What do you get when you combine the methodology of the electronic dance underground and a marriage of technology with convention? A performance by Ben Neill.
With his "mutantrumpet," an originally developed device combining a conventional trumpet with synthesized sound, Ben's Green Machine propels the listener to a sonic jungle in several phases--birth, mutation and decay. Thunderclaps, beating drums, bells, synthetic insect life--all are included in a fascinating array of tracks made possible by the mutantrumpet.
According to Kyle Gann's "It's a Jungle" the rhythm and system established and employed by Ben Neill are not coincidental as one would probably presume a jungle atmosphere to be: "...all of Neill's rhythm, visual and audio tempos, and fundamental bass tones were related to the numbers 6, 7, 8, and 9...implicit in Green Machine was the Renaissance fantasy that even the jungle manifests a hidden numerical order."
As a mutantrumpeter, Neill, now curator of "The Kitchen" (new art, dance and music) since 1992, encourages interactivity with the audience during performances, letting audience members become involved with the lit segment while he mutantrumpets to the delight of the listeners.
