NEON Manchester Collective

• Hannah Peel (b. 1985): Neon:
• 1 Peel: Neon: 1. Shinjuku 03:39
• 2 Peel: Neon: 2. Born of Breath 03:12
• 3 Peel: Neon: 3. Vanishing 05:29
• Lyra Pramuk: Quanta:
• 4 Pramuk: Quanta 08:14
• Julius Eastman (1940 - 1990): Joy Boy:
• 5 Eastman: Joy Boy 07:04
• Steve Reich (b. 1936): Double Sextet:
• 6 Reich: Double Sextet: 1. Fast 08:48
• 7 Reich: Double Sextet: 2. Slow 06:43
• 8 Reich: Double Sextet: 3. Fast 06:53
• Total Runtime 50:02

Info for NEON

NEON, the third studio album by Manchester Collective, contains a paradox at its heart.

The album is unambiguously about the night, about dark city streets, evoking glass, concrete and slow, incessant rain. However, it is also by some margin our brightest, breeziest and most optimistic record. Here, the seductive nocturnal rhythms of Hannah Peel and Steve Reich sit alongside music of a different sort – unsettling, introspective works by Lyra Pramuk and Julius Eastman.

Electronic sounds and field recordings run through the record. In the titular ‘Neon’, Peel uses samples from Shinjuku Station in Tokyo to evoke teeming musical scenes full of life. Her joyful music reflects Steve Reich’s Double Sextet, which sees the Collective performing against recordings of themselves. Producer Lyra Pramuk’s composing debut, ‘Quanta’, opens with the sound of a huge grandfather clock that waxes and wanes throughout the piece. ‘Joy Boy’ by Julius Eastman is similarly obsessed with time, instructing the performers to “create ticker tape music”.

Manchester Collective:
Rakhi Singh, music director, violin
Alex Jakemanm, flute
Oliver Pashley, clarinet
Hannah Roberts, cello
Beibei Wang, vibraphone
Katherine Tinker, piano

anchester Collective
is a new kind of arts organisation, built for a fresh and diverse musical world. We create intimate and intense human experiences inspired by the music that we love, for everyone.

We are the true believers. We passionately believe in the power of music to move us and to excite us. It doesn't matter to us if you're a seasoned concert-goer, or if it's your first time. All are welcome.

From the concert hall to the factory, from the recital room to the mill, the only thing we ask of you is that you open your ears and let yourself listen. Really listen.

And in return, we will create something extraordinary.

Known for their experimental programming and daring collaborations, the work of Manchester Collective has expanded at breakneck speed since their formation in 2016. They now play in concert halls, gig venues and factory spaces across Europe and the UK, performing a combination of cutting edge contemporary music, classical masterpieces, and staged work to a hungry, new audience.

New music is of vital importance to the Collective – in recent years, they have commissioned major works by artists including Edmund Finnis, Hannah Peel, Lyra Pramuk, and Laurence Osborn. Highlights include their Royal Albert Hall debut as part of the 2021 BBC Proms Festival; the creation of Dark Days, Luminous Nights, a daring audio-visual installation made under lockdown with Blackhaine and Simon Buckley; and Sirocco, the international sensation featuring South African cellist Abel Selaocoe.

This album contains no booklet.