Bond

Since debuting in 2000, Bond have consistently stirred debate while refining a signature blend of pop, worldbeat, and classical instrumentation. Violinists Eos Chater and Haylie Ecker, cellist Gay-Yee Westerhoff, and violist Tania Davis each brought rigorous training that began in childhood, experiences that later led them to support the Divine Comedy, Primal Scream, Embrace, and Mark Knopfler. The quartet nevertheless struggled to settle on a single stylistic lane. Their abbreviated hemlines and electronic arrangements provoked the classical establishment, yet their music also deviated too far from mainstream pop and dance conventions to earn acceptance in those arenas either. Early in 2001, Born surfaced on Decca, layering salsa, house, and European folk elements across reworked classical themes. Shine arrived the next year and registered strongly on the classical crossover charts, sharing space with equally approachable figures such as Josh Groban and Sarah Brightman. Bond signaled their refusal to retreat quietly with a 2003 remix collection that embraced their glossy synthesis of classical, pop, and dance music. Throughout the same year they performed across Europe and Asia while starring in a series of cross-promotional campaigns for the American retailer Marshall Field’s. Classified appeared in 2004, followed in 2005 by the greatest-hits package Explosive, which added previously unheard material along with supplementary video footage.