Water Song
December 31st, 2007 by Russell DaviesSteve has raved about Chris Watson before. Maybe a couple of time actually. So I suspect he’s going to be a speechification staple, his recordings are just brilliant. And the way he layers them together, edits and moulds them. I know it’s a cliche, but it makes you listen to the world properly again. What’s extra special about this programme is also hearing from Mr Watson himself, explaining what excites him about this stuff. MP3 here.
I was just thinking how I’d love to hear this sensibility applied to the city when I noticed on Mr Watson’s website, that he’s leading a ‘Field Recording in the City’ workshop at the Museum of Garden History on January 28th. Must go to that.
January 1st, 2008 at 3:43 am
Wen we got started with speechification we wanted to uncover patterns, so that people like Chris Watson would become visible to listeners who’d never thought about programme personnel before. Lots of Radio 4 programmes and personalities are sadly under-promoted. Nobody knows when a show is on or who was involved in making it. I’m going to post another edition of The Archive Hour later because it was done by Ray Gosling, speech radio legend (and because it’s about shoes). I like to think that we’ll reveal all sorts of speech radio heroes (unsung or otherwise) as we go along.
January 1st, 2008 at 6:58 am
Chris Watson’s something of a legend in the world of field recordings and sound art - it’s great to see him here too. He has numerous great recordings out on Touch, is ex-Cabaret Voltaire and therefore a Sheffield legend too. Can totally recommend Outside the Circle of Fire and Storm, amongst recent releases. I’m immensely jealous of the ability to attend that workshop in London …
January 3rd, 2008 at 12:04 pm
And there you go! Like a little explosion of pattern finding! Chris Watson was in Cabaret Voltaire. How did I not know that? How could those two quite separate arcs of my life collide? I’ll stop going on about it now. Anyway, there’s a lovely podcast from Watson’s record label here: http://www.touchradio.org.uk/
January 3rd, 2008 at 7:01 pm
There’s another Chris Watson series on Radio 4 at the moment, or at least available on Listen again - The Estuary, about life on the Wash - lovely marshy sound
January 4th, 2008 at 8:32 pm
Ooh, I was listening to the Estuary just earlier on.