Bneleti (Ben Wheeler)

BNELETI (Ben Wheeler) {Seattle / Tbilisi / Vienna} (dark ambient / avantfolk)

Serbian

Named after the mythical World of Darkness from ancient Georgian folklore, Bneleti (ბნელეთი) is the solo project of Ben Wheeler, an experimental musician, composer, and ethnomusicologist from Seattle who for many years was part of the music scene in Tbilisi, Georgia. Performing with electric guitar, saz, and modular synthesizer, Wheeler integrates his impressions of the music of the Caucasus—particularly Azerbaijani guitar music and Georgian polyphony—with dark ambient, drone textures, and experimental composition, as well as the aesthetics of Seattle hardcore and black metal, creating a musical world beyond genre classifications. His first full-length release under the pseudonym ‘Bneleti’ was released in February 2026 on Inverted Spectrum Records, and was followed by a three-day tour of Central and Eastern Europe.

• https://youtube.com/watch?v=RLdXHFB9OoY
• https://invertedspectrumrecords.bandcamp.com/album/bneleti

@benwheelermusic

English

Named after a mythical World of Darkness in ancient Georgian folklore, Bneleti (ბნელეთი) is a solo project by Ben Wheeler, an experimental musician, composer, and ethnomusicologist from Seattle who for many years was part of the music scene in Tbilisi, Georgia. Performing with electric guitar, saz, and modular synthesizer, Wheeler blends his impressions of Caucasian music—especially Azerbaijani guitar traditions and Georgian polyphony—with dark ambient, drone, and experimental approaches, as well as the aesthetics of Seattle hardcore and black metal, producing a musical world that resists genre classification. His first full-length release as ‘Bneleti’ appeared in February 2026 on Inverted Spectrum Records and was followed by a three-day tour of Central and Eastern Europe.

Tags

• #bneleti
• #darkambient
• #avantfolk