On the cover: Chris Watson – Ken Hollings meets the sound recordist and Cabaret Voltaire founder whose mic penetrates the wild places humans can’t reach…
News
Interview in Line Up
Chris has been interviewed by Line Up (“the only online resource dedicated to audio for broadcast”) – click here to read.
The Ditch wins Best Drama at BBC Radio Awards | February 2010
The Afternoon Play, The Ditch, broadcast on BBC Radio 4 on 1st February, won ‘BEST DRAMA’ Award at the BBC Audio and Music Awards last week.
A sound recordist is enticed by the disturbing aural landscape of Slaughton Ditch with terrifying and fatal consequences.
Writer: Paul Evans
Wildlife sound recordist:Chris Watson
Sound engineer: Mike Burgess
Producer: Sarah Blunt
(Unfortunately its no longer available to listen to on iPlayer if folk are interested in hearing it.)
Doves remix
Caught by the River, in association with Heavenly Recordings, is pleased to make available for the first time a collaboration between Chris Watson and the aptly named Doves. This is a remix that Chris has done of the song “Birds Flew Backwards” from Doves’ last album “Kingdom of Rust”.
This remix can be heard over at www.caughtbytheriver.net
Feature in Green Explorer
You can read an online feature on Chris by Peter Sterling at Green Explorer
The Guardian | 13th March 2009
In the Film & Music section, there is a page discussing the relationship between birdwatching and music, ‘Twitchin’ the night away’ by Roy Wilkinson… there is also a mention of a project with which Chris involved: Caught by the River
Film, Theatre & Other Media
Chris’s recordings have been used in other media too.
Feature Films include The Constant Gardener [2005]
Theatre Productions include Red Ladies by The Clod Ensemble [2008]
Playstation Games versions of the Harry Potter film series
Album Tracks including ‘Illuminant’ by Efterklang [Leaf, 2007]
Chris Selects His Favourite Bird Songs | The Guardian 6th June 2008
‘Twit twoo’
In the world of wildlife sound recording, Chris Watson is the daddy. Pascal Wyse gets up before the birds and tracks him down to a wood in Wales to find out what his favourite bird songs are..
The Qwartz Awards | Paris, 3rd April 2008
Qwartz Awards, Paris 2008
Touch has entries in 12 nominations for the Qwartz Awards 2008 and will be appearing live for these awards. A special edition of Touch Tone 25 has been manufactured for this event, with the kind permission of the artists.
April 3rd: Black venue: Maison des Métallos, rue Jean-Pierre Timbaud, Paris 75011 (Metro Couronne). Before Blixa Bargeld speech/performance:
Rosy Parlane | Fennesz
April 4th: Cirque d’Hiver Bouglione: 110 rue Amelot, Paris 75003 (Metro Filles du Calvaire). 1 hour after Blixa Bargeld, Max Mathews, Jean-Claude Risset and Beatriz Feyrrera [Qwartz d’Honneur attributions] from 23h to 1h30, with Radio France [France Musique] direct retransmission, Qwartz’s official sponsor.
Chris Watson | Philip Jeck | BJNilsen
Free entrance
Life in Cold Blood | BBC1 February 2008
Chris Watson is heavily featured in the new David Attenborough series, Life in Cold Blood, BBC1 throughout February 2008… if you miss an episode you can see it again on the BBC iplayer site [UK only] here
Whispering in the Leaves | Sunderland February – March 2008
[photo: Sean Thamer]
A major new sound installation at Sunderland Museum & Winter Gardens
Presented as part of AV Festival 08: 29th February – 9th March 2008
Artists’ Talk & Desert Island TV: Sat 8 Mar, 2.30 -3.30pm
Chris Watson discusses his new work Whispering in the Leaves. The talk will be followed by Desert Island TV, where Chris will introduce and screen BBC nature documentary the Life of Birds made with David Attenborough. Free, for bookings contact info@avfestival.co.uk
For AV Festival 08, Watson has created a powerful new sound work derived from his extensive archive of wildlife and on location recordings in Central and South America – habitats that host over half of the planet’s wildlife. Diffused through the tropical foliage of the enclosed botanical environment of the Winter Gardens, which is home to over 2,000 flowers and plants, the surround soundtrack of wildlife dawn and dusk choruses will be transmitted at hourly intervals throughout the day for 15-20 minute durations – the approximate time taken in the rainforest for the transitions from darkness into light, and from daylight to dark. The sound pieces feature the calls and voices of thousands of species, including the howls and shrieks of black howler and spider monkeys, the musicality of diverse birdsong and the shimmering and hissing of tree frogs and cicadas. A highly sensory and captivating experience, Whispering in the Leaves is a remarkable demonstration of the power of sound recordings and natural history broadcast to transport us to far flung, inaccessible and often extraordinary locations.
LISTINGS INFORMATION
Venue: Sunderland Museum & Winter Gardens, Burdon Road, Sunderland, SR1 1PP
Free entry, opening hours: Mon – Sat 10am – 5pm, Sun 2pm – 5pm.
T: 0191 553 2323 / W: www.twmuseums.org.uk/sunderland
Installation: Fri 29 Feb – Sun 9 Mar 08
Live performance: Thurs 6 Mar 08, 8.30 – 9.00pm
FREE but limited capacity to register your interest contact info@avfestival.co.uk
A full press release can be downloaded here
Bill Oddie on Richard & Judy | C4 9th January 2008
Bill Oddie was singing the praises of Chris Watson on a recent episode of ‘Richard and Judy’ on Channel 4 TV…
Meanwhile over on BBC2, Bill Oddie’s new series “Bill Oddie’s Wild Side” started on January 9th. With sound by Chris Watson, and video footage by John Aitchison, this series continues on Wednesday night’s on BBC2…
Bill Oddie, cameraman John Aitchison and sound recorder Chris Watson reveal the hidden lives of Britain’s wildlife. John lies in wet sand for seven hours to film small birds.
Chris is asked by Bill to demonstrate his parabolic reflector and his sonic coathanger! Those who have attended his Wildeye sound recording courses will know exactly what he is talking about.
“Its not noise, Bill. Its SOUND!”
Broadcast nominates Chris Watson in Hot 100
Hot 100 Craft and Post
Chris has been named in Broadcast’s ‘Hot 100’ hottest names currently working behind the scenes in TV.
Chris Watson has worked closely with two of the most high-profile natural history presenters in the business, David Attenborough and Bill Oddie. He is Oddie’s favourite sound man and the TV veteran says of Watson: “I don’t know anyone who is so intense yet so splendidly frivolous.” Watson became a sound recordist in 1981 when he joined Tyne Tees Television and is now widely regarded as one of the most creative sound artists in the business. His credits this year include the hugely popular Springwatch and Autumnwatch, and he received the Wildlife Film Asia Award for the BBC’s Galapagos: Born of Fire. Watson also creates for the radio, with credits including Soundscape: The Sea Swallow, Watersong and The Estuary all for BBC Radio 4. He states his interests as recording animals, habitats and atmospheres from around the world.
FIELD RECORDING IN THE CITY | London January 2008
Monday 28th January 2008
10am – 5pm
FIELD RECORDING IN THE CITY with CHRIS WATSON
We are delighted to welcome back natural sound recorder extraordinaire Chris
Watson for another field recording workshop following the sell-out success of his workshop as part of the Atmospheres festival in October 2007.
A voluntary recording session on the Sunday evening (27th Jan, 9pm – 1am) will allow attendees to gather recordings in a useful session in London lead by Chris himself, before the workshop commences on the Monday. The workshop will include a practical guide to techniques and equipment and also a critique of each attendees work. Cost includes refreshments, lunch, the Sunday evening session, and a copy of the workshop material on CD/DVD.
Cost: £50 (£40 Students)
UWE, Bristol Honorary Degree
UWE awards honorary degree to Chris Watson
On 1st December in Bristol Cathedral, a Doctorate of Technology Honorary Degree was conferred by the Pro Chancellor on Chris Watson
“The Honorary Degree is awarded in recognition of outstanding contributions to sound recording technology, especially in the field of natural history and documentary location sound”
“Weather Report” in The Guardian’s “1000 Albums to Hear Before You Die” List | November 2007
‘Weather Report’ is named in The Guardian’s ‘1000 Albums to Hear Before You Die’ List…
Watson is one of the world’s leading recorders of wildlife and natural phenomena, and here he edits his field recordings into a filmic narrative. The unearthly groaning of ice in an Icelandic glacier is a classic example of, in Watson’s words, putting a microphone where you can’t put your ears.
You can buy this album in the TouchShop
TS02 | Chris Watson – “Pacificus Oceanus”
Touch Sevens 02
7″ vinyl only
Cut by Jason at Transition 7th August 2007
Track list:
A. 3m
B. 10m
The voices and rhythms of the Humboldt current around the Galapagos Islands recorded April 2006 using a pair of Dolphin Ear Pro Hydrophones onto a NAGRA ARES-Pll digital audio recorder
Locked grooves…
