The Dysania Collective are an interesting bunch. If you count the guitarist and vocalist from Spain, the drummer from Wolverhampton, a keyboard player from Essex, a half-Spanish half-Swedish DJ and producer, another from Poland and a bassist from Surrey, you have got about half of the line up.
The point is – this is a big band from a lot of different places, but they have got some big ideas too.
One of the co-founders Viriato Ayerra got the whole thing started at the University of Westminster’s Harrow campus when he and other like-minded students began working on their act, and since then it has gone from strength to strength.
“We are all studying things like music and film, so we can bring our music together from lots of different experiences,” Viriato said.
So what is their music? Good question. Viriato explains that funk, rock, urban tech and hip-hop are all huge inspirations for what they bring to the stage, and that is just for starters.
“That is what is so great about being involved in the collective. We are all into different things and learn from each other. On one hand, we like to play psychedelic groove, but I am more from the techno side and Berlin underground culture so we bring that all together in one evening.”
Throughout 2014, Dysania Collective have been offered a residency at The Rhythm Factory in East London, where they combine film, art and music throughout an evening to provide a unique experience for the crowd.
But while they have big plans, the largest crowd they have played for at the moment is about 160 people, but for now that suits them just fine.
Viriato said: “At the moment we really enjoy that intimate scene, because you understand more how they the audience feel about what we are doing.
“It makes performing a very special experience.”
Viriato was born in Spain and came to London to begin studying. He now lives close to the university campus in Nightingale Avenue, Harrow,
Since then, he has found that Harrow, where he and the rest of the band live, has become a haven of peaceful solitude for their musical and artistic development.
“The thing we like about it is that it is far enough away from the rush of the central city, so it is a place that you can relax in and just think your own thoughts.
“It has been a very good environment for us.”
And now, since they held their inaugural gig on May 16 last year, Dysania are setting out to change performance art once and for all.
“Our line up is so expansive,” Viriato says, “and what we try to do with that is expand what performance should be about. So we introduce art into our set, paintings and film also, along with different kinds of music which I think gives the audience a whole new experience.
“We all love different genres and love different kinds of art. That could be a weakness for some, but it makes us strong.”
For more information, visit www.rhythmfactory.co.uk and follow Dyansia Collective or like them on Facebook at www.facebook.com/dysaniacollective.
