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Neroli oil comes from the white blossoms of the bitter orange tree, and is an expensive pale yellow oil used in fragrances. Neroli is also the name of a 1991 ambient work by Brian Eno that is as exotic and ethereal as the fragrance.

Neroli oil is known to have therapeutic effects, including as being a sedative and anti-depressant. It has also been used to counter anxiety and insomnia. It's probably most commonly used as a bath oil for relaxation. Eno's Neroli is a delicate minimal work, that has many of the properties of its namesake. It has the ethereal quality of perfume - it doesn't seem like music so much as pleasurable sounds that drift by your ears.

The music is one of Eno's generative ambient works. Eno creates generative works by putting together systems that generate the art that he wants to hear. This sounds like a sort of factory, but his approach is less manufacturing than experimentation. Many of his ambient works are created using sounds that are looped. Unlike most loop-based music, Eno uses very long loops, so that sounds are repeated only after long pauses. His approach also differs from most loop-based music in the way that loops are used asynchronously - his loops vary in length, so that the sounds don't play against each other in the same way twice.

On Neroli, Eno uses a very limited palette. Notes are very sparse, and all are generated from a piano or electric piano, treated with a very long reverberation. Each soft note played reverberates for ten or fifteen seconds. The melodic phrases Eno uses, reverberant effects, and overall sparseness give the music an exotic vaporous quality, like incense wafting through the air. It's some of the most minimal ambient work that Eno has ever done.

Eno says that "I wanted to make a kind of music that existed on the cusp between melody and texture, and whose musical logic was elusive enough to reward attention, but no so strict as to demand it." Neroli exists "at the edge of music", rewarding your attention, yet encouraging you to think about other things. Eno subtitles the work "Thinking Music Part IV". If you want to clear you head and reflect, give Neroli a listen.

Synthtopia Reviews of Eno's Music

Brian Eno - Ambient 1: Music for Airports

12/15/2003

Ambient 1 is simply one of the most important pieces of electronic music ever created. On Ambient 1, Eno set out to create something new, music that could be ignored as well as listened to. He succeeded wildly, and spawned a generation of imitators, inspired by the timeless beauty of Music for Airports.

Brian Eno - Ambient 4: On Land

11/23/2003

This is the last recording in Brian Eno's seminal Ambient series, and after 20 years, it still sounds beautiful and disturbing.

Brian Eno - Neroli

2/23/2004

Brian Eno/Harold Budd - Ambient 2: The Plateaux of Mirror

12/3/2003

Imagine Eric Satie piano pieces played in an underwater parking garage, and you'll have some idea of what to expect from this classic album.

Brian Eno/Harold Budd - The Pearl

2/23/2004

Brian Eno first collaboration with minimalist composer Harold Budd, Ambient 2: Plateau of Mirror, was a groundbreaking classic of ambient music. Budd and Eno created beautiful soundscapes, haunted by melancholy piano themes. There second CD, The Pearl, is even more beautiful.

Brian Eno/Laraaji - Ambient 3: Day of Radiance

12/17/2003

Day of Radiance is an excellent addition to Eno's series. Ambient 3 staked out new territory and new emotions for ambient music. The music is happy, even blissful, while remaining reflective and timeless. These pieces serve as an important counterpoint to the darker and sometimes disturbing music of Ambient 4.

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