The Ponds- Original Soundtrack
Dai recently composed and performed the Original Soundtrack for the BAFTA-nominated film The Ponds-Still Waters Run Deep. Following a sell-out run in cinemas across the UK, the film was shown on BBC4 and is currently available on Netflix.
The Ballad of Berwick Street Market
In 2016, Dai composed “The Ballad of Berwick Street Market” which features the voices of the people who work on Soho’s 300 yr-old market, describing the work they do, what Berwick Street means to them and the threat to their livelihoods from the proposed privatisation of the market, with their words interwoven with other field recordings made in and around Soho to form the basis for the piece. He appeared on BBC Radio London shortly after the release to talk to Robert Elms about the work and the future of the market.
Since the recording of The Ballad of Berwick Street Market the stallholders have successfully campaigned to overturn Westminster’s privatisation plans and have secured the future of London’s oldest surviving street market. With thanks to: Sam, Leisha, Mark, Robin, Anna, Janosz, Louise and Rusen.
Liminalondon
“Liminalondon…..offers a distinctive and memorable modern twist on what London living sounds like today. A richly diverse and intelligently constructed concept album.” RoughTrade.com
“10 out of 10. Classical-ambient at its finest…. one of the most beautiful 2014 ambient albums I’ve come across.” The Siren Sound
” His subtle beats and obvious melodic sense brilliantly manages to take us on a far-reaching journey of the mind”. IRM
‘Liminalondon’ is a “psychogeographical” tour of the city, featuring ten instrumental tracks that interweave “found-sounds” with ambient and left-field electronica, acoustic and electronic beats and contemporary classical minimalism. The field recordings and conversations on the album were captured spontaneously by Dai in a variety of London locations, including The National Portrait Gallery, Hampstead Heath Ponds, Curzon Soho Café, The London Underground, along the banks of the Thames, The O2- not to mention several of London’s finest pubs and bars.
Dai plays acoustic and electric pianos, flute, acoustic and electric guitars, synths, electric bass and all the programming on the album; bassist Al Twist makes a guest appearance on the Soho-based track ‘Return of the Unreliable Narrator’.
Train Tracks and Travelogues Vol.2
‘Train Tracks and Travelogues Vol.2’, Dai Watts’ second full-length album for Academy Recordings, features nine electro-acoustic tracks interwoven with audio and field recordings to create over fifty minutes of continuous music. Combining melodic fragments, haunting vocal refrains, beat-based grooves and piano/orchestral minimalism, the album is a unique sonic impression of a journey by rail and sea across Mediterranean Europe and North Africa.
Dai recently featured as Musical Director, Arranger and Pianist for the Alpha Musical Stars Christmas Album, released in December 2020.
