Ben Neill

A rare performance of ITSOFOMO (In the Shadow of Forward Motion), the historic 1989 multimedia collaboration by the late artist David Wojnarowicz and composer/performer Ben Neill. Performed by Neill on Mutantrumpet/electronics and Don Yallech on percussion/electronics. Composer/performer Ben Neill is the inventor of the Mutantrumpet, a hybrid electro-acoustic instrument, and is recognized as a musical innovator who “uses a schizophrenic trumpet to create art music for the people” (Wired Magazine). Neill generates immersive musical experiences that merge ambient music, electronic grooves, and interactive video, all controlled live by his instrument. Fifteen albums of Neill’s music have been released on labels including Universal/Verve, Thirsty Ear, Astralwerks, and his own Blue Math label distributed by AWAL/Sony. His most recent recording, Prana Cantos, was released on Six Degrees Records in 2023 as part of their Soundbalm series of music and meditation albums. Based in New York since the early 1980’s, his performances include BAM Next Wave Festival, Big Ears Festival, Lincoln Center, Whitney Museum of American Art, The Broad Museum, Bing Concert Hall at Stanford, Getty Museum, Cite de la Musique, Moogfest, Spoleto Festival, Umbria Jazz, Bang On A Can Festival, ICA London, Istanbul Jazz Festival, Vienna Jazz Festival, and the Edinburgh Festival, among many others. Neill’s first book, Diffusing Music: Trajectories of Sonic Democratization, was published by Bloomsbury Press in December 2024. Neill is a longtime close associate of minimalist pioneer La Monte Young, and leads international performances of Young’s music. The list of creative innovators with whom Neill has worked includes David Wojnarowicz, John Cage, David Berhman, Nicolas Collins, John Cale, Petr Kotik, Pauline Oliveros, Rhys Chatham, DJ Spooky, Mimi Goese, and King Britt. In addition to his many collaborations, Neill was the Music Curator at The Kitchen from 1992-98, and also curated music at the