Django Bates Website


In 1981 Django rehearsed a band called Humans. Django recalls: "I wanted a band that would happily try out my compositional ideas no matter how weird. The music was awkward stuff, not necessarily intended for performance. There was not a fixed personnel; anyone could be a Human!" Humans did the occasional gig and broadcast during the eighties, but Django busy with Loose Tubes, Zila etc, still thought of Humans as a kind of secret 'work in progress'. Between 1983 and 1984 the name mysteriously changed to Human Chain. "Quite a few musicians had been through the band; there was already a chain of notable contributors. I also liked the political implications of the name 'Human Chain': these were the Thatcher years and all kinds of people were forming Human Chains in order to demonstrate peacefully". At one point, Human Chain was just Steve Arguelles and Django. It was this duo that recorded the album imaginatively titled 'Human Chain' in 1986 which presented 15 folky miniatures. Whilst recording "Cashin' In" in 198?, Human Chain called upon multi-stringed instrumentalist Stuart Hall to augment the group's sound possibilities... the line-up was once again on the move. "During performances in this trio formation, Stuart Hall would often make three instrument changes per tune, sometimes playing steel pan and piccolo flute simultaneouslywhilst unplugging a violin with his foot"! Of the album Django recalls, "The Bluenote cover and the name "Cashin' In" were meant to mock the recent trend for retro-jazz. Nobody got the joke though". Oct 1990 saw the last Loose Tubes gig. Says Django, "With Loose Tubes gone, it was time to stand up and sing out with my own music. Needing a small group and an orchestral group to do this, I created the 19 piece Delightful Precipice and set about sorting out Human Chain". The trouble was, Human Chain had been pretty confused for a while: at one point boasting two Bass players. Django recalls, "Neither of them knew why they were both there. I didn't know either; I was still trying to find a band that could be really powerful without being macho, and could be really experimental without being bollocks". Just before a Human Chain tour of South America in Sept 91, Bassist Tim Harries dropped out to tour with Steel-Eye Span instead. Django decided to try someone he'd never worked with before: Michael Mondesir. "I drove to Lewisham to hear him playing with Jason Rebello. It was a really funky band and gave no clues as to what Michael would do to Human Chain's music. By the end of our tour, I knew... and I was very happy!""Michael has an infectious fascination with all things rhythmic: he chewed through pieces like 'Three Architects Called Gabrielle... Just What I expected' with an extreme verve and assurance that forced the whole band to perform at a new level of energy". Fresh from our South American trip this Human Chain, with Steve Buckley on Sax and Martin France on Drums, was documented on a CD called 'Pyrotechnics'. We recorded "Three Architects..." and "Up, Up". All the musicians on this sampler were promised a deal with Bluenote... Guess what? By '92 Iain Ballamy was in Human Chain. There would be no more changes to the personnel, (unless it was Halloween, Iain's wife's Birthday, or the imminent birth of a child).Since the settling of the forces, Human Chain have played nuts music in Japan, New York, China... They've created the innovative music-theatre piece 'Out There' with Campbell Graham, disrupted Orchestras from the London Sinfonietta to the Duisberger Philharmonic... In fact Django always tries to take Human Chain with him wherever he goes: "It is so much easier to communicate an idea to a skeptical Orchestra or a group of students who perhaps don't speak English, if the four of us can demonstrate that idea engagingly and instantly. We have a common language that's been built up through years of shared experiences, both wonderful, (Canadian tour 19??), and terrible (Magnar's dream)! * * * * We are: Iain Ballamy: Saxophone. Michael Mondesir: Electric Bass. Martin France: Drums, Electric Percussion. Django: Keyboards, Eb Horn. The group often performs with singer Josefine Lindstrand. P.S For a while Human Chain had an alter-ego called Quiet Nights, but eventually Human Chain ate Quiet Nights. The Human Chain has been linked from 1981-2004 thus: Django Dave Trigwell John Eacott Mark Lockhart Mick Hutton Steve Berry Eddie Parker John Paricelli Steve Arguelles Stuart Hall Steve Buckley Steve Watt Tim Harries Martin France Michael Mondesir Iain Ballamy Laurence Cottle Julian Seigel Julian Arguelles Gary Husband Recordings: Human Chain* Ah-Um 002 Cashin' In Pyrotechnics Bluenote 0777 7 99659 2 2 Many tracks on: Summer Fruits (and unrest) To be re-released on Winter and Winter 2005. Winter Truce (and homes blaze) To be re-released on Winter and Winter 2005. They are also playing alongside the London Sinfonietta on Good Evening... Here is the News Argo ????? Quiet Nights screwu 70007 You Live and Learn... (apparently) Lost Marble LM001 "The music's commitment, spontaneity and intensity gave us a feeling of being witnesses to the very moment of creation" Politiken, Denmark 1993 "This is modern ensemble playing of the highest calibre, contemporary composition at its most vital" ***** The Guardian 2000

In 1981 Django rehearsed a band called Humans. Django recalls:
"I wanted a band that would happily try out my compositional ideas no
matter how weird. The music was awkward stuff, not necessarily intended
for performance. There was not a fixed personnel; anyone could be a Human!"
Humans did the occasional gig and broadcast during the eighties, but
Django busy with Loose Tubes, Zila etc, still thought of Humans as a
kind of secret 'work in progress'.
Between 1983 and 1984 the name mysteriously changed to Human Chain.
"Quite a few musicians had been through the band; there was already a
chain of notable contributors. I also liked the political implications
of the name 'Human Chain': these were the Thatcher years and all kinds
of people were forming Human Chains in order to demonstrate peacefully".
At one point, Human Chain was just Steve Arguelles and Django. It was
this duo that recorded the album imaginatively titled 'Human Chain' in 1986
which presented 15 folky miniatures.

Whilst recording "Cashin' In" in 198?, Human Chain called upon
multi-stringed instrumentalist Stuart Hall to augment the group's
sound possibilities... the line-up was once again on the move.
"During performances in this trio formation, Stuart Hall would
often make three instrument changes per tune, sometimes playing
steel pan and piccolo flute simultaneouslywhilst unplugging a
violin with his foot"! Of the album Django recalls, "The Bluenote
cover and the name "Cashin' In" were meant to mock the recent
trend for retro-jazz. Nobody got the joke though".
Oct 1990 saw the last Loose Tubes gig. Says Django, "With Loose
Tubes gone, it was time to stand up and sing out with my own music.
Needing a small group and an orchestral group to do this, I created
the 19 piece Delightful Precipice and set about sorting out Human Chain".
The trouble was, Human Chain had been pretty confused for a while:
at one point boasting two Bass players. Django recalls, "Neither of
them knew why they were both there. I didn't know either; I was still
trying to find a band that could be really powerful without being macho,
and could be really experimental without being bollocks".

Just before a Human Chain tour of South America in Sept 91,
Bassist Tim Harries dropped out to tour with Steel-Eye Span
instead. Django decided to try someone he'd never worked with
before: Michael Mondesir. "I drove to Lewisham to hear him playing
with Jason Rebello. It was a really funky band and gave no clues as
to what Michael would do to Human Chain's music. By the end of our tour,
I knew... and I was very happy!""Michael has an infectious fascination
with all things rhythmic: he chewed through pieces like 'Three Architects
Called Gabrielle... Just What I expected' with an extreme verve and
assurance that forced the whole band to perform at a new level of energy".

Fresh from our South American trip this Human Chain, with Steve Buckley
on Sax and Martin France on Drums, was documented on a CD called
'Pyrotechnics'. We recorded "Three Architects..." and "Up, Up". All
the musicians on this sampler were promised a deal with Bluenote... Guess what?

By '92 Iain Ballamy was in Human Chain. There would be no more changes
to the personnel, (unless it was Halloween, Iain's wife's Birthday, or
the imminent birth of a child).Since the settling of the forces, Human
Chain have played nuts music in Japan, New York, China... They've created
the innovative music-theatre piece 'Out There' with Campbell Graham,
disrupted Orchestras from the London Sinfonietta to the Duisberger
Philharmonic... In fact Django always tries to take Human Chain with him
wherever he goes: "It is so much easier to communicate an idea to a
skeptical Orchestra or a group of students who perhaps don't speak English,
if the four of us can demonstrate that idea engagingly and instantly.
We have a common language that's been built up through years of shared
experiences, both wonderful, (Canadian tour 19??), and terrible (Magnar's dream)!

* * * *

*We are: Iain Ballamy: Saxophone. Michael Mondesir: Electric Bass.
Martin France: Drums, Electric Percussion. Django: Keyboards, Eb Horn.
The group often performs with singer Josefine Lindstrand.
P.S For a while Human Chain had an alter-ego called Quiet Nights,
but eventually Human Chain ate Quiet Nights.

The Human Chain has been linked from 1981-2004 thus:
Django 
Dave Trigwell 
John Eacott 
Mark Lockhart
Mick Hutton 
Steve Berry 
Eddie Parker 
John Paricelli 
Steve Arguelles 
Stuart Hall 
Steve Buckley 
Steve Watt 
Tim Harries
Martin France 
Michael Mondesir 
Iain Ballamy 
Laurence Cottle 
Julian Seigel
Julian Arguelles
Gary Husband

Recordings:

Human Chain Ah-Um 002
Cashin' In
Pyrotechnics Bluenote 0777 7 99659 2 2
Many tracks on:
Summer Fruits (and unrest) To be re-released on Winter and Winter 2005.
Winter Truce (and homes blaze) To be re-released on Winter and Winter 2005.
They are also playing alongside the London Sinfonietta on
Good Evening... Here is the News Argo ?????
Quiet Nights screwu 70007
You Live and Learn... (apparently) Lost Marble LM001

"The music's commitment, spontaneity and intensity gave us a feeling of
being witnesses to the very moment of creation"
Politiken, Denmark 1993
"This is modern ensemble playing of the highest calibre, contemporary
composition at its most vital"
***** The Guardian 2000