Banco de Gaia
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Biography
Toby Marks (born 1964 in Southâ¯London, England) is the driving force behind the electronic music project Banco de Gaia, a name that has become synonymous with worldâmusicâinfused ambient and dance soundscapes. Marks began playing multiple instruments at fourteen, later studying psychology, philosophy and religion at the University of Warwick, though he left before graduating. His exposure to the Coldcut remix of Ericâ¯B.â¯&â¯Rakimâs Paid in Full and the pioneering track A Huge Ever Growing Pulsating Brain That Rules from the Centre of the Ultraworld by The Orb prompted a shift from guitar work to electronic experimentation, blending acid house, ambient house and jazz influences into a distinctive sonic palette. The first commercial breakthrough came in 1993 with the EP Desert Wind on Michael Dogâs Planetâ¯Dog Records, followed by the albums Maya (1994) and Lastâ¯Trainâ¯toâ¯Lhasa (1995), both of which reached Number 1 on the UK Indie Chart and entered the top 40 of the UK Albums Chart, cementing Marksâs reputation as a recognized figure in the emerging ambientâdance scene. A live recording from Glastonbury 1995 was issued as Live at Glastonbury in 1996, showcasing Marksâs ability to translate studio textures into dynamic performances. After a period of collaboration with saxophonist Dickâ¯Parry on Bigâ¯Menâ¯Cry (1997) and a partnership with a fiveâpiece band that included Tedâ¯Duggan and Ashleyâ¯Hopkins, Marks founded his own label, Discoâ¯Gecko, in 1998, releasing The⯠Magical⯠Sounds⯠of⯠Bancoâ¯de⯠Gaia (1999) and Igizeh (2000) on Sixâ¯Degrees Records. The early 2000s saw a series of remix projects and anniversary editions, including 10â¯Years (2002) and 10â¯Yearsâ¯Remixed (2003), while Songs from the Silk Road (2011) highlighted his continued interest in global musical traditions. In 2013, the album Apollo was issued on Discoâ¯Gecko, followed by Ollopa:â¯Apolloâ¯Remixed and the EP Allâ¯Sleeping the same year, demonstrating a willingness to revisit and reinterpret earlier material. The 2016 release Theâ¯9thâ¯ofâ¯Nineâ¯Hearts featured collaborations with Sophieâ¯Barker, Timâ¯Bowness, and Dickâ¯Parry, reinforcing Marksâs longâstanding network of respected musicians.
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Albums
Top Tracks
- Track Popularity
- Gray Over Gray
- Tongue In Chic
- Zeus No Like Techno
- Waking Up In Waco
- Still Life
- Touching The Void
- Not In My Name
- We Are Here
- Last Tain
- Wimble Toot
- Nine Hearts by Banco de Gaia
- Echoes
- Sakarya
- Last Train
- All Sleeping
- Oreia by Banco de Gaia
- Saturn Return
- Flow My Dreams, The Android Wept
- White Man's Burden
- How Much Reality Can You Take? by Nitin Sawhney
- I Love Baby Cheesy
- We All Know The Truth (You Have God)
- Amber
- Farewell Ferengistan - Banco De Gaia
