Arranged, produced and mostly performed by Yumiko Morioka in 1993-5, the official name for this album is 'Culturemix with Bill Nelson'. It's therefore not really a BN album at all, but features him heavily on multitextured guitar work. Culturemix is a collection of pleasant, sometimes jazzy and inoffensively funky instrumentals plus a couple of vocal tracks. If you liked Channel Light Vessel, you'll probably enjoy this too. If you didn't, Culturemix will sound like a cross between restaurant music and a Clannad soundtrack. Make no mistake, there's a lot of beauty in here, but at least Mike Oldfield always had a rough gutsy edge; by contrast, Culturemix is too 'nice' by far. Tracks such as Housewives on Drugs, Zebra and Exile are especially cute and syrupy. Highlights include Luna Park which starts off like the sitar-filled pop hit from the early 1980s Ever So Lonely (which Bill Nelson also played on) but keels over and commits harikari just when you think a chorus is imminent. Dancematic and Tangram are classy after-dinner jazz-funk numbers. The most BN-sounding track is Radio Head, a dreamy instrumental intercepted by a snapping bassline and an army of acoustic guitars, overdriven electric guitars and a simply fabulous example of Bill Nelson e-bow trancendentalism - one of his best ever.
