The blog.

Rockfield to Premiere at SXSW 2020

Delighted to hear that Rockfield: The Studio on the Farm will be premiering at SXSW 2020 in March.

 

This feature documentary tells the unlikely tale of how two Welsh farming brothers turned their dairy farm into one of the most successful recording studios of all time, producing four decades of legendary rock music.

Fifty years ago, deep in the Welsh countryside, brothers Kingsley and Charles Ward were starting out in the family dairy farming business. But they yearned to do something different – they wanted to make music. So they built a studio in the attic of their farmhouse and started recording with their friends. Kingsley’s new wife, Ann, left her job in the local bank to do the books, and they continued farming all the while. Animals were kicked out of barns and musicians were moved into Nan’s spare bedroom. Inadvertently, they’d launched the world’s first independent residential recording studio: Rockfield.

Rockfield’s reputation spread like wildfire, quickly garnering international acclaim as the place that bands wanted to record. From Black Sabbath, Hawkwind and Queen, to Simple Minds, Iggy Pop and Robert Plant, and later Oasis, The Stone Roses, The Charlatans, Manic Street Preachers and Coldplay – an unbelievable roll call of artists have recorded there over the decades.

‘Rockfield’ is an extraordinary story of rock and roll dreams intertwined with a family business’s struggle for survival in the face of an ever-changing music landscape. Amazingly Kingsley and his wife Ann, now in their 80’s are still at the helm today with daughter Lisa ‘front of house’. What is it about this small Welsh farm that made it a major competitor, holding its own against studios such as Abbey Road and Electric Lady. In this film the bands share with us tales of how they ended up at Rockfield, what it was like, and revisit some of the magical moments of musical genius that resulted in some of the best-known songs of our time.

 

Director: Hannah Berryman
Producer: Catryn Ramasut
Editor: Rupert Houseman
Composer: Alexander Parsons

 

Rockfield Website

Grayson Perry: Rites of Passage Nominated for a Music and Sound Award

Delighted to hear that my score for Grayson Perry: Rites of Passage has been nominated for a Music and Sound Award in the Best Original Composition in a Television Programme category. Winners will be announced on the 16th July 2019, via the Twitter feed, website and industry press.

 

Strokes of Genius
Entrant + Composer: Jeremy Turner

 

Pagan Peak
Entrant: Bleeding Fingers Music
Composer: Jacob Shea for Bleeding Fingers Music

 

Grayson Perry: Rites of Passage – Episode 1 – Death
Entrant + Composer: Alexander Parsons

 

The Simpsons: “Treehouse of Horror XXIX”
Entrant: Bleeding Fingers Music
Composer: Andrew Christie for Bleeding Fingers Music

 

The Jazz Ambassadors
Entrant + Composer: Michael J. McEvoy at Rezzonator Music

 

Mrs Wilson
Entrant + Composer: Anne Nikitin

Music tells ‘great stories’: Interview with Resolution Magazine

Earlier this month, I spoke with David Davies, from Resolution Magazine about my work in factual television, my influences as a composer and about our artistic intentions as part of the Miro Shot collective.

Read the article in full here.

Stacey Dooley: The Young and Homeless Airs 13th November

Stacey Dooley: The Young and Homeless

Delighted to have been asked by the BAFTA-winning True Vision to compose a score for Stacey Dooley: The Young and Homeless, which airs on BBC 1 on November 13th at 10.45pm. In the film, Stacey uncovers stories from the UK’s homeless teenagers. The film sensitively shares the thoughts and concerns of some of society’s most vulnerable young people.

Last year in the UK over 100,000 young people presented themselves as homeless – but the real number is much higher, as thousands of teens go under the radar by sofa surfing or staying with friends.

BBC One – Tuesday 13th October at 22:45

Producer/Director: Katie Rice
Producer: Amy Richardson
Editor/Colourist/Dubbing Mixer: Paddy Garrick
Executive Producer: Brian Woods

Speaking at We Are Robots 2018 @ 93 Feet East

I have been invited to join a panel of speakers at this year’s We Are Robots festival at the Truman Brewery, Brick Lane in London. It will be a pleasure to share a stage with futurist and author Amelia Kallman, cellist and composer Abi Wade and 360 sound artist and producer Daniel Potter AKA Warsnare

We will be discussing ‘Technologies in Music: How far have we come and where do we go next?’

Hosted and curated by Matthew Dempsey and the Audio Engineering Society

Venue: 93 Feet East

Date: 11th October 2018

Time: 6.30pm GMT

The panel is being filmed and will available to watch online following the event.