Neil Davidge facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Neil Davidge
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Davidge in 2014
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| Background information | |
| Born | Bristol, England |
| Genres | Trip hop, film score, industrial |
| Occupation(s) | Record producer, songwriter, film score composer, musician |
| Instruments | Bass, keyboards, guitar, drums |
Neil Davidge is a talented English musician, record producer, and songwriter. He is also a film score composer, meaning he creates music for movies and TV shows. Neil is most famous for his long-term work with the music group Massive Attack, where he helped write and produce many of their songs.
He has worked with many well-known artists like Damon Albarn, David Bowie, and Snoop Dogg. Neil also composed the music for the popular video game Halo 4 in 2012. More recently, he created the music for the TV series Britannia and the Apple TV+ show Criminal Record.
Contents
Career
Early Music Work (1989–1992)
Neil Davidge started his career working with a British music duo called DNA. Between 1989 and 1992, he helped produce several of their songs and an album.
Working with Massive Attack (1995–2010)
Neil first met members of Massive Attack in the early 1990s. In 1996, he officially joined them. He produced a song called 'The Hunter Gets Captured by the Game' for the Batman Forever movie soundtrack. This song featured singer Tracey Thorn.
Neil worked closely with Robert Del Naja from Massive Attack. Together, they shaped the unique sound of the band's third album, Mezzanine, released in 1998. This album included the famous song "Teardrop". This song later became the main theme music for the popular TV show "House". Mezzanine won an award for Best Album.
Neil and Robert Del Naja also led the creation of Massive Attack's fourth album, 100th Window. This album took a lot of effort and time to create. Neil mentioned it was a "strange period of isolation" but they finished it. After this album, Neil and Robert opened a new music studio in Bristol. This studio became the main place for Massive Attack to record their music. They also used it for their movie music projects.
In 2006, Massive Attack released their "best of" album called Collected. Neil co-wrote and produced the single "Live With Me" from this album. Their fifth studio album, Heligoland, was released later. Neil co-produced this album and co-wrote most of its songs. He also played keyboards, bass, and guitar on the album.
Music for Film and TV (2004–present)
Since 2004, Neil Davidge has been very busy composing music for movies and TV shows. He worked with Robert Del Naja on the music for the movie Unleashed. They also scored films like Bullet Boy, Battle in Seattle, and Trouble the Water. Trouble the Water was a documentary about people affected by Hurricane Katrina. It was even nominated for an Oscar award. Neil also worked with Snoop Dogg on the music for the documentary In Prison My Whole Life.
On his own, Neil composed the music for the movie Push. He also added music to the film Clash of the Titans, working with composer Ramin Djawadi. Neil has also scored other films like Citizen Koch, Good People, and Monsters: Dark Continent. For television, he scored two BBC films: 8 Days: To The Moon and Back and Sitting in Limbo. Both of these TV films were nominated for BAFTA Awards. Sitting in Limbo even won an award for Best Single Drama.
His first TV series score was for Spotless. He then scored New Blood and In the Dark. In 2018, he composed the music for the TV series Britannia, which received great reviews for its music. He also scored Hard Sun and several documentaries. These include All or Nothing: Tottenham Hotspur and Earth From Space. Neil's latest project, Criminal Record on Apple TV+, was released in January 2024.
Halo 4 Soundtrack (2012)
On April 11, 2012, it was announced that Neil Davidge would compose the music for the video game Halo 4. Neil was a fan of the previous Halo games. He and the game developers wanted the music to evolve for the new game. They wanted a more electronic and beat-driven sound. Neil said they wanted to "flesh out, sonically, a new universe."
Most of the soundtrack was written in Bristol, England. It was recorded in famous studios in London, like Abbey Road Studios. Neil worked with the 50-piece Chamber Orchestra of London. He also used 26 male and female singers and other musicians.
The Halo 4 soundtrack was released on October 19, 2012. It quickly became very popular, reaching No. 50 on the Billboard 200 chart. This made it the highest-charting video game soundtrack at the time. Almost 9,000 copies were sold in the first week. Later, remix albums and a second volume of the soundtrack were also released.
Slo Light (2014)
In 2010, Neil Davidge opened his own music studio. His first solo album, Slo Light, was released in February 2014. This album featured guest singers like Sandie Shaw. Three singles were released from the album: "Slo Light," "Sleepwalking," and "Riot Pictures."
Filmography
As Composer
Film
| 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
| 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
| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Halo 4 | Additional score by Kazuma Jinnouchi |
Discography
As Solo Artist
Studio Albums
| Year | Artist(s) | Title | Label | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Davidge | Slo Light | 7 Hz Productions |
Singles
| 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
Soundtrack Albums
| 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 Jinnouchi | |
| 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
Albums
Studio Albums
| 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 | Lazydog, Redwood | The Redwood LP | None | Co-producer |
| 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
| 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
| 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
| 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
| 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 |
