Basic

BASIC is a Philadelphia-founded experimental rock trio of guitarist Chris Forsyth, drummer Mikel Patrick Avery, and bassist Douglas McCombs of Tortoise. Their rhythm-forward sound fuses art rock, trance jazz, and humming electronics through guitars, drum machines, and self-built processors. Forsyth launched the project in 2022 as an homage to the 1984 Robert Quine and Fred Maher album Basic. Live, the group favors collective improvisation with programmed beats and McCombs' distinctive Fender Bass VI lines.