The 2008 Integra Festival closes in Birmingham from 5th - 7th June and one of the events takes place at the Custard Factory's SPACE2 venue. Capsule are promoting a most intriguing event featuring BIT20 Ensemble and The Bays "blurring the boundaries between the sound worlds of contemporary classical and electronica music" on Friday June 6th.

BIT20 sound intriguing ("A musician-led ensemble from Bergen Norway will premier a new mixed-media work by Michele Tadini, commissioned specially for the festival, plus works by Schaathun and Hellstenius.") but The Bays look to be out of this world:

The Bays incorporate a classical ensemble into their improvisd electronic performance, using a unique system of real-time music scoring devised by The Bays and projected for the audience to see as well as hear.

The Bays do not believe in rules. The Bays do not make records. They do not rehearse or prepare their entirely improvised live performances. The style of their music ranges from ambient electronica to thundering Drum and Bass, touching all points in between. The four-piece group have taken this project all across the world, performing on massive international stages, in crowded and cramped club rooms, at outdoor festivals, in theatres and even boats. Each performance is new, each idea unprecedented, each appearance a particular adjustment to fit the demands of venue and crowd.

Now, in keeping with this philosophy of uncompromising evolution, for the Integra festival in Birmingham, The Bays have devised a unique system combining computer software and old-fashioned human communication to incorporate an orchestral ensemble. With a classical ensemble, and a team of guest composers led by John Metcalfe, The Bays will combine live electronica and classical ensemble playing in an entirely improvised performance.

Here's a video of them performing the piece (or at least a similar piece, maybe) in Liverpool:

Integra is part of the New Generation Arts Festival. More details on Capsule's website and Facebook.