austraLYSIS was developed by Roger Dean (piano, computers) on moving to Australia (1989), from his UK group LYSIS. From the outset it featured Sandy Evans (saxophones), Greg White (computers) and more recently Phil Slater (trumpet).

After a long period commissioning and premiering more than 100 new compositions alongside presenting improvisation, austraLYSIS now focuses on improvisation and comprovisation. It works on the edge of and outside jazz, and with electroacoustic sound and multimedia collaborations. It has developed unusual techniques for control of rhythmic, timbral and harmonic interaction, and since 1995 has used computer interactive technology. "Incredible interaction" said the Wire (UK); "eclectic and consummate" said BBC Radio 3. It has played in 30 countries and made more than thirty commercial recordings.

Since 2010, austraLYSIS work has been presented in countries such as Australia, Canada, Denmark, New Zealand, Romania, Singapore, UK, and the US. It is the most widely travelled and longest-standing Australian ensemble in new music. The repertoire is based around free and process/interaction, mainly using compositions of Roger Dean, often written as live algorithms in the programming platform MAX/MSP. Novel computer interaction with real-time computational sound processing and generation is used to complement and extend the acoustic instruments (piano, saxophone, trumpet) and often forms a complete continuum with them. An important feature is the use of dense polyrhythmic and polymetric structures. Real-time audio-visual performances (using Jitter for algorithmic image generation and manipulation) extend this further.

Most recently we have extended the work by means of generative techniques from AI/machine learning and developing a continuous pitch virtual piano.