Neil was born and brought up in the industrial North-East of England in the late 70’s. Influences of Rave House and US Garage music surrounded his teenage years but it wasn’t until 2008 that he began to create his own sounds and this involved an intense self learning process on a grand scale and he approached this with dedication, bordering on obsession.
He came to understand every process necessary to produce music and continues to be dedicated to learning more. A sense of creative self, that comes from years of living within a non-artistic but very loving family, pushed him on to devote himself to producing the sounds he hears in his head. This was against the backdrop of a developing mental illness that took him through times of debilitating self-doubt and anxiety. Music became an oasis for Neil and the Mental, Gentle, Man series was born in 2014 and has continued to provide Neil with a conduit for his thoughts and emotions.
Mad as an Apple: Auger EP [2022]
Following on from the Mental, Gentle, Man tales. The journey continues…. as we move into the ‘Mad as an Apple’ series we traverse humanities’ common struggles and how the answers are often within each of us.
The Mental, Gentle, Man Story. A reflective personal journey spanning over 39 tracks! [2019-2022]
The Mental, Gentle, Man story is the story of a journey. A journey of Bi-polar dimensions, the terror and joy of it. Armed with a wide and sometimes unmanageable palette of emotions, Neil was compelled to paint a sound picture of his journey. From sunshine to section, to safety. The three albums chart this journey and each one is infused with the experiences Neil has valued along the way. Recovery is a journey, music is the transport. Neils devotion to sound is evident in each track he meticulously and tirelessly works to produce what is in his head and heart. Mañana finishes this journey. For now, there is relative peace, security and rays of light which show pathways rather than prairies, that bring rain and warmth to the growing seed.
