Neil Cowley

After dissolving his long-standing and highly successful Trio in 2018; Neil felt a persistent curiosity as to whether he could express himself without the aid of his ever present piano. Trying to cultivate a new language for himself, he searched for a new voice in technology, all the time convinced that removing himself from the piano was the answer to the riddle.

Traveling to Berlin, Neil collaborated with Erased Tapes composer Ben Lukas Boysen on sessions that birthed a wealth of dynamic, exploratory music. Progressing further into synthesized sound, the solo produced ‘Beat Infinitum’ EP was released in late 2019. Along with a remix EP featuring Rival Consoles, Throwing Snow, Christian Löffler and Vessels, co-writing a track with Maribou State for their album ‘Kingdoms In Colour’, guest mixes for Solid Steel and Clash, and support across national radio; these reinventions seemed to be progressing ever closer to the new voice Neil was desperately searching for.

Internally though, he felt the opposite. He was going out on stage and feeling empty, convinced he was leaving audiences disappointed. Paranoia fed insecurity. With his music layered in other sounds, it was leaving him further away from where he needed to be. And so Neil found himself sitting in front of a grand piano in East Berlin. In this place far from home, sitting at the instrument that he had turned his back on, he began to play again. No forethought, just playing. And then he pressed record.

‘Hall Of Mirrors’ (2021)

Neil Cowley’s first solo album ‘Hall Of Mirrors’ is a highly personal account of his relationship with his old friend the piano. The album merges sounds and influences from ambient, electronic, improvisational and contemporary classical music on an emotive journey of artistic exploration, reinvention and renewal.

“A delicate show of restraint” Mojo ★★★★
“A comforting and life-affirming record of glowing beauty” Future Music 9/10
“Sensitively showcases…dynamic textured pieces” Uncut 8/10
“A record that distorts, delights, and entrances” Clash 8/10
“Stunningly beautiful. It’s a must-listen” Louder Than War 4.5/5
“A truly great record” Backseat Mafia 9.2/10
“A voyage into a wider world of atmospherics. Exquisite” Metro
“A beautiful record” Electronic Sound
“Neil Cowley has made a habit of making important albums throughout his career and Hall of Mirrors is certainly no exception” Under The Radar
“Minimal and perfectly balanced electronic treatments that instantly propel this album into the category of music for the film behind closed eyelids” Headphone Commute
“Incorporates technology and the joys of electronics into this reflective set. Investigate” DJ Mag
“Like slow-motion hymns, working within deliberately constricted melodic phrases but always wringing out a quiet grandeur and a beautiful sadness” Guardian
“The refined music is also able to keep things contemporary with its tight, progressive electronics and gentle manipulations, all dressed in a crisp and smooth production” Fluid Radio
“Soothing and atmospheric” Stuart Maconie, BBC 6 Music

Guest Mix Clash
Guest Mix Solid Steel
Interview Headliner
In The Studio Headphone Commute

Radio play from BBC 6 Music Ambient Focus, Focus Beats, Freak Zone, Gideon Coe, Radcliffe & Maconie, Tom Ravenscroft; BBC Radio 1 Benji B, Chilled Show with Sian Eleri; BBC Radio 2 Jamie Cullum; BBC Radio 3 Night Tracks, Unclassified; Amazing Radio, Scala Radio, Soho Radio, Totally Radio.

‘Battery Life’ (2023)

“Memories are bittersweet. Like a battery, they come with a positive and a negative” says pianist, composer and producer Neil Cowley on the inspiration behind his second solo album ‘Battery Life’. Building on techniques he employed on his critically acclaimed solo debut album ‘Hall of Mirrors’, Cowley reignites his lifelong love affair with the piano before applying production expertise that incorporates elements from electronic, ambient and neo-classical music.

“Immersed in the electro-acoustic settings associated with Nils Frahm or Olafur Arnalds but unlike them Cowley brings considerable improvisational chops to the music” Uncut 
“Emotional strength through soft sophistication” Electronic Sound
“An artifact of ephemeral beauty, a deeply personal album upon which Neil Cowley explores his innermost emotions. That manifests itself in these superb compositions; pieces of music that have incredible depth and elicit strong feelings” Louder Than War 
“Soothing brilliance” Future Music
“Utterly compelling…an early candidate for my album of the year” A Closer Listen
“The mix of old, modern and postmodern works so well throughout” The Line Of Best Fit
“Personal, honest but also readily engaging” Backseat Mafia
“Applies both the elements of neo-classical, ambient, and even electronic beat genres around his improvisational ventures on the piano to a brilliant effect” Echoes & Dust
“Cowley plays gentle piano motifs around subtle electronic hums, soundbeds and watery whirrs and gurgles” Arts Desk

Radio play from BBC 6 Music Don Letts, Freak Zone, Gideon Coe, Tom Ravenscroft; BBC Radio 3 Unclassified; Amazing Radio, Soho Radio.