Sabot is an instrumental avant-rock duo that was formed in 1988 in San Francisco by the rhythm section of the punk trio Forethought - Hillary Binder (drums) and Christopher Rankin (bass guitar). Nowadays they live in Czech Republic. Sabot's music is a kind of complex progressive jazzrock. Since no other instruments than drums and bass are used, the music avoids sounding anything like the jazzprog from the seventies. Some resemblance to the Japanese duo Ruins can be heard, mostly because they have the same set-up and complex song structures. Christopher Rankin was born in Cleveland, Ohio. After moving to Boulder, Colorado in 1978, he began studying saxophone and clarinet. He formed his first industrial music group, Problemist, in San Francisco, California in 1981. Towards the end of his involvement with Problemist, he switched from saxophone and synthesizer to bass guitar. In 1984 he formed Morally Bankrupt, a four-piece progressive punk group. His musical career continued when he met guitarist / singer Tommy Strange, also from Ohio. Together with Tommy and Hilary, he formed the punk-folk trio Forethought in 1986. Two years later he and Hilary moved on to form Sabot. Hilary Binder was born in Washington, D.C. She began her musical career at 6, studying classical violin and piano. Frustrated with the confines of classical music, she began to teach herself drumming at 15 and formed her first punk group, Death Before School, in 1981. After moving to San Francisco, she eventually hooked up with Christopher and Tommy and continued drumming. With the formation of Sabot came an opportunity to expand on the traditional drumming styles of her past groups. Christopher's musical influences began at an early age with classical music and Dixieland jazz. During the '70s he developed an appreciation for progressive rock and contemporary jazz. Through Problemist and Morally Bankrupt he gained exposure to and experience with industrial music, punk and other independent musical styles of the '80s. Today he spends his time listening to ear-splattering Japanese noise bands and the occasional super avant and difficult jazz movements of the late '60's. Hilary's musical influences started with her classical musical training, which continues to affect her ideas about composition. For ten years she almost exclusively listened to punk and hardcore music, though she is always sneaking in private time with soul, go-go and hip hop. http://www.cesta.cz/sabot!.htm