THE INSPIRING SOUND OF TKC

TKC

THE KAOS COLLECTIVE

THE KRIS AYLESBURY OUT-STATION COLLECTIVE

KRIS AYLESBURY sax/flute : EMMA JONES keyboards : POONAM AGRAWAL percussion/voice

SHRINIVASAN AGRAWAL sitar/indian banjo : VINCENT MAHER guitar

FINLAY SMYTHE bass : MARK DURRANT drums

TKC evolved from the ashes of Space Rock combo Outstation sometime around 2018. It came to be over a cup of herbal tea and a Hob Nob when Mark and Finlay came round to visit Kris and Emma at their new flat on a damp, cold Wednesday afternoon.

They're very important Hob Nobs are - it's strange how people bond over their choice of biscuit. On this occasion a discussion about baked oats eased a lot of tension that had built up during the final stages of the Outstation saga (all now happily resolved I'm pleased to report) and the idea of TKC gained momentum.

Mark and Finlay are the quintessential Space Rock rhythm section - Mark on drums and Finlay on bass - they drove Outstation along and have been best friends since the late 70s, early 80s. It shows when a drum and bass pairing are as familiar with each other as these two are.

It didn't take too much of a stretch to ease them from their Space Rock leanings into slightly more melodic territory and ever since the advent of TKC, Mark and Finlay have advanced into ever more free flowing musicality.

Kris Aylesbury became a member of Outstation almost by accident. With no particular musical skills or background he was originally brought in to assist with 'the gear'... not that kind of gear... which was forever breaking down back in the days of Mullard valves and dry solder joints. Crackle... 'there's dust on the pot again Kris'.

An avid collector of 'things' Kris had acquired various musical instruments including saxophones, flutes, all manner of weird bongos and starting bringing them along. It wasn't long before the wizard started blowing his horn and added a new dimension to the sound.

Emma Jones has been a keyboard enthusiast ever since her school days. Her father was a lover of classical music and Emma was encouraged to take lessons and learn the instrument 'properly' as he used to say... then she joined TKC and had to unlearn everything!

Kris and Emma have been partners for many years and it seemed a natural step that, when Outstation folded, they should start a new musical project together. A perfect pairing - Emma is able to compose and relate interesting melody and progressions and Kris is able to 'modify' them by blowing his horn and flute all over everything. Tea and Hob Nobs please.

Vincent Maher is a long time friend of Kris and Emma. Originally from Canterbury, he is heavily influenced by the Canterbury scene and loves to wax lyrical about the 'good old days' when he feels the music really spoke to him. In TKC he performs a vital role in the absence of vocals... in recent times at least... by taking the melody and playing around with it in an imaginative way that only he can.

Becoming more and more interested in the production side of music, Vincent has played a vital role in taking the band forward and enabled TKC to take control of their vision in a very physical way.

Poonam Agrawal is Emma's work colleague. For the longest time Emma had no idea that Poonam and her brother Shrinivasan were musicians and played traditional Indian music together in their spare time. As Poonam and Emma became friends, Emma couldn't believe it when she discovered the amazing 'hidden' talents of the pair. It really didn't take too long to convince them to join TKC and move the band along into new territory and a whole new era of music making.

Shrinivasan Agrawal quickly established a vital role in the ranks of TKC. With huge talent on a wide range of classical Indian instruments and a knack of playing catchy melodies that evolve into wonderful set pieces, Shrini has proved to be a tour de force in the progression of the band.