Chris Watson

Recently he collaborated with sound artist Benny Nilsen from Stockholm to produce 'Storm' which combines the music and raw power of an anti-cyclonic weather system stirring up the coast of North East England, its development out over the North Sea and the final descent onto the island of Gotland in the Baltic.

Recordings

Chris Watson has released 3 solo CDs for Touch:

Outside The Circle of Fire [1998, TO:37]
Stepping into The Dark [1996, TO:27]
Weather Report [2003, TO:47]

He has collaborated with Swedish sound artist BJNilsen on two CDs:

Storm [2007, Tone 27]
Wind [2001, Ash 6.5]

The album, Star Switch On [2002, Tone 18], features recordings based on his work by AER, Biosphere, Fennesz, Hazard, Philip Jeck, Mika Vainio as well as two original recordings by Chris.

Stepping into The Dark won an Award of Distinction at the 2000 Prix ARS Electronica Festival in Linz, Austria

Reviews of these CDs can be found on the Touch website.

TV

The Life of Birds for BBC TV - BAFTA Award for Best Factual Sound 1998 [David Attenborough]
The Life of Mammals for BBC TV 2001/2 [David Attenborough]
Talking with Animals for BBC TV 2001 [Charlotte Uhlenbroek]
Big Cat Diary for BBC TV 1998-2002 [Simon King/Saba Douglas-Hamilton/Jonathan Scott]
Life in the Undergrowth for BBC TV - BAFTA nominee for Best Factual Sound 2005 [David Attenborough]
Life in Cold Blood for BBC TV 2008 [David Attenborough]
Spring watch, Autumnwatch, Bill Oddie's Wild Side [all BBC TV]

Radio

A Swallow's Journey for BBC Radio 4 - Sony Radio Award Nominee 2002
A Small Slice of Tranquillity for BBC Radio 4 2003
Soundscape for BBC Radio 4 2004
The Oak Tree for BBC Radio 4 2006 - featured in BBC Radio's Pick of the Year
Sounds of the Galapagos for BBC Radio 4 2006
Soundscape: The Sea Swallow for BBC Radio 4 2006
Water Song for BBC Radio 4 2006
The Oak Tree for BBC Radio 4 2006
Nature: Starling Roost for BBC Radio 4 2007
The Reed Bed for BBC Radio 4 2007

Touch Radio

The Galapagos Islands - an audio diary 2006 and 2007

Installations & Artwork

Sound design workshop at CCA, Kitakyushu 2004
Tortuga Bay installation, Ultima, Oslo 2005
Weather Report performance Hibiki, Osaka 2005
Installations and talk at the BA Festival, York 2007
Installation for a radio art festival at Academy der Künste, Berlin 2007
Sleppet: Grieg Centenary, Norway 2007
The British Library, London 2007
Whispering in the Leaves installation, AV Festival, Sunderland 2008

Brief history profile

1972 to 1981: Cabaret Voltaire
1981 to 1984: Tyne Tees Television; sound recordist and founder member of The Hafler Trio
1985 to 1987: Royal Society for the Protection of Birds; sound recordist and other projects
1987 to 1993: freelance sound recordist
1994 to present: partner with Hoi Polloi Film & Video