Neil Davidge
Neil Davidge (born 29 June 1962) is an English record producer, songwriter, film score composer, musician, and occasional backing vocalist. Once an associate of dance producers DNA, he is best known as the long-term co-writer and producer for the music production outfit 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 | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 29 June 1962 Bristol, England |
| Occupation(s) | Record producer, songwriter, film score composer, musician |
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]
Career
DNA (1989–1992)
Davidge worked with UK duo DNA in the period between 1989 and 1992, co-producing four singles and one album.[4]
Massive Attack (1995–present)
Davidge 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.[5]
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 and was nominated for a Mercury Award.
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."[6]
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.
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 projects (2004–present)
In 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.
Halo 4 Original Soundtrack (2012)
On 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.[7]
Debut Solo Album Slo Light (2014)
Davidge established his own studio in 2010. His debut solo album Slo Light was released in February 2014, and features guest vocalists such as Low Roar, Sandie Shaw and Cate Le Bon.
Discography
| Year | Artist | Project | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| Producer / Composer | |||
| 1997–1999 | Massive Attack | Mezzanine | Virgin/10 |
| 1999 | Sunna | One Minute Science | Virgin / Melankolic |
| 2000–2003 | Massive Attack | 100th Window | Virgin 10 |
| 2004 | Massive Attack | Danny the Dog / Unleashed | Virgin / EMI |
| 2005 | Davidge/Del Naja | Bullet Boy Score | |
| 2006–2007 | Massive Attack | Collected | Virgin / EMI |
| 2006–2007 | Massive Attack | Live with me | Virgin / EMI |
| 2007 | Massive Attack | False Flags / United Snakes | Virgin / EMI |
| 2007 | Davidge/Del Naja | In Prison my Whole Life score | |
| 2007 | Davidge/Del Naja | Trouble the Water score | |
| 2007 | Davidge/Del Naja | Battle in Seattle | |
| 2008 | Davidge/Del Naja | The Hulk | Marvel studios |
| 2010 | Massive Attack | Heligoland | Virgin / EMI |
| 2009 | Neil Davidge | Push film score | Warner Bros. |
| 2012 | Neil Davidge | Halo 4 Original Soundtrack | Microsoft / 343 Industries / 7 Hz Productions |
| 2014 | Neil Davidge | Slo Light (debut solo album) | 7 Hz Productions |
| Co-producer / Composer | |||
| Year | Artist | Track | Label |
| 1996 | Massive Attack | Hunter | Batman Soundtrack/ Atlantic |
| 1996 | Massive Attack | Fake The Aroma | Help/ Go Disc |
| 1996 | Massive Attack | Euro 96 / Euro zero zero | |
| 1996 | Massive Attack | Wire | Welcome to Sarajevo |
| 1996 | Massive Attack | Hymn of the Big Wheel | The Fan |
| 1997 | Massive Attack | Metal and Dissolved Girl | The Jackal |
| 1998 | Unkle featuring Thom Yorke | Rabbit in Your Headlights | Unkle Project/ Mo Wax |
| 1998 | Manic Street Preachers | If You Tolerate This | Epic |
| 1998 | Massive Attack | Angel | Adidas |
| 1998 | Massive Attack | Inertia Creeps | Levi's |
| 1998 | Liz Fraser | Sailing On | A Winters Guest |
| 1999 | The Prodigy featuring 3D | No Souvenirs | XL |
| 1999 | Massive Attack | Angel | End of Days |
| 1999 | Massive Attack | Dissolved Girl | The Matrix |
| 2000 | Primal Scream | Exterminator | XL |
| 2000 | Massive Attack | Angel | Snatch |
| 2000 | Massive Attack | Angel | Armani |
| 2000 | Sunna | Powerstruggle | Hollow Man |
| 2001 | Mos Def | I against I | Blade 2 |
| 2001 | David Bowie | Nature Boy | Moulin Rouge! |
| 2001 | A Perfect Circle | 3 Libras (Massive Attack remix) | |
| 2001 | Lupine Howl | Vaporizor (Massive Attack remix) | Beggars Banquet |
| 2001 | The Dandy Warhols | Demos | Capitol |
| 2004 | Unkle | Invasion | Global underground |
| 2006 | Unkle | Twilight | Global underground |
References
- 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.
- "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.
- "Neil Davidge". Archived from the original on 7 May 2010. Retrieved 13 May 2010.
- Reilly, Jim (11 April 2012). "Meet Halo 4's New Composer". Game Informer. Retrieved 11 April 2012.