From left to right: Roman Mints, Evelyn Chang, Brian Robinson, Ed Bennett, Daniel Kluge, Steve Halfyard and Jeremy Woodruff.

"Bennett and Halfyard produce a simultaneously mystifying and engrossing sound of crackling electronics, bursts of noise and washes of harmony over which floats the singular voice of Steve Halfyard pushing and prodding the music into new environments. Think of Berio's work with Cathy Berberian colliding with modern electronic music and you're getting closer..."
Richard Sanderson - London Musicians Collective, September 2001
 

Decibel (formerly the dB Ensemble) was founded byEd Bennett in 2002 with funding from the Arts Council. The performers and composers involved are all people with whom Bennett has worked over the last few years in Northern Ireland, Yorkshire and London. Our first performance was in at the Linen Hall Library in Belfast on March 29th 2003 as part of a concert series promoted by Moving on Music.

Since then we have performed in Belfast, Bangor, Dublin, York, Leeds and London, and a CD is currently in production, to be released in mid 2006.

"The group performs experimental and unusual work, which generally exists between, or miles outside the usual unhelpful categories used today, mixing composed pieces written especially for them with electronic improvisations. The line up is completed by electronic composer/performer Brian Robinson and Bennett himself on electronics.
Influences within the group are as diverse as punk rock, jazz,electronica, contemporary classical and all the bits in between and beyond. Decibel is interdisciplinary, explorative, aggressive, passive, loud, quiet, exhilarating and entertaining."

Ulrich Mertin (Germany) - viola

Neil McGovern (UK) - saxophone

Fumiko Miyachi (Japan) - keyboards

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