Inspired to enter the field of electronic music by Britain's acid house explosion of the late '80s, Toby Marks took quite a different spin on electronica with his recordings as Banco de Gaia, introducing elements of Eastern and Arabic music, sampling similarly exotic sources, and tying the whole to ambient-dub rhythms. Marks began releasing cassette-only albums in the early '90s, distributed through a network of clubs and artists known as Planet Dog. When Planet Dog became a record label as well (later the home of Eat Static and Timeshard), Banco de Gaia debuted on disc with the Desert Wind EP, released in November 1993. Early the following year, Marks released his first album, Maya. For 1995's Last Train to Lhasa, Marks concerned himself with the plight of occupied Tibet. The following year brought a rare concert recording, Live at Glastonbury, with Big Men Cry appearing in 1997, followed by The Magical Sounds of Banco de Gaia two years later. In late 2000, Marks returned with Igizeh through Six Degrees Records, a label with which he decided to stay for 2004's You Are Here and 2006's Farewell Ferengistan. ~ John Bush, All Music Guide
Marks moved to Portugal in 1986 and played Beatles music for tourists. He first delved into electronic music in 1989, when he bought a digital sampler. The first tune he recorded on it was called Maxwell House.
In 1997, Banco De Gaia put together a five piece band that included Ted Duggan (drums), Ashley Hopkins (bass), Larry Whelan (Wind Synth, Sax and Ethnic Flutes), and Gary Spacey-Foot (Percussion and Saxes).
The band reduced in number to just Marks, Duggan, and Hopkins in 1999, and then just Marks and Duggan from 2000 until 2003; when Marks went back to being a soloartist.
On 20th September 2009 Banco De Gaia played a album launch show for his new album Memories Dreams Reflections at Dingwalls in London. This show was to celebrate 20 years of Banco De Gaia.
Marks was joined on stage by three members from the original five piece band, Hopkins, Whelan, and Duggan and vocalist Maya Preece, who sings on the new album.
Discography
The first records
Medium (1991)
Freeform Flutes and Fading Tibetans (1992)
Deep Live (1992)
This first three albums existed only on tape and are no longer being sold due to copyright issues with several samples used on them.
