for peace (and also the name of their now defunct space station).
And what’s next for Banco De Gaia? What are you hearing that’s inspiring you? Any live/DJ/remix action we should know about?
As mentioned, there’s a Children of the Bong remix coming, and I have a bunch of gigs coming to celebrate the album release starting in September going into the new year. I’m also working on new Banco material so hopefully there will be another release before too long. As for what I’m listening to, it’s very random. I recently got hold of the original single release of Leftfield’s Song of Life, which includes the extended remix I’ve been searching for for ages, so expect that in my DJ sets for a while, and more up to date I’m listening to anything from Jon Hopkins to Holly Herndon to Fontaines DC, plus a bit of dubstep when I’m in the mood!
Pre-order your copy of Trauma on CD or eco-mix vinyl, out on September 6, by clicking here