Ben Neill

One of the most compelling innovators in music today, BEN NEILL is a performer, composer, and inventor of the mutantrumpet, a hybrid electro-acoustic instrument. Through the interactive computer technology of the mutantrumpet, Neill creates a unique musical universe, melding the worlds of electronic dance culture, jazz, art music and visual media.

A North Carolina native, Neill has worked with such diverse sound sculptors as John Cage, Robert Moog, minimalist La Monte Young, guitarists Page Hamilton and Robert Poss, singer /songwriter John Cale, and illbient DJs Spooky and Olive. Music Curator of the avant-garde performance space The Kitchen from 1992-98, Neill is an influential face in New York’s music scene..

In the electronica/DJ culture of the 1990s Neill found an environment in which his sonic and technological explorations could flourish. The Sci-Fi Lounge, his collaboration with DJ Spooky and video sampling pioneer Gardner Post of Emergency Broadcast Network, toured America and Europe in 1997.

Neill tours internationally on a regular basis, performing at a wide range of festivals, concert halls, clubs, raves and museums. Recent performances have included Umbria Jazz, London's Barbican Centre, New York's Paula Cooper Gallery, Montreal Jazz, Spoleto (Italy), the Berlin Love Parade, the Nantes Fin de Siecle Festival, and Bang on a Can.

Extensive recordings of Neill's music reflect the scope of his artistic vision. His 1998 CD Goldbug (Antilles/PolyGram) "masterfully blurs the lines dividing traditional jazz and electronic dance sounds" (Billboard). WIRED Magazine chose a track from his 1996 album Triptycal for their Rhino Records CD Music Futurists, which features the music of artists who have done the most to push the envelope of musical technology.

Recently Neill joined forces with manager Carolyn Sachs to form Greet Beet Productions, a music design company which has produced music for 20 national television commercials in the last year including 11 for Volkswagen. His new album, "Automotive," will be coming out with Six Degrees summer 2002. Neill is currently working on a new collaboration with Scottish vocalist Andrew Montgomery, formerly of Geneva.

Ben Neill and Bill Jones' sound and light collaborations have been presented at museums and galleries internationally, including The American Museum of Natural History, Kettle's Yard, Cambridge (UK), The Hudson River Museum, NY, and Sandra Gering Gallery, New York City. They are currently working on a new midi-video project slated for installation at Sandra Gering Gallery in Spring 2003.