Through the Looking Glass by Neil Campbell

Neil Campbell began to compose music as soon as he started to pick up musical instruments and play with them at around the age of four. Over the years he has followed a number of seemingly divergent musical paths (free improviser, singer songwriter, systems music composer, band leader and virtuoso guitar soloist).

He has always maintained an expanding interest in music that doesn't fit easily into pigeonholes such as rock, folk, jazz etc. His musical influences include English Progressive Rock bands of the 70s, Krautrock, Ambient Music, Systems Music (Minimalism, Post-Minimalism and Totalism), Jazz Rock and early 20th Century French Impressionism (amongst other things).

After twenty-five years of playing, a virtuoso classical guitarist, he has produced two CDs of solo guitar music ‘Through the Looking Glass’ (Mayfield 2003) and ‘Night Sketches’ (2004) and a book of Music for Solo Guitar. He has also recorded, with cellist Nicole Collarbone, a CD of Music for Cello and Guitar - 'Fall' (2006). You can find out more and hear more of Neil's music for classical guitar and for guitar and cello at http://www.myspace.com/neilcampbellguitarist

In 1998 Neil simultaneously became involved with the free improvisation scene and the acoustic scene in Liverpool. Around this time he also began postgraduate studies in Music through the University of Liverpool, where he developed an approach to music making based around musical systems or processes which run automatically without composerly intervention. This has resulted in the production of an ongoing body of work, much of which has been recorded and has received airplay on BBC Radio 3's Late Junction. The albums documenting this work are ‘Rotations’ (2003) and the 3 CD set ‘Assembly’ (2005). You can hear samples of this music at http://www.myspace.com/neilcampbellsystemsmusic

Over the last three years he has poured his activities as a composer, songwriter and performer into work with the Neil Campbell Collective * which has evolved in terms of band membership and approach from a singer-songwriter duo to a full blown band playing ever more complex compositions.

In May 2005 the Neil Campbell Collective released their first album ‘3 O’Clock Sky’ (2005), which has been a critical success. The bands music following release of this first album focuses on developing an ever more complex musical language and band interplay, almost leaving standard song structures behind in the process. The band are currently at work on their second album 'Particle Theory' planned for release this year.

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