Founded in 1998 by three longtime members of the Toronto music scene, the New Deal fused electronic music with live improvisation at a time when parallel developments were occurring elsewhere on the continent. Through relentless touring, the band quickly built a strong following among jam band fans, rave kids, and fellow musicians. The band's music, an organic mix of house rhythms, burbling synthesizers, and melodically repetitive bass parts, is almost entirely improvised, though many songs have crystallized from jam sessions and worked their way into the band's repertoire. Two EPs, recorded in December 1999 and April 2000, respectively, captured the broadening of the band's sound from ambient textures to wildly varied dance music. In addition to sonic experimentation, the band also offers a successful model of alternative management, splitting the duties of administration between the three band members, each of whom deal with a specified area of the band's operations. Along with This Is Live, The New Deal's two EPs were released on the band-owned and -operated Sound and Light Records, and are distributed internationally through various outlets.