Chris Watson (musician)

Last updated

Chris Watson
Chris Watson.jpg
Watson speaking at the 2009 WIRED Lab.
Background information
Born1953 (1953)
Sheffield, Yorkshire, England
Genres
Instrument(s)Vocals, samples
Labels Touch, Rough Trade
Formerly of Cabaret Voltaire
The Hafler Trio

Christopher Richard Watson (born 21 November 1953) [1] is an English musician and sound recordist. A founding member of the Sheffield-based industrial band Cabaret Voltaire, Watson's subsequent work in field recordings since 1981 has included television documentaries and experimental musical collaborations.

Contents

Music

Watson was a founding member of Cabaret Voltaire, and later formed Hafler Trio. [2]

He has released several solo albums of field recordings including: Outside the Circle of Fire, Stepping into the Dark (which won an Award of Distinction at the 2000 Prix Ars Electronica Festival in Linz, Austria), Weather Report, and El Tren Fantasma . He has also released a variety of works in collaboration with other artists, including Mika Vainio of Pan Sonic, Philip Jeck, Hazard, Fennesz, AER (Jon Wozencroft, aka "Alpha Echo Romeo"), Biosphere, BJNilsen, and Marcus Davidson. All of these recordings were released on Touch, which releases material digitally through Bandcamp. [3]

His album Weather Report (2003) was named as one of the "1000 albums to hear before you die" by The Guardian in 2007. [4]

Sound recording

Watson's sound recording career began in 1981 when he left Cabaret Voltaire to join Tyne Tees Television. His television work includes Bill Oddie Back in the USA, Great Railway Journeys, Springwatch, and numerous nature documentaries by David Attenborough. [5] [6]

In 2006 he was awarded an honorary Doctor of Technology degree by the University of the West of England "in recognition of his outstanding contribution to sound recording technology, especially in the field of natural history and documentary location sound". [7]

In 2010 he devised an art project at Liverpool's Alder Hey Children's Hospital, using sound recordings made by children to calm other young patients as they received injections and other treatments. [8] [9]

In 2018 he assisted Hildur Guðnadóttir in recording sounds from the Ignalina Nuclear Power Plant for her Grammy Award-winning score for the miniseries Chernobyl. [10]

Watson is the president of the Wildlife Sound Recording Society. [11]

Radio programmes

Watson has made and been featured in a number of BBC radio programmes:

Personal life

Watson was raised in the Sheffield suburb of Totley [13] and attended Rowlinson School and Stannington College (now part of Sheffield College), both in Sheffield. He is married to Maggie, who appeared momentarily on-screen with him in episode 3 of Autumnwatch 2010. [14] Watson now lives in Northumberland. [12]

Watson was a Policy & Enterprise Fellow at Durham University's Institute of Advanced Study from December 2012 to May 2013. [15]

Album discography

Solo

With Cabaret Voltaire

Collaborations

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fennesz</span> Austrian electronic musician and guitarist

Christian Fennesz is an Austrian producer and guitarist active in electronic music since the 1990s, often credited mononymously as Fennesz. His work utilizes guitar and laptop computers to blend melody with treated samples and glitch production. He lives and works in Vienna, and currently records on the UK label Touch.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cabaret Voltaire (band)</span> English band

Cabaret Voltaire were an English music group formed in Sheffield in 1973 and initially composed of Stephen Mallinder, Richard H. Kirk, and Chris Watson. Named for the Zürich nightclub that fostered the early Dada movement, the band are often characterized as among the most innovative and influential electronic acts of their era.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Philip Jeck</span> English composer and artist (1952–2022)

Philip Jeck was an English composer and multimedia artist. His compositions were noted for utilising antique turntables and vinyl records, along with looping devices and both analogue and digital effects. Initially composing for installations and dance companies, beginning in 1995 he released music on the UK label Touch.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Field recording</span> Audio recording produced outside a recording studio

Field recording is the production of audio recordings outside recording studios, and the term applies to recordings of both natural and human-produced sounds. It can also include the recording of electromagnetic fields or vibrations using different microphones like a passive magnetic antenna for electromagnetic recordings or contact microphones, or underwater field recordings made with hydrophones to capture the sounds and/or movements of whales, or other sealife. These recordings are often regarded as being very useful for sound designers and foley artists.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Richard H. Kirk</span> English musician (1956–2021)

Richard Harold Kirk was an English composer, musician and producer. Kirk is best known for his work in electronic music, and for co-founding the influential music group Cabaret Voltaire in 1973. As a solo artist, Kirk released music under his own name as well as under more than 30 aliases. He also collaborated with other artists in a range of groups such as Sweet Exorcist and Acid Horse.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stephen Mallinder</span> Musical artist

Stephen William Mallinder is an English artist and musician who was a founding member of Cabaret Voltaire, and went on to work as Sassi & Loco, the Ku-Ling Bros., Hey, Rube!, Wrangler, and Creep Show.

Touch is a British audio-visual organisation, operating the Touch label. Touch was founded in 1982 by Jon Wozencroft and Mike Harding.

<i>Three Mantras</i> 1980 studio album by Cabaret Voltaire

Three Mantras is the second studio album by English band Cabaret Voltaire. It was released in May 1980 by Rough Trade.

<i>2x45</i> 1982 studio album by Cabaret Voltaire

2x45 is the fifth studio album by English band Cabaret Voltaire. It was released in May 1982 through Rough Trade. This was the last studio album by the band to feature founding member Chris Watson, who had departed during its recording.

<i>Live at the Y.M.C.A. 27-10-79</i> 1980 live album by Cabaret Voltaire

Live at the Y.M.C.A 27-10-79 is a live album by industrial/post-punk band Cabaret Voltaire, recorded in 1979 and originally released in 1980 by Rough Trade. It was re-released on CD in 1990 on Mute Records in the UK and on Restless Records in the USA. The album contains a cover of The Velvet Underground's "Here She Comes Now" from their album White Light/White Heat.

<i>The Crackdown</i> 1983 studio album by Cabaret Voltaire

The Crackdown is the fifth studio album by English electronic band Cabaret Voltaire, released in August 1983 jointly through record labels Some Bizzare and Virgin. It was produced by the band themselves and Flood. Mixing their earlier experimental sound with more conventional dance rhythms, the album received positive reviews and was listed on NME's "Albums of the Year" in 1983.

<i>Great Railway Journeys</i> 1980 British TV series or programme

Great Railway Journeys, originally titled Great Railway Journeys of the World, is a recurring series of travel documentaries produced by BBC Television. The premise of each programme is that the presenter, typically a well-known figure from the arts or media, would make a journey by train, usually through a country or to a destination to which they had a personal connection. The first series, which used the longer title, was broadcast on BBC2 in 1980. After a 14-year hiatus, a further three series were broadcast between 1994 and 1999, using the shorter series title. Similar series were broadcast in 1983, Great Little Railways, and 2010, Great British Railway Journeys.

<i>Red Mecca</i> 1981 studio album by Cabaret Voltaire

Red Mecca is the fourth studio album by English industrial band Cabaret Voltaire, released in 17 August 1981 through Rough Trade Records.

<i>The Voice of America</i> (album) 1980 studio album by Cabaret Voltaire

The Voice of America is the third studio album by English band Cabaret Voltaire. It was released in July 1980, through record label Rough Trade.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pestival</span>

Pestival is an international arts festival dedicated to ‘the art of being an insect'. Pestival won the 2010 Observer Ethical Award in Conservation, and had a three year residency at ZSL London Zoo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Berlin Atonal</span>

Berlin Atonal is an annual festival for sonic and visual art in two distinct stages. It first took place between 1982 and 1990, relaunching in 2013 under new direction and continuing to the present day. The festival presents contemporary, interdisciplinary projects at the intersection of sound art, visual and media art, installation and performance, with an emphasis on commissioned work and world premieres.

Sweet Exorcist were a British music duo consisting of Richard Barratt and Richard H. Kirk. They were among the flagship bleep techno acts on Warp Records in the late 1980s.

Tweet of the Day is a British radio programme that was broadcast on BBC Radio 4 on weekdays at 05:58 from Monday to Friday. The original format of an episode is a short programme of 90 seconds, the original series featuring the song or sounds of a British bird, visitor, or bird chorus and a few facts about each bird described by a BBC wildlife presenter.

<i>El Tren Fantasma</i> Album by Chris Watson

El Tren Fantasma is a 2011 album by Chris Watson. It was released on 14 November 2011 by independent record label Touch Music on CD and 12" vinyl record.

<i>Chernobyl: Music from the Original TV Series</i> 2019 soundtrack album by Hildur Guðnadóttir

Chernobyl: Music from the Original TV Series is the soundtrack album to the historical drama miniseries Chernobyl, based on the aftermath of Chernobyl disaster that occurred during 1986. The musical score was composed by Icelandic composer Hildur Guðnadóttir, which was created using sound recordings from an actual nuclear power plant. The score album features thirteen tracks, and was released under Deutsche Grammophon and WaterTower Music labels on May 31, 2019. A vinyl edition of the soundtrack was released by Decca Records on September 6, 2019.

References

  1. "Chris Watson" . Retrieved 23 November 2023.
  2. Cooper, Sean. "Biography: Chris Watson". AllMusic . Retrieved 3 May 2010.
  3. "Music-Chris Watson". Bandcamp.com. Retrieved 21 April 2020.
  4. "1000 albums to hear before you die: Artists beginning with W". The Guardian . 22 November 2007. Retrieved 28 May 2013.
  5. Shackleford, Tom (6 June 2019). "Score For HBO's 'Chernobyl' Was Recorded Using Sounds From Inside A Nuclear Power Plant [Listen]". Live For Live Music. Retrieved 24 June 2019.
  6. "The Quietus | Reviews | Chris Watson". The Quietus. Retrieved 7 August 2023.
  7. "News". University of the West of England. Archived from the original on 14 September 2013. Retrieved 28 May 2013.
  8. Moss, Stephen (24 August 2010). "Birdsong: the cure for all ills?". The Guardian . London. Retrieved 25 August 2010.
  9. "Imagine Appeal - Alder Hey Arts". Archived from the original on 4 December 2010. Retrieved 25 August 2010.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  10. Shackleford, Tom (6 June 2019). "Score For HBO's 'Chernobyl' Was Recorded Using Sounds From Inside A Nuclear Power Plant [Listen]". Live For Live Music. Retrieved 24 June 2019.
  11. "About WSRS - Wildlife Sound Recording Society". www.wildlife-sound.org. Retrieved 18 June 2023.
  12. 1 2 "Ludwig Koch". Great Lives . 29 August 2023. BBC Radio 4 . Retrieved 29 August 2023.
  13. Martyn Ware (3 April 2021). "Chris Watson". Electronically Yours With Martyn Ware (Podcast). Event occurs at 6:58. Retrieved 7 August 2023.
  14. Autumn watch 2010, episode 3
  15. "Chris Watson | IAS Durham" . Retrieved 11 August 2023.
  16. Street, Seán (1 March 2013). The Poetry of Radio: The Colour of Sound. Routledge. ISBN   9781136500480 via Google Books.