2005-05-05 One Music Session, London UK
Day two brings yet another Radio show, this one recorded for Rob Da Bank’s show on Radio 1. I mentioned yesterday that The Bays are well known for extended moody intros, and picked this set to showcase one of those. Lasting about 5 minutes, it sets a mid-tempo pace early on, accented with elegant electronic washes. The jam picks up the pace a little bit towards the end, before fading out to start the meat of the set.
A couple of squelching techy noises start to fill the space where the intro jam left off, and a dark brooding bassline sets the tone for the next passage. Before long we are treated to a beautiful female melody, which counteracts the constantly shifting electronic pads with a distinctly human element. It almost sounds like they had a guest sit in for this, the vocals sound too varied and natural to be cut up samples.
Things get pretty loose for a bit, eventually leading into a heavily modified vocal sample repeating “The Bays” over and over. The guys quickly tighten up again as Chris Taylor brings in yet another smooth bassline and the others form up on his lead. This particular segment features many many layers of textures, there is something new to listen to each play through.
At this point we are about half way through the set, and things really start to heat up. Expect more well placed vocal melodies from the same voice earlier in the set, as well as some really solid House grooves. The whole thing wraps up with another Bays staple, the Drum & Bass “encore” to rinse the floor with anybody still left standing. Pay close attention to the drums, Andy is a master of this type of playing. Not only does he have the technical skill to pull it off, he also has the restraint to do it tastefully.
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