I understand these chaps and chapettes don’t like the word ”fusion“. So I’m going to avoid using the word fusion when describing the “stylistic amalgamation” in Telephone Banking. Fundamentally Clean Bandit is the “merging” of a string quartet, a drummer and a bloke who fills in with stuff like decks or sax. “Into the mix”, they “combine” MC Ssegamic. So it’s classical, electronica and hip-hop. “Coming together”. “Mixed up”. “Blending”. You’re thinking fusion, IT’S NOT FUSION. It’s an unusual but impressive sound they produce, with the stomping bass, trilly violins (with classical ornamentation, called a ‘turn’. You don’t know what one is? Oh. Embarrassing.), marimba-y synth sound (one may associate with Japanese oh-so-sweet pop, a fact that wouldn’t be irrelevant if you listen to the lyrics) and standard ingredients for electronica. If you don’t understand what’s happening, it’s explained in their mental video, directed by Jack Patterson, featuring HUNDREDS of Japanese children playing cellos. And game gears. I remember game gears…in fact, this kind of music wouldn’t have sounded odd coming from a game gear… Maybe that’s why they included the game gears…it’s all coming together. Fusing, if you will. BUT IT’S NOT FUSION.
