The liberally applied “experimental” descriptor can often read like a a warning: strap in tightly for an onslaught of cringe-worthy sounds called up from the darkest depths of, well… possibly hell. However, in the instance of the classically trained British electro-quartet Clean Bandit, experimental means infectiously danceable tracks that seamlessly blend classical and contemporary music. “We’re influenced by a little bit of everything,” says keyboardist Jack Patterson when asked what sparked the groups desire to blur the boundaries between genres. “We don’t really see ourselves as having to be in one specific genre.” Considering the band’s fourth single “Rather Be” topped the Dance/Electronic charts in the UK (also making its way across the pond to Billboard’s Hot 100) and that Atlantic Records has backed the album New Eyes, it’s safe to say following the artistic instinct has worked in their favor.
“We mix our own music, make our own videos, we just go for it,” Patterson explains. It’s a fearless approach, but not without its share of perils. For every hit, there are inevitable misses; some humorous, others heartbreaking. “When we were making the video for “Dust Clears”, we were in Sweden on this frozen lake and Grace literally fell through the ice! Her cello is the only thing that stopped her from going all the way down,” Patterson says, recounting one of the group’s more lighthearted mishaps. Their exploratory approach to music allows the unbridled creative process to take precedence. Songs like the 2011 single “Mozart’s House” are the rewarding outcome of creating purely for the pleasure of it. An upbeat mixture of old-school house and the even older school String Quartet No. 21 by Mozart may not be standard pop fare but Patterson maintains that people have been very receptive. “Most people don’t think it’s too eccentric, but of course you get people who just don’t understand it. It’s not like we started with an agenda to play classical music. This all actually started as an experimental performance.”
As the best experiments often do, it began in college; Cambridge University to be exact. While there, Patterson met Neil Amin-Smith and cellist Grace Chatto who were both part of an on-campus string quartet. The trio soon began playing around and added drums and bass to strings—freely incorporating influences from their favorite music. Luke Patterson, Jack’s brother, also joined the group as the drummer. Patterson and Chatto’s study abroad in Moscow turned out to be the last stop on the road to becoming Clean Bandit. It was there and then that Chatto made a friend who affectionately referred to her as “a clean bandit” (a n’er do well or bit of a rascal). Obviously, the name stuck. With a new album out and a UK headline tour on the horizon, it looks as if Clean Bandit is a name we should all get used to hearing.