Neil Davidge
Neil Davidge is a record producer, songwriter, film score composer, musician, and occasional backing vocalist.
In 1996, Davidge, while working at Bristol’s famed Coach House studios, co-produced Massive Attack’s “The Hunter Gets Captured by the Game,” a song for the ‘Batman Forever’ soundtrack. Working in close collaboration with Massive’s Robert Del Naja (3D), Neil then had a key hand in shaping the sound of the band’s third album, 1998’s Q Award-winning ‘Mezzanine,’ including the huge, classic hit “Teardrop,” where Davidge coached a brilliant vocal from the pregnant and apprehensive Elizabeth Fraser. As with ‘Mezzanine,’ Massive Attack’s fourth album, ‘100th Window,’ was largely piloted by Davidge and 3D.
‘Heligoland,’ the fifth studio album by Massive Attack, was co-produced by Davidge and 3D, with additional production by Tim Goldsworthy. Davidge co-wrote 8 tracks (and produced/mixed the airplay hit “Paradise Circus”) as well as playing keyboards, bass, and guitar.
In 2004, Davidge took the lead as score producer with 3D on the Luc Besson movie ‘Danny The Dog,’ later renamed ‘Unleashed’ in the USA. This was followed by Davidge’s solo scores for ‘Bullet Boy,’ ‘Battle In Seattle,’ the Paul McGuigan-directed ‘Push,’ plus ‘Trouble The Water,’ which received an Oscar nomination for its score and won Best Documentary at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival. Working with Snoop Dogg on the end title track , Neil scored the music for ‘In Prison My Whole Life.’ He also provided additional music to the Warner Brothers blockbuster ‘Clash of the Titans.’
2012 saw the release of the ‘Halo 4’ soundtrack which Davidge composed, arranged, and recorded. The ‘Halo’ series of Xbox video games are among the biggest and best-selling ever, with the blockbuster ‘Halo’ franchise selling over 43 million game copies and generating nearly $3 billion in revenue.
Davidge’s critically-acclaimed soundtrack went on to set the official record as the highest-charting video game soundtrack ever, having reached #50 on the Billboard 200, #10 in the Independent Album Billboard chart, and #3 on the National Soundtrack Chart.
The original soundtrack was accompanied by a second album of remixes from some of the world’s leading DJ/producers, including Gui Boratto, Bobby Tank, KOAN Sound, and Sander Van Doorn.
2013 saw the release ‘Halo 4 Original Soundtrack Volume 2,’ and Neil recently composed the soundtrack for the film ‘Citizen Koch,’ which was directed by Academy Award-nominated filmmakers Carl Deal and Tia Lessin and premiered at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival.
Neil’s highly anticipated debut album ‘Slo Light’ (under the simple alias “Davidge”) was released in spring 2014 to critical acclaim. It features guest vocals from various collaborators, including the iconic Sandie Shaw, plus rising talents Cate Le Bon, Karima Francis, and more.
An album deeply-schooled in Bristol, beats, electronica, soundtracks, orchestral music and more, ‘Slo Ligh’’ creates a fantasy world in which tension, darkness, and beauty find the perfect equilibrium. The album is also sky-high on production values, with an unparalleled clarity and sonic depth. Following years of industry respect and renown, ‘Slo Light’ is a record that brings Davidge to the ears and minds of many discerning music lovers as a figure of talent and vision who’ll appeal to fans of sound-exploring producer/artists like Brian Eno, Lee Scratch Perry, Andrew Weatherall, and William Orbit.
Since completing ‘Slo Light,’ Neil has composed the score to the latest James Franco/Kate Hudson movie ‘Good People’ and has just finished the score to the Gareth Edwards-executive produced ‘Monsters: Dark Continent.’
