David Downes is a Wellington-based composer and filmmaker who has pursued an individual path of creative work. As a composer, his work has been commissioned and performed by ensembles such as the New Zealand Chamber Orchestra, NZTrio, Stroma, Strike, Defying Gravity (Australia) and BackBeat (UK).
The first time I heard David’s music was in 1987. It was a tape piece called Diagram created on a 2-track recorder while he was still at high school, and I couldn’t fathom how he’d made this on such limited equipment. As digital samplers appeared in the 80’s and 90’s alongside new effects units and ever-evolving computer software and hardware, David continued to create mind-blowing, utterly original music that seemed to transcend what any of this gear was supposed to be able to do.
I was then, and still am, in awe of David and his music. He is one of the geniuses of contemporary sound and music, and Death Defying was created at the height of his musical imagination. He is a technological master who makes the wizardry invisible, letting the music speak for itself.
In the end, David’s lasting contribution will be as a great musician and producer, regardless of the medium. This release is a pivotal step toward introducing a new audience to this phenomenal collection of masterpieces.
John Psathas
ALBUM
01 Shards
02 Faultlines 1
03 Ironlung
04 Faultlines 2
05 POP
06 Death Defying
07 Descending
VIDEOS
01 Noise - theme and variations (1998)
02 Generation (2004)
03 Kingdom (2010)
04 Defense Mechanism (2013)
Shards was the opening soundscape for Lyne Pringle's 1995 dance production 'Kilt'.
Faultlines (1&2) were composed for the opening and closing dances in Michael Parmenter's 1995 autobiographical dance/theatre work 'A Long Undressing'.
Descending was the soundtrack for the final dance from Michael Parmenter's 1992 dance/theatre production ‘The Race’. The music was originally inspired by the work of Japanese composer Somei Satoh with whom David worked as composer's assistant in 1990.
Generation is a short computer-generated film/poem. Since it was produced in 2004 it has been screened at well over 50 international film festivals and won several awards.
Kingdom was originally commissioned by NZTrio as a concert piece for piano trio with a visual component. It was subsequently turned into a self-contained short film. The film revolves around a mother, father and child, and playfully explores the possibility of rhythmic rituals, symbols, and dark fantasies lurking beneath preparing and eating a family meal.
Defense Mechanism is a piece for Disklavier and solenoid activated drum kit. It was composed in 2013 when David was the Jack C Richards Creative New Zealand Composer in Residence at the New Zealand School of Music.
