Label: Antilles
Country: US

Trumpeter Ben Neill successfully bridged the gap between ambient music and the avant-garde, further blurring aesthetic boundaries with the development of his mutantrumpet, a revolutionary electro-acoustic hybrid of conventional trumpet and synthesized sound. A native of North Carolina and a product of classical training, Neill relocated to New York City during the mid-'80s, immersing himself in the downtown experimental music scene; increasingly fascinated with minimalism, he studied under the legendary La Monte Young, and with the aid of the synthesizer pioneer Robert Moog designed the first mutantrumpet, an instrument fit with three bells, six valves, a trombone slide and an analog processing system whch allowed him to create any number of open, muted and electronic sounds.

For a trumpet player, Neill proves himself a masterful drum'n'bass merchant and an excellent keyboardist to boot on his 1998 album Goldbug. From the opening track "Tunnel Vision," Neill's blend of breakbeats and occasional mutantrumpet solos sounds better than many producers in the drum'n'bass community. There are some notable guests (including DJ Spooky and Page Hamilton), but they appear on few tracks and never take the focus away from Neill's excellent album.AMG

Credits:

DJ Spooky: Turntables
Chris Flam: Programming
Page Hamilton: Guitar, Vocals
Jane Scarpantoni: Cello
Kelli Sae: Vocal
Krust: Remixing
Ben Neill: Trumpet, Programming, Producer, Electronics

Tracklisting:

1 Tunnel Vision Vocals - Kelli Sae
2 Dark Gift
3 Route Me Out
4 Freezer Burn
5 Lookinglast Featuring - DJ Spooky
6 Shirt Waste
7 Goldbug Vocals - Page Hamilton
8 It's Only Money
9 Syntonic
10 Blue Maroon
11 Tunnel Vision (Spring Heel Jack Holland Tunnel Mix)
12 Tunnel Vision (X-ecutioners Mix)
13 Tunnel Vision (DJ Krust Levity Mix)