THE SHADOW ORCHESTRA

Found sounds, haunting melodies, crazed rhythms, tricks and surprises make up the music of The Shadow Orchestra, AKA producer and composer, Chris Bangs. A distinctive blending of Electronica, Post-Rock, Jazz, folk and Classical instrumentation, including cello, harp and glockenspiel, The Shadow Orchestra explores the joyous possibilities of melody, rhythm and texture. At the start of 2002, having just finished a post grad in Electronic Music, Chris was keen to record a new batch of material with the aim of combining the complexity of the electro-acoustic music he'd been studying...

At the start of 2002, having just finished a post grad in Electronic Music, Chris was keen to record a new batch of material with the aim of combining the complexity of the electro-acoustic music he'd been studying, with the melodic sensibilities of pop, rock, jazz and folk. About the same time, after many years of neglect, Chris started picking up the cello again, now a key element in the Shadow Orchestra sound.

By August 2005, Chris had built up an impressive collection of material and had begun playing out across London. However, by the start of 2005, Chris had become tired with the limitations of the laptop set, and after a particularly demoralizing set, vowed never to play another one again. It was time to assemble the Shadow Orchestra orchestra!

As luck would have it, he didn't have to look far and in a few weeks managed to bring together a diverse and talented group of musicians from around London consisting of:
Chris Warren, guitar
Kat Arney, harp
Natalie Sedgewick, violin
Dave Oliver, drums

They released their debut album in February 2007. The album features, amongst other highlights, a gorgeous collaboration with new Scottish singer-songwriter and double bassist, Amy Duncan on Rain Music, the theme to Backpacker Orpheus, a play about the Asian Tsunami which premiered in London's West End, composed using recordings taken from a Javanese Gamelan and a celebration of the lost art of whistling.

Chris describes the new album as "a creative homage to my many musical influences, from the experimental electronica of Aphex, Four Tet and DJ Shadow, to the multi-rhythmic playing of Ali Farka-Toure and Toumani Diabate, from the emotional expressionism of Van Morrison's early releases to the experimental compositions of Charles Mingus, Moondog and The Penguin Cafe Orchestra."