Night Science

Ben Neill | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (September 8, 2009)
• Original Release Date: 2009
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Thirsty Ear
• ASIN: B002IJA68W
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #305,102 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Review

His music is like a digital river, with a different fractalized scene around every corner, the constant being Ben Neill greeting you on your way. --John Diliberto-Echoes

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

The album is certainly as nocturnal as its title, but this isn't background music. It's forward-sounding and wildly beat-conscious; it's a creation that looks at rhythm, jazz, African funk, grime, and dubstep with fresh ears and a bold compositional sensibility that extends both soundworld science and electronic music to a horizon that extends as far as the ear -- and the imagination -- can hear. --All Music Guide

Product Description

Ben Neill can be described as a composer, ,usician and performer that melds acoutic trumpet into an alien realm, using a truly unique intrument of his own creation: the mutantrumpet.
Creating an alchemy between electronic pulse and his own improvised trumpet work, Ben Neill has succeeded in crafting a dubstep/jazz album that shatters every conception about either genre.
In the 1990's, Neill begtan designing what we now know as the mutantrumpet, which moved him directly into the electronica forum, which at one time was religated onlly to synthesizers and beat machines. ushering in a new age of jazz/electronic impriovistion, is album, titled NIGHT SCIENCE, is a dubstep masterpiece, a jazz classic, and something altogether unfamiliar. This is a brand new sound, even in a world dominated by phantasmagorical whirrs and glitchy machinic rhythms.
This recording serves as a ticket for the audio traveller to go deep into the night...and we all know that's where the best stuff happens.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding Creativity from the Father of the Mutantrumpet, September 24, 2009

By 

Paul S. Remington (Rochester, NY USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Night Science (Audio CD)

It has been seven years since Ben Neill ported his particular musical style to a commercially recorded release. Neill's latest production, "Night Science", is his first as a solo artist since his 2002 release, "Automotive". This effort differs from past releases in that it explores updates to his Mutantrumpet and his masterful use of the UK-inspired dubstep rhythm.

Neill is to the trumpet what Jimi Hendrix was to the guitar. For those unfamiliar with his artistry, Neill is the inventor of the Mutantrumpet, which is a Frankenstein-like mutation of the traditional trumpet. Neill modified the trumpet by adding three bells, a slide, switches, knobs, and pressure sensitive pads that interface with an electronic processing system designed by Bob Moog (father of the famed Moog synthesizer). Neill works his trumpet in consort with its built-in electronics, which interface with a computer to produce a real-time creative symphonic palette from which he creates music.

Couple this invention with a brilliantly creative mind and Neill becomes, arguably, a genius at his craft, producing music you'll never experience from any other artist, here, there, or anywhere. He's one-of-a-kind.

His sound is uncategorizable. Neill's music consists of a minimalistic approach to melody, harmony, and bass, with a sophisticated use of drums and percussion. Part electronica, part jazz, part hip hop, his sound is predicated on the concept that "less is more." Neill masterfully layers deliciously rich and complex sonic tapestries utilizing textures and sounds that span the entire frequency spectrum. It's unique, infectious, and entirely Ben Neill.

Night Science features a brooding sonic-thematic thread that weaves through each piece, enhanced by a wide array of sequenced sounds and dubstep beats. Bass lines deeply grind underneath swiping sequenced tracks layered around simple melodic lines, harmonies, and complex rhythms. Neill establishes melodies on the Mutantrumpet using both muted and unmuted bells. Fans will notice a distinct maturation between this release and past releases. One can hear a new approach to an already uniquely personal sonic thumbprint.

The best way to appreciate Night Science is to listen to it. Sample the fragments Amazon has provided or simply purchase the CD. Just understand the CD contains impressive sonic quality and frequency response. One needs to listen to the CD on a quality system to truly appreciate the sonic atmosphere and resonant low-end Neill has created.

Ben... Not so long between releases, please.