"Clive Bell studied the shakuhachi (Japanese flute) in Tokyo, and the khene (Lao mouthorgan) in Laos and Thailand. In 2005 he took part in the British Council Beijing project 'Sound & the City' alongside Brian Eno, David Toop and Peter Cusack. Recently he has worked with Okeanos (contemporary music group), Jah Wobble, Karl Jenkins, Complicite Theatre, Sylvia Hallett, David Ross, dance music producer David Harrow, jazz pianist Taeko Kunishima, and the BBC Singers.

He has played on the majority of Jah Wobble's recent albums, plus records by David Toop, Frank Chickens, Paul Schutze, Jeff Beck, Bill Laswell, Karl Jenkins, Taeko Kunishima and Philip Clemo. He has composed music for theatre shows by Complicite, Kazuko Hohki, the Whalley Range All Stars and IOU. Clive Bell's solo shakuhachi CD is on the ARC label and was reissued in 2005. Three recent duo albums are Sleep It Off (with Mike Adcock), The Geographes (with Sylvia Hallett) and Mystery Lights (with David Ross). He writes for The Wire magazine."