Genres: World / Soundtrack / Nu Jazz / Nu Soul / Ambient / Avante Gu / Jazz / Lounge
It’s impossible to fully experience a Glen Neff song on your first listen. There’s simply too much there. The California artist, born to a family of musicians, brings a host of different musical styles to his work, creating music that is complex, diverse, and unpredictable. It’s the same vein as the half-brilliant, half-insane music you get from acts like Shpongle and Entheogenic with a hint of Brian Eno: there are elements of jazz, shoegaze, synthpop, techno , and more in any given track. He’s also as prolific as he is creative, with multiple albums on his label, Song Poet, the most recent being 2011’s Tribal Timeshift.
[ Sounds Like: Bryan Eno, Sun Ra, Beck, Miles Davis, The Cabin Studio (Vince Clarke) ]
… read the rest if this author’s review below …
“Fly By Trance” by Glen Neff – The Sound Poet rated on a 5 Star Rating Scale
Author Rating: 4/5
Composition: 3.5/5 Arrangement: 4/5 Performance: 3.5/5 Production: 4.5/5 Hit Potential: 3/5
Founder (Music Producer & Publisher) Rating:
Composition: 3/5 Arrangement: 3/5 Performance: 3/5 Production: 4/5 Hit Potential: 1/5
“Fly By Trance” is an older Glen Neff work, and it’s loaded with the many of the hallmarks that make each of his tracks unique. Heady poly-rhythms, organic drones, complex progressions, and ambient vocals all collude toward a powerful experience. The song defies simple categorization: over the course of seven minutes, it redefines its own musical topology so many times that you’re left with the impression of having listened to three or four different tracks. This is ambient music of an extremely dense aura; or maybe psychedelic music relying on more than just garish quirkiness. Either way, it’s the work of an extremely practiced producer—excellent mixing is the common thread that runs through all of the track’s shifting form. If there’s a flaw, it’s that some of the slow-burn parts of the progression can feel a bit repetitive unless you stay intimately engaged. This is left field stuff; so far from the mainstream that it’s more of an isolated lake than a tributary, but that’s to the Neff’s credit. It’s allowed him to create music that feels wholly his own, a n independent dream made real – free from the restraints of convention.
This isn’t the kind of music you’re going to be listening to on your way to work any time soon, or throwing on a party mix, or really combining with activity at all. It’s music for music’s sake, and unless you’re giving it your full attention, you’re missing out large chunks of the experience. This makes it a demanding but rewarding experience. If you have the patience to unpick the intricacy behind Neff’s craft, you’ll find a very enjoyable experience waiting for you. It may not demand your attention right out the gate, but give it the benefit of the doubt — it’ll be worth it.
Glen Neff was born in New Jersey in a family that was extremely musically inclined. Growing up in this environment opened a lot of doors for him as he built his own career one beat at a time. His music is atmospheric and soothing. He is able to inspire emotions with out the benefit of any lyrics. He now lives in New Mexico in a round straw-bale house he designed and built himself.
Follow Glen Neff – The Sound Poet on the web & these social networks
Reverbnatio0n – @EarArtPleasure Twitter – Soundcloud – Facebook – www.GlenNeff.com – Youtube