Ben Neill Blog

Vague Terrain 15: .microsound

Vague Terrain 15: .microsound

The latest of edition of Vague Terrain is dedicated to celebrating the tenth anniversary of the .microsound community. Guest curated by the American composer Kim Cascone, the issue provides a range of commentary and context on “sub-atomic” musical aesthetics and a window into this globally distributed community of electronic musicians. In Cascone’s own words .microsound is a fertile middle ground between “the ivory tower of sterile academia” and “the seizure-inducing din of the dance club”. For those unacquainted with this zone of musical production, this collection of work provides a perfect introduction.

Featuring text & video contributions by Ben Neill, Charles Turner, Dextro, Joanna Demers, Pere Villez, Thanos Chrysakis, Thomas Bey William Bailey and William L. Ashline.

Feature audio contributions from Mike Rooke, Lubrication, Ronnie Cramer, [ruidobello], Richard Lainhart, sound art, TomDjll, Brett Ian Balogh, Scant Intone, Yota Morimoto, Jorge Castro, Joaquin Gutierrez Hadid, Francesco Rosati, Asferico, Water Falls, Yann Novak, John Hanes, Epoch_Collapse, Jhenner Gayap Benadrilled, Skjølbrot, Markus Jones, Jon Hawken, Adern X Fades 4:38, Julien Ottavi, Vanessa Rossetto, Kim Cascone, Larnie Fox, eddie135, Di.J Crisis, shg, Cheryl E. Leonard, Noe Cuellar, Gary R. Weisberg, Osvaldo Cibils, Kotra, Gintas K, John Kannenberg, Ricky Pannowitz, ocp, TheSAD, Margaret Schedel, Pereshaped, so/on, Eric Miller, Nux Vomica, v4w.enko, UmanoidSomeday, Epoch Collapse, Umanoid and Noe Cuellar.

My article Inevitable Improvisations appears in the new edition of Vague Terrain, an online journal of digital art, culture and technology.

Repetitive Beats by Ant Scott, 2008

The 12″ of the DJ Pinch remix of Afterimage along with my new track Seeker and the album version of Afterimage is out now in the UK, available from If Music.

“The Pinch mix is as one would expect from one of the daddies of the scene. For us it’s all about ‘Seeker’. Erik Truffaz for 2009.”

Ben Neill - Night Science

As soon as I’d heard Ben Neill had sorted himself out with an album of his twisted dubstep-jazz schmooze I was on it like an instant!

Whilst appealing to those who favour the deeper more experimental end of the dubstep spectrum, the Mutantrumpet master himself keeps things fresh with his brand of dub-jazz-step or whatever you’d like to brand it.

If you can imagine scenes from a sleazy flim-noir strip-joint scene amped up on electronics fizzing with tension, yet smooth enough to drink straight, you’d be getting close to Mr Neill’s subtle, yet powerful production work and musicianship.

If you pick up any album this month (after my own that is!) then let it be Night Science by Ben Neill. Highly recommended.

As far as I’m aware, Night Science is available now. Go find it!

I’m very happy to be included in this very nice site called A History of The Synthesized Beat

Night Science was released this week and has already been getting some reviews…in the last few days it’s been reviewed on allmusic.com, Short and Sweet NYC, All About Jazz (second one), and boomkat

Check them out!

The DJ Pinch remix of my track Afterimage was played on BBC 1 last week. See playlist here

My forthcoming CD was reviewed on All About Jazz today.

Ben Neill | Night Science

Shared via AddThis

Night Science
Ben Neill | Thirsty Ear Recordings (2009)

By Mark Corroto
Mark Corroto
View Profile | Contact Me
Senior Contributor
Joined AAJ in 1999
[Post Comment] Comments [Print It!] [Email It!] [Subscribe!]

Miles Davis certainly smiled on musical innovations. Years ago, to keep up with the latest, all that was required was to check out what the late trumpeter was investigating. With Miles gone, the hunt maybe a bit more difficult, but then again Peter Gordon’s Thirsty Ear label, under the creative direction of pianist Matthew Shipp, has been a leader in bringing innovation and ingenuity into an intersection with the jazz world.

Enter trumpeter Ben Neill. Actually, reenter Ben Neill. He hasn’t been heard from since his album of music commissioned by Volkswagen, Automotive (Six Degrees, 2002). His return should be celebrated along with the reemergence of trumpeter Jon Hassell; the two artists having spawned the trumpet and electronics experimentations of Arve Henriksen, Erik Truffaz, and Nils Petter Molvaer.

A veteran of the ambient, illbient, and drum ‘n’ bass scenes, Neill has been making music for film, television, stage, galleries and museums. Night Science showcases his updated mutantrumpet, a hybrid trumpet/electronic device he first introduced in 1984. He is able to generate percussion and synthesizer textures on this multi-bell horn. The remarkable creation, refined in 2004 at STEIM studios in Amsterdam, allows for greater expression and control by Neill.

His entry point here is the music phenomenon of dubstep, a bass-heavy dub reggae that was invented in the UK, but has taken on a new life in the New York electronic scene. Neill’s version meshes beats with his talent for ambient soundscapes and of course that trumpet sound. The nighttime eeriness of “afterimage” is juxtaposed with the blips and beats of Neill’s drum machine, but it’s impossible to escape the sinister nature of his narrative. Likewise, “Outlands” is heard over a rainfall backdrop and some heavy Bill Laswell-inspired bass. The effect is dense and honest without losing its subtlety. The dub in dubstep, heard on “Alpha Dub” and “Monochromatic,” emphasizes echoes and reverb as the dialogue. But deeper listening reveals an underlying narrative and Neill’s a serious storyteller.

If he were around today, Miles would unequivocally be picking up on what Ben Neill’s is laying down.

I’m very excited to announce that Bristol UK DJ Pinch (Tectonic) has done a fantastic remix of my song Afterimage from my forthcoming Night Science CD.  The track will be released on a 12″ along with a new track of mine called Seeker and the album version of Afterimage.  Release details to be announced soon…

Today’s a.m. listening: Ben Neill’s Night Science, an alternately haunting and tranquil cocktail of odd acoustic trumpet atmospherics, low-key dub beats and other unexpected, crafty manipulations. The album, which will come out in September on Thirsty Ear, makes us wonder if electronic music really does have a soul after all. …

http://blog.indiepit.com/2009/07/01/recapitulation-taken-by-trees-ben-neill-suckers/