Neotropic
Ntone

Riz Maslen moved to the big smoke (London) in the '80s to pursue her electronic music career. There she met up with ambient techno pioneers The Future Sound Of London, with whom she collaborated, providing vocals on their debut album, Accelerator. All the while, Maslen was building her own studio, and in '95 she signed to Ninja Tune's sister imprint, Ntone. She quickly released two EPs, Tumbleweed and Laundraphonic, under the guise Neotropic. Simultaneously, Maslen formed Small Fish With Spine, and signed to Oxygen Music Works in the States. Since '96, Maslen has toured the world extensively, both as a DJ and a live performer. Notable gigs include '98's Montreux Festival in France, '99's Coachella in the States, and '00's De-Single in Belgium.

Now making significant inroads into the film and TV industry (she contributed to Josh Ferrazzano's System Noise and has licensed music to Channel 4 and Sky), Maslen has also launched her own label, Council Folk Recordings, with Paul Jason Fredericks. She continues to make awe-inspiring ambient and downtempo as Neotropic, as evidenced by her '01 album, La Prochaine Fois. The album, which also features an "ambient road movie" shot by Maslen herself (with assistance from FSOL's Brian Dougans), is dominated by sweeping electronic landscapes and punctuated with bizarre vocal and instrumental samples. Nick McCabe (Verve) and Sally Herbert (Manic Street Preachers) are just two of the 10-plus musicians who help make this one of the most compelling ambient experiences since KLF's Space.
Luke Magnuson
last updated: 10/11/01
Neotropic