Derek Bailey Quotes

I can think and play stuff in classical music that possibly violinists who didn't have access to other types of music could never do. It means I'm more flexible within classical music, to be a servant to the composer.

At first, I found the music I was making really hard to find a home for. I felt like my attitude was really British, but not the actual sounds I was making. Back in 2003, when I made 'Galang,' there were no clubs that had an 'anything and everything' attitude.

I can't just turn over and sing disco or rock.

I'm just experimenting with every different type of music you can imagine and seeing where my voice lies and what sounds best. I think when I do finally do the album it will be very eclectic - just loads of different stuff on it. That's what I am hoping.

Me as an artist, I've ventured off into doing all types of music. I'll do a jazz album, you know what I mean.

I can't re-define music every week!

I started to work up in my old bedroom, playing, writing songs, and it somehow came to me that I could introduce soul music. Nobody seemed to be doing that.

The biggest misconception about us is that we're just a rock band. We think our music is a cross-section of many genres; a hybrid of what the six of us have grown up on.

I wouldn't go so far as to make 'You Don't Own Me' a tango or 'It's My Party' a hip-hop thing. Believe me, those things have been suggested to me. But I thought if I could stay true to the song, the arrangements would work. I'm really enjoying singing them.

People are always defining and re-defining music. My style of playing has been characterized as smooth jazz and acid jazz. I listen as I play; I'm not caught up in defining the type of music I play.

None of my songs sound the same. None of them. I take R&B beats and put it as a rap song or hip-hop beats and put them as a R&B song. A lot of people are boring. I don't like boring music. Everybody sounds the same, like they copying.

I never thought of us as a punk band, a metal band, or a new wave band. Just as a band band.

I like that people are still trying to guess what kind of music I'm making.

I feel like my music is like - there are always new influences in there.

I came up playing in both punk rock bands and hip-hop bands, and I found a more universal way of reaching people, especially with music that has a message to it.

I grew up listening to everything. I have such a love for music, but I don't want to make the same album over and over again.

Now I listen to all kinds of music except rap, which all sounds the same to me.

My last two records that I made were both quite pointed in one direction and I think I do my best stuff when it's all over the map, when there's a couple traditional things, a couple pretty rocking things.

The most important thing is that you honor that musical integrity, whether you make music that sounds like ABBA or you make music that sounds like Void.

I've seen and learned enough to keep my music fresh and spread out.

If I went crazy and tried to make pop music, my band wouldn't record it! I love them too much to do that.

I'm really open to doing music. We just have to figure out what kind of music it's going to be - something where I don't feel compromised.

I love hip-hop and soul, but I desperately want to challenge it and see what I can bring to it.

I found a certain kind of music congenial to me; it never occurred to me to write music that was academically acceptable.

Had I joined a straight rock band, I'm sure my drumming would be a little bit different right now.