From the Grierson Trust website: “The Grierson Awards commemorate the pioneering Scottish documentary filmmaker John Grierson (1898 – 1972), famous forDrifters and Night Mail and the man widely regarded as the father of the documentary. Established in 1972, the Grierson Awards recognise and celebrate documentaries from Britain and abroad that have made a significant contribution to the genre and that demonstrate quality, integrity, creativity, originality and overall excellence.”

Director Toby Dye approached me with some very specific ideas about what he wanted the music for this film to sound like: modern, minimal and moody.

I was required to compose a main theme for the film’s protagonist Michael Mastromarino which could be arranged in two versions; when the character is first introduced and a version to illustrate his demise.

Other pieces were required to sensitively soundtrack the victim’s stories and to set the stage for the gruesome tale which was to unfurl.

From The D&AD website: “The White Pencil is awarded to a creative idea that changes the world for the better; an idea that demonstrates the ability to influence real and positive change in the world. Launched in 2011, the first competition will bear fruit in 2012 our 50th year and will galvanise the energy of the creative community around a pressing global issue.”

Go here to visit the D&AD website and read more about the White Pencil.

After selecting and editing the music for the two trailers last year I recently worked on all aspects of the music for the feature-length piece. Although not a history of hip hop music per se, the film examines elements of how this very American music movement was born, how it grew and gives some idea of the huge cultural impact it has had since exploding onto the world’s stage in the 1970s.

Featuring exclusive interviews with some of rap musics’ biggest hitters including Afrika Bambaata, Melle Mel, Snoop Dogg, Rakim, Q Tip, Eminem, Kanye West, Run DMC, Doug E Fresh, KRS One, Grandmaster Caz and many, many more…

The film contains classic and genre-defining hip hop records like “White Lines” and “Rapper’s Delight” as well as lesser-known tracks from cult artists and producers. I was also lucky enough to have some of my own beats included in the soundtrack.

Ice T takes us on a journey from the projects of New York city to the Hollywood hillside home of Dr. Dre via Eminem’s hometown of Detroit and (metaphorically) all points in between.

Classic raps from to camera from Grandmaster Caz, Rakim, Eminem, Melle Mel, Q Tip, Joe Budden and so many others combined with a rich and filmic visual style make this an absolute must for hardcore hip hop fans and the simply musically curious besides.

I travelled to the Yeo Valley factory just outside Bristol in the West of England and spent the day recording yogurt being made: the cows eating the lush, green grass then being milked; the sound of the milk being churned in the huge metal vats, the yogurt slurping into the pots and everything in between!

The client wanted a musical track made up from all of these elements but to sound as organic as possible and this is the result.