Banco De Gaia

Banco de Gaia is an English electronic music project, formed in 1989 by Toby Marks (born 1964, South London, England). The music of Banco de Gaia is mostly categorized as ambient dub and downtempo. Marks works to cross genres, often using Arabic and Middle Eastern samples against a bass heavy reggae, rock, or trance rhythm to produce deeply textured tracks that progress layer upon layer.
Having cut his teeth on the early 1990s ambient dub compilations, in 1994 he released his first studio album 'Maya' on Planet Dog records, which was submitted to the Mercury Music Prize on its release. It was followed in 1995 by the critically acclaimed 'Last Train to Lhasa'. Both albums reached No. 1 in the UK Indie Chart and featured in the Top 40 of the UK Albums Chart. 
(Read more at Wikipedia.)
== Links To Peel ==
"I keep reading in the papers about how uncool Banco De Gaia is, but who wants to be cool?"(John Peel, 12 May 1995)
Alongside labelmates Timeshard and Eat Static, Banco De Gaia appeared on the 'Planet Dog – Peel Your Head: The Peel Sessions' compilation on Strange Fruit, released in 1995. Peel played the trace artist regularly on his show until that year, but his interest appeared to drop away after that.
Banco De Gaia has continued to release music until the present day (2022).
== Festive Fifty Entries ==
*None
== Sessions ==
One session only. The tracks ‘Gamaleh’ and ‘Sunspot’ are available on 'Planet Dog – Peel Your Head: The Peel Sessions' (1995, 2xLP / CD, Strange Fruit).
1. Recorded: 1994-01-09. First broadcast: 11 February 1994. No known repeats.
*Gamelah / Heliopolis / Sunspot
== Other Shows Played ==
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;1993
*23 October 1993: Qurna (Haj Ali's Birthday Mix) (v/a album - Feed Your Head) Planet Dog
*05 November 1993: Desert Wind (12 inch) Planet Dog
*20 November 1993 (BFBS): Desert Wind (Sunset Mix) (12") Planet Dog
*04 December 1993: Gamelah (Dub 1) (12" - Desert Wind) Planet Dog
;1994
*26 February 1994: Sunspot (CD – Maya) Planet Dog
*12 March 1994: Gamelah (Dub 3) (CD – Maya) Planet Dog
*14 October 1994: Kincajou (v/a album - Trance Europe Express 3) Volume
*22 October 1994 (BFBS): Kincajou (12" - Trance Europe Express - Volume 3 (Preview)): Volume
*29 October 1994 (BBC World Service): Kincajou (12" - Trance Europe Express - Volume 3 (Preview)): Volume
*12 November 1994: White Paint (Various Artists 3xCD - The Serious Road Trip ) Melody Maker
;1995
*12 May 1995: Last Train To Lhasa (Maxi CD) Planet Dog
*01 December 1995: Kincajou (Speedy J Mix) (12") Planet Dog
*09 December 1995 (BFBS): Kincajou (Speedy J Mix) (12") Planet Dog
== External Links ==
*Wikipedia
*Discogs
*Bandcamp
*banco.co.uk
Category:Artists