Anyone who is a fan of New York's Ben Neill should learn about London's
"Spaceheads," who gave a special performance at Berlin's Podewil arts
center tonight.

Ben Neill ("Trypical," Sony Records) became renowned last year in New
York's "experimental electronic" scene for his "mutant trumpet": a
trumpet rigged with a mic and MIDI-triggers which he plays on top of
intricate, pre-programmed Drum 'n Bass patterns. His performances at
The Cooler and The Brooklyn Anchorage, along-side such scenesters as DJ
Spooky and We, stood out as a rare fusion of acoustic and electronic
genres, foreshadowing a possible "post-electronic" era of popular music.

Tonight's performance by Spaceheads takes this phenomenon a few steps
further. Picture Ben Neill with his brother on drums. Then throw away
the Macintosh. Spaceheads features Andy Diagram on trumpet and
"electronics" and Richard Harrison on drum set and percussion. The two
manage an incredible feat of creating full-ranged live music which
would, these days at least, ordinarily be created line by line, loop by
loop, in the studio. Instead they spurt one riff at a time into a live
sequencer, then build up a series of layers which evolves in front of
the audience into a rather frenetic, Jazz-inspired, yet computer-enabled
improv. Indeed, they make Ben Neil's performances look a bit like a
Milli Vanilli concert.

The music itself is not as pleasant or tight as Ben Neill's, yet the
range is more impressive. At times it reached a slow, sparse, almost
Balinese blend of percussion and ambiance. At other times it turned
into a spastic drum solo reminiscent of Led Zeppelin. Once, the
audience members had to cover their ears to escape a deafening climax of
electronic noise and feedback. In perhaps the most amusing moment,
Harrison spun an illuminated children's Top on the surface of a
microphoned metal sheet, creating a unique, self-playing instrument.

Berliners can catch them again this Sunday at "Anorak" (Druckerstrasse
14, 22.30); others can hope that they continue to tour internationally,
though "word on the street" is that, after last year's world tour, they
are staying in England for a while. Two CD's are also available: "Round
the Outside" (These Records) and "Spaceheads" (Red Note).