Cagedbaby

Born in Brighton, East Sussex, England, Tom Gandey grew up with parents whose tastes blended new-age sensibilities with fishing and pianos. By eight he already surpassed his school music instructors on the instrument and began composing, chiefly in a classical vein. Eschewing his brothers’ path into the family fishing enterprise, he instead joined local bands on keyboards. Drawing from such stylistically distant touchstones as Toto and Talking Heads, he refined his approach under the guidance of early-90s big-beat figure Cut La Roc. Extended studio work yielded the Cagedbaby aesthetic—future funk in the manner of Prince fused with vocals reminiscent of former Beloved frontman Jon Marsh. In March 2002 Gandey attended the Miami Dance Conference, where DJ magazine, then preparing a piece on unsigned acts, encountered him. Impressed by a demo of his debut album Will See You Now, the publication devoted a two-page spread to the project, an exposure that secured his deal with Southern Fried Records. The label issued Will See You Now in 2005; Q magazine hailed it as “Possibly the finest summer/beach/picnic/chill-out record since Röyksopp’s Melody A.M.” That same year Cagedbaby opened for the Chemical Brothers on tour and fielded remix requests from Armand Van Helden, Har Mar Superstar and Ocean Colour Scene.