Neil Davidge is an English record producer, songwriter, film score composer and musician. Once an associate of dance producers DNA, he is best known as the long-term co-writer and producer for trip hop collective Massive Attack.[1] In 1997, he also produced the Sunna album One Minute Science. During that time he has established a career as a film score composer including projects such as Push, Bullet Boy, Trouble the Water, and additional music for Clash of the Titans.
Neil Davidge | |
|---|---|
 Davidge in 2014 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | Bristol, England |
| Genres | Trip hop, film score, industrial |
| Occupation(s) | Record producer, songwriter, film score composer, musician |
| Instrument(s) | Bass, keyboards, guitar, drums |
Artists he has worked with include Unkle, Damon Albarn, Elizabeth Fraser, Mos Def, David Bowie, and Snoop Dogg.[2]
In 2012, he composed the soundtrack to the video game Halo 4 and recorded "The Storm That Brought Me To You" with Tina Dico and Ramin Djawadi for the Clash of the Titans soundtrack, the first vocal track for which he is credited as an artist separately from Massive Attack.[1] In 2017, Davidge composed the critically acclaimed soundtrack for the TV series, Britannia,[3] and in 2023, co-scored Apple TV+'s Criminal Record.[4]
Career
editDNA (1989–1992)
editDavidge worked with UK duo DNA in the period between 1989 and 1992, co-producing four singles and one album.[5]
Massive Attack (1995–2010)
editDavidge had met Massive Attack's Andrew Vowles as early as 1991, and was in and around Bristol's Coach House Studios when Portishead recorded their debut album Dummy between 1991 and 1994. Neil was introduced to the rest of Massive Attack in 1996, and hitting it off, he produced 'The Hunter Gets Captured by the Game', a song for the Batman Forever soundtrack that featured Everything But The Girl vocalist Tracey Thorn.[6]
Working in close collaboration with Massive's Robert Del Naja, Neil shaped the sound of the band's third album, 1998's Mezzanine, including the song "Teardrop", which became the theme song for the medical drama "House". Mezzanine won a Q Award for Best Album[7] and was nominated for a Mercury Award.[8]
As with Mezzanine, Massive Attack's fourth album 100th Window was largely piloted by Davidge and Robert Del Naja. Sessions were protracted and pressurised, the group discarding material to re-write the whole record in the last six months of a three-year odyssey. "Some great things had been said about Mezzanine and we didn't want to repeat ourselves", says Neil "It was a strange period of isolation and the weirdness of 9/11, but we got there in the end."[9][non-primary source needed]
Following the release of 100th Window, Davidge and Del Naja established a new studio in Bristol, which would become the primary recording location for Massive Attack going forward, as well as Davidge and Del Naja's soundtrack projects.[10]
Collected was Massive Attack's best of album released on 27 March 2006. The album was preceded by the release of the single "Live With Me" on 13 March. "Live With Me" was co-written and produced by Davidge.[citation needed].
Heligoland is the fifth studio album by Massive Attack. Co-produced by Davidge and Robert Del Naja with additional production by Tim Goldsworthy, the record features vocals from Horace Andy, Tunde Adebimpe, Damon Albarn, Hope Sandoval, Guy Garvey and Martina Topley-Bird. Davidge co-wrote eight of the ten tracks as well as playing keyboards, bass and guitar.
Film & TV projects (2004–present)
editIn 2004 Luc Besson approached Davidge and Robert Del Naja to score the movie Danny The Dog, later renamed Unleashed. There then followed scores for Bullet Boy, Battle in Seattle, and Trouble the Water, which received an Oscar nomination as Best Documentary Feature. It is a moving study of those displaced by Hurricane Katrina which won 'Best Documentary' at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival. Working with Snoop Dogg, Neil also scored the music for In Prison My Whole Life, a documentary about US death-row journalist Mumia Abu-Jamal.
Away from his collaborations with Robert, Neil scored the music to the Paul McGuigan directed Push and provided additional music to the Warner Brothers film Clash of the Titans working alongside composer Ramin Djawadi. He was approached by director Louis Leterrier to replace Matt Bellamy from Muse who had to pull out due to touring commitments in the USA.[11] Davidge also went on to score the documentary film Citizen Koch, action thriller Good People, and Monsters: Dark Continent, the sequel to Gareth Edwards' Monsters. He also scored two television films for the BBC; drama-documentary 8 Days: To The Moon and Back, co-scored with David Poore, as well as drama Sitting in Limbo, about the 2018 Windrush scandal. Both were nominated for BAFTA Awards, with the latter winning the British Academy Television Award for Best Single Drama at the 2021 British Academy Television Awards.[12]
His first TV score was for the Canal+ series Spotless, which was also later released on Netflix. This was followed by the scores for New Blood and In the Dark, both of which premiered on BBC One. In 2018 saw the release of Sky Atlantic's Britannia, starring David Morrissey, Mackenzie Crook and Kelly Reilly. Davidge's largest TV project yet, Britannia was renewed for two successive series, with season 2 premiering in 2019, and season 3 in 2021. The first season of Britannia, featuring Davidge's "stunning" score [13] was closely followed by another Davidge scored show for BBC One, Hard Sun. Starring Jim Sturgess and Agyness Deyn, Hard Sun was written and created by Luther creator Neil Cross, the latter show having used a Neil Davidge produced track, "Paradise Circus" from Massive Attack's Heligoland as its theme. He has also scored a number of television documentaries, including Amazon Studios' All or Nothing: Tottenham Hotspur, as well as co-scoring BBC Earth's Earth From Space with fellow Bristol-based composer David Poore. Davidge's newest project, Apple TV+'s Criminal Record was released on 10 January 2024. Starring Peter Capaldi and Cush Jumbo, Davidge co-scored the project with Michael Asante.
Halo 4 Original Soundtrack (2012)
editOn 11 April 2012, Davidge was revealed to be the composer for the Halo 4 Original Soundtrack, the official soundtrack of the video game Halo 4.[14] A self-professed fan of previous Halo games, he and 343 Industries felt the music needed to change to fit the new trilogy. "The phrase that kept going around was 'evolution not revolution' of the score," he said. "[They wanted a] more electronic, slightly more beat-driven direction, which is one reason why they came to me. They wanted to flesh out, sonically, a new universe. One that they could expand on in subsequent sequels.”[15] The majority of the soundtrack was written in Bristol, and recorded at Abbey Road Studios and Angel Recording Studios, both situated in London. Davidge and his production team enlisted the 50-piece Chamber Orchestra of London, as well as 26 male and female vocalists and other performers.[16][17]
The Original Soundtrack for Halo 4 was released on 19 October 2012, and debuted at No. 50 on the Billboard 200 chart, becoming the highest peaking video game soundtrack on Billboard's charts. Nearly 9,000 units were sold in the first week alone.[18] This was followed by Halo 4 Original Soundtrack Remixes, featuring remixes by Sander van Doorn & Julian Jordan, Gui Boratto, and Andrew Bayer, as well as an Apocalyptica vs Neil Davidge remix of The Beauty of Cortana. Halo 4 Original Soundtrack Volume 2 was released digitally on 8 April 2013.[19]
Slo Light (2014)
editDavidge established his own studio in 2010. His debut solo album Slo Light was released in February 2014, and features guest vocalists including Low Roar, Sandie Shaw and Cate Le Bon. The album was accompanied by three singles. The first single was "Slo Light", released on 3 December 2013. The second single, "Sleepwalking", released on 20 February 2014, five days before the album's release, followed by the third single, "Riot Pictures", on 7 October 2014.
Filmography
editAs composer
editFilm
edit| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Bullet Boy | Co-scored with Robert Del Naja |
| 2005 | Unleashed | Co-scored with Robert Del Naja |
| 2007 | In Prison My Whole Life | Co-scored with Robert Del Naja |
| Battle In Seattle | Co-scored with Robert Del Naja | |
| 2008 | Trouble the Water | Co-scored with Robert Del Naja |
| 2009 | Push | |
| 2013 | Citizen Koch | |
| 2014 | Monsters: Dark Continent | |
| 2019 | 8 Days: To the Moon and Back | Television movie, co-scored with David Poore |
| 2020 | Sitting in Limbo | Television movie |
Television
edit| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Spotless | |
| 2016 | New Blood | |
| 2017 | In the Dark | |
| 2018-2021 | Britannia | Seasons 1-3 |
| 2018 | Hard Sun | |
| 2019 | Earth from Space | Co-scored with David Poore |
| 2020 | All or Nothing: Tottenham Hotspur | |
| 2021 | Earth Moods | |
| 2022 | The Fear Index | |
| Desperate Measures | ||
| Earth Great Rivers II | Co-scored with David Poore | |
| 2024 | Criminal Record | Co-scored with Michael 'Mikey J' Asante |
Video games
edit| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Halo 4 | Additional score by Kazuma Jinnochi |
Discography
editAs solo artist
editStudio albums
edit| Year | Artist(s) | Title | Label | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Davidge | Slo Light | 7 Hz Productions |
Singles
edit| Year | Artist(s) | Title | Album | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Davidge | "Slo Light" | Slo Light | Vocals by Stephonik Youth |
| "Gallant Foxes" | Vocals by Cate Le Bon | |||
| 2014 | "Sleepwalking" | Vocals by Emi Green | ||
| "Riot Pictures" | Vocals by Sandie Shaw | |||
| "Sensor / Anyone Laughing" | Vocals by Claire Tchaikowski & Jhelisa Anderson |
As composer
editSoundtrack albums
edit| Year | Title | Label | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Danny The Dog (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) | Virgin/EMI | Co-composed with Robert Del Naja, released as Massive Attack |
| 2005 | Bullet Boy | Virgin | Co-composed with Robert Del Naja |
| 2012 | Halo 4 (Original Soundtrack) | Microsoft Studios/343 Industries/7Hz Productions | |
| Halo 4 (Original Soundtrack Remixes) | |||
| 2013 | Halo 4 (Original Soundtrack Vol. 2) | Additional music by Kazuma Jinnochi | |
| 2015 | Spotless (Soundtrack) | 7Hz Productions | |
| Monsters: Dark Continent | |||
| 2017 | Britannia (Music From The Original TV Series) | SATV Music/SATV Publishing | |
| 2019 | Britannia II (Music From The Original TV Series) | SATV Music/SATV Publishing | |
| 2021 | Music From Earth Moods (Original Soundtrack) | National Geographic Partners | |
| Britannia II (Music From The Original TV Series) | SATV Music/SATV Publishing |
Production and songwriting credits
editAlbums
editStudio albums
edit| Year | Artist(s) | Title | Label | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | DNA | Taste This | EMI | Co-writer (tracks 5, 6 & 8), co-producer (tracks 1, 2, 5-8) |
| Hugh Cornwell, Roger Cook and Andy West | CCW | UFO | Co-producer (tracks 1-2, 7, 9-10) | |
| 1994 | Rozalla | Look No Further | Epic | Co-producer (tracks 6, 7, 12) |
| Toni Pearen | Intimate | Mushroom | Co-producer (tracks 1, 4-6, 8-11, 13) | |
| 1998 | Massive Attack | Mezzanine | Virgin/Circa | Co-producer |
| Singles 90/98 | Virgin/Circa | Co-producer ("Risingson", "Teardrop", "Angel", "Inertia Creeps", "Euro Zero Zero") | ||
| 2000 | Sunna | One Minute Science | Virgin/Melankolic | Co-producer |
| 2003 | Massive Attack | 100th Window | Virgin | Co-writer, co-producer |
| 2006 | Collected | Virgin | Co-writer (Disc 1: tracks 7, 10-11, 14; Disc 2: tracks 1-4, 6-8, 10), co-producer (Disc 1: tracks 3-5, 7, 9-11, 14; disc 2: tracks 1-8, 10) | |
| 2009 | Terry Callier | Hidden Conversations | Mr Bongo | Co-writer, co-producer (tracks 1, 9, 10) |
| 2010 | Massive Attack | Heligoland | Virgin | Co-writer (all tracks except 7 & 9), co-producer |
Remix albums
edit| Year | Artist(s) | Title | Label | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | DNA ft. Jo Nye | Blue Love (Call My Name) (Remixes) | EMI | Co-producer, remixer (tracks 1,2) |
| DNA ft. Sharon Redd | Can You Handle It | EMI | Co-producer (tracks 1-3) |
Singles
edit| Year | Artist(s) | Title | Album | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | Big Outdoor Type | "Call You On Sundays" | Non-album single | Co-writer |
| 1990 | Intime | "People (Let's Get Along)" | Non-album single | Co-writer |
| 1992 | Exposé | "I Specialize in Love" | Exposé | Co-producer |
| 1993 | Kim Appleby | "Light of the World" | Breakaway | Co-writer, co-writer |
| 1994 | Toni Pearen | "Walkaway Lover" | Intimate | Co-producer |
| 1995 | Massive Attack and Tracey Thorn | "The Hunter Gets Captured by the Game" | Batman Forever: Music From The Motion Picture | Co-producer |
| Toni Pearen | "Joy" | Intimate | Co-producer | |
| 1997 | Massive Attack | "Risingson" | Mezzanine | Co-producer |
| 1998 | "Teardrop" | |||
| "Angel" | ||||
| "Inertia Creeps" | ||||
| Dannii Minogue | "Coconut" | Girl | Co-producer | |
| 2000 | Sunna | "Power Struggle" | One Minute Science | Co-producer |
| "O.D" | ||||
| "I'm Not Trading" | ||||
| 2001 | Lupine Howl | "Vaporizer" | The Carnivorous Lunar Activities of Lupine Howl | Additional production |
| 2002 | Massive Attack & Mos Def | "I Against I" | Blade II: The Soundtrack / Special Cases | Co-writer, co-producer |
| 2003 | Massive Attack | "Special Cases" | 100th Window | Co-writer, co-producer |
| "Butterfly Caught" | ||||
| 2006 | Massive Attack | "Live with Me" | Collected | Co-writer, co-producer |
| "False Flags" / "United Snakes" | ||||
| 2009 | Massive Attack | "Psyche" | Heligoland | Co-writer, co-producer |
| 2010 | "Paradise Circus" | Co-producer |
Other songs
edit| Year | Artist(s) | Title | Album | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | Intime | "Second Sight" | The Hard Sell | Co-writer, compilation album track |
| 1993 | Beat System | "To A Brighter Day (O' Happy Day)(Radio Edit)" | Platinum On Black | Co-producer, compilation album track |
| Dannii Minogue | "Be Careful" | Get into You | Co-writer, co-producer | |
| 1995 | Massive Attack and Tracey Thorn | "The Hunter Gets Captured by the Game" | Batman Forever: Music From The Motion Picture | Co-producer |
| Massive Attack | "Fake The Aroma" | The Help Album | Co-producer, compilation album track, rework of "Karmacoma" | |
| 1997 | "Wire" | Welcome to Sarajevo (Music from the Motion Picture) | Co-writer, co-producer | |
| "Superpredators (Metal Postcard)" | The Jackal (Music from and Inspired By) | Co-producer | ||
| Elizabeth Fraser | "Take Me With You" | The Winter Guest (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) | Producer | |
| 2001 | David Bowie & Massive Attack | "Nature Boy" | Moulin Rouge! Music from Baz Luhrmann's Film | Co-producer |
| Unkle | "Invasion" | Never, Never, Land | Co-writer, co-producer | |
| 2007 | "Twilight" | War Stories | Co-writer, co-producer | |
| 2009 | Hook And The Twin | "They'll Get Your Head" | Bang Bang Cherry | Co-producer |
| Sunna | "Heaven Sends" | Two Minute Terror | Co-producer | |
| 2010 | Ramin Djawadi | "The Storm That Brought Me To You" | Clash of the Titans: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack | Co-composer |
| Neil Davidge | "Be My Weapon" | Composer |
Remixes
edit| Year | Artist(s) | Title | Album | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | Absolute ft. Joe Church | "Don't You Wanna Be Mine (Dub Plus Mix)" | Non-album single | Remixer |
| 1992 | Geoffrey Williams | "Summer Breeze (Flowerpot Mix)" | Summer Breeze (The DNA Mixes) | Co-remixer with DNA |
| "Summer Breeze (DNA Extended Version)" | ||||
| 1996 | DJ Food | "Stop Phink (Hidden Chipsters Mix)" | Refried Food Lunchbox | Co-remixer |
| 1996 | Massive Attack | "Hymn of the Big Wheel" | The Fan (Music from the Motion Picture) | Co-remixer, remix for The Fan |
| 1998 | Unkle | "Rabbit in Your Headlights (3D Mix-Reverse Light)" | Rabbit in Your Headlights | Co-remix with 3D |
| 1998 | KC and the Sunshine Band | "Get Down Tonight (Miami Club Mix)" | The Very Best Of | Co-remixer with DNA, co-producer |
| Manic Street Preachers | "If You Tolerate This Your Children Will Be Next (Massive Attack Remix)" | If You Tolerate This Your Children Will Be Next | Co-remixer | |
| 2000 | Primal Scream | "Kill All Hippies (Massive Attack Remix)" | XTRMNTR | Co-remixer |
| 2001 | The Dandy Warhols | "Godless (Massive Attack Mix)" | Godless | Co-remixer |
| A Perfect Circle | "3 Libras (All Main Courses Mix)" | Co-remix with 3D | ||
| 2003 | Primal Scream | "Exterminator (Massive Attack Remix)" | Dirty Hits | Co-remixer |
References
edit- ^ a b Raymundo, Oscar. "Exclusive Stream: Massive Attack Producer Scores 'Halo 4'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 24 May 2016.
- ^ "Massive Attack Producer to Feel Your Halo, Halo". Spin.com. 11 April 2012. Retrieved 26 May 2020.
- ^ "BRITANNIA Soundtrack by Neil Davidge on Apple Music". Itunes.apple.com. 19 January 2018. Retrieved 10 March 2018.
- ^ "Neil Davidge & Mikey J Asante Scoring Apple TV+'s 'Criminal Record'". filmmusicreporter.com. 2 January 2024. Retrieved 10 January 2024.
- ^ "Spirit Music Signs Global Publishing Deal with Neil Davidge". Spirit Music Group. Archived from the original on 26 June 2014. Retrieved 24 May 2016.
- ^ Massive Attack: Out Of The Comfort Zone: Amazon.co.uk: Melissa Chemam: 9781910089729: Books. ASIN 1910089729.
- ^ "The Q Awards - everyHit.com". www.everyhit.com. Retrieved 21 November 2023.
- ^ "The Mercury Prize - everyHit.com". www.everyhit.com. Retrieved 21 November 2023.
- ^ "Neil Davidge". Archived from the original on 7 May 2010. Retrieved 13 May 2010.
- ^ "Massive Attack's New Studio". www.soundonsound.com. Retrieved 10 January 2024.
- ^ "Muse not working on Clash of the Titans soundtrack, replacement just as massive". www.consequence.net. 12 January 2010. Retrieved 10 January 2024.
- ^ "BAFTA TV 2021: The Winners and Nominations for the Virgin Media British Academy Television Awards and British Academy Television Craft Awards". BAFTA. 28 April 2021. Retrieved 5 November 2023.
- ^ "Neil Davidge's 'Britannia' Soundtrack Out Now". broadwayworld.com. 19 January 2018. Retrieved 10 January 2024.
- ^ Reilly, Jim (11 April 2012). "Meet Halo 4's New Composer". Game Informer. Archived from the original on 13 April 2012. Retrieved 11 April 2012.
- ^ McCaffrey, Ryan (22 August 2012). "Listen to the Halo 4 Soundtrack Right Now". IGN. Ziff Davis. Retrieved 6 February 2013.
- ^ Halo 4 Original Soundtrack Special Digital Edition (digital booklet). Neil Davidge. 7Hz Productions. 2012. ASIN B009QD0DO0.
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ^ Coleman, Maureen (27 December 2012). "Northern Ireland record label bosses celebrate Halo 4 soundtrack success". Belfast Telegraph. Independent News & Media. Retrieved 6 February 2013.
- ^ Caulfield, Keith (1 November 2012). "Chart Moves: 'Halo 4' Sets Record as Highest-Charting Video Game Soundtrack Ever". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 3 November 2012.
- ^ Shea, Jessica (25 March 2013). "Announcing: Halo 4 Original Soundtrack Volume 2". halowaypoint.com. 343 Industries. Archived from the original on 20 April 2013. Retrieved 26 March 2013.
External links
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