Phil Thornton

by Carol Wright
Phil Thornton is now closely associated with the British New Age music movement, but he is also an accomplished guitarist and has had a long touring and recording association with Sinead O'Connor. He is a regular member of the neo-psychedelic English band Mandragon, and he has worked with Gordon Giltrap, Talking Heads, Stallion, Die Laughing, Naked Lunch, 4 B 2's, and Expandis. Thornton augments his musical talents as an accomplished studio producer.
Thornton's first "non-rhythm" New Age work was the film score for Cloud Sculpting, which was later released on the New World Music, home to most of his recordings. On this project, he met didgeridoo player Steven Cragg, with whom he recorded Initiation and Tibetan Horn. In his Sussex, England, recording studio, Expandibubble, Thornton continues to explore new limits of sequenced electronic music (Alien Encounter) and the insights of tribal and ethnic cultures (Shaman).