Max de Wardener

Max de Wardener is a British composer, producer and multi-instrumentalist^[1] known for his scores for film and television and his work in jazz, classical, world and electronic music.

Career

Since graduating from York University and the Guildhall School of Music and Drama,^[2] he has written music for film and television, including Pawel Pawlikowski's feature films Last Resort (2000) and The Woman in the Fifth (2011), and Jerry Rothwell's 2008 documentary Heavy Load.^[3]

As a bass player, he has appeared on albums by Dani Siciliano, Matthew Herbert, Róisín Murphy, Simon Bookish and Plaid^[4] and is a member of the Zimbabwean Mbira player Chartwell Dutiro's band.^[1]

Inspired by Harry Partch, de Wardener has built some unusual percussion instruments for use in his compositions, including a Bass Marimba^[5] and a set of "Cloud Chamber Bowls".^[6]

His work as a classical composer includes commissions for the Elysian String Quartet,^[7] the London Symphony Orchestra^[8] and a multimedia piece for the percussionist Joby Burgess.^[9]

In 2008, collaborating with the singer/songwriter Mara Carlyle under the name "Max de Mara", he released an EP on Stanley Donwood's Six Inch Records^[10] titled Classist.

To date, his solo discography comprises three albums and two EPs on Mathew Herbert's label, Accidental Records. His first EP, Stops, is a combination of electronic music and recordings of a church organ.^[11] His discography also includes remixes for Gabriel Prokofiev, John Richards and Efterklang.^[12]

In 2021 he composed the score to the feature film The Power with the electronic music composer Gazelle Twin.^[13]

Solo discography

Albums

• Where I Am Today (2004)
• Kolmar (2019)
• Music for Detuned Pianos (2020)^[14]

EPs

• Stops (2002)
• Classist (2018, with Mara Carlyle)

References

1. "Serious: Max de Wardener". Retrieved 6 August 2011.^{[permanent dead link‍]}
2. "Max de Wardener - Kings Place". Archived from the original on 23 July 2011. Retrieved 6 August 2011.
3. "Max de Wardener - IMDb". Retrieved 6 August 2011.
4. "Max de Wardener Discography at Discogs". Retrieved 6 August 2011.
5. "Percussion Clinic". Archived from the original on 9 December 2010. Retrieved 6 August 2011.
6. "Mixing It". Archived from the original on 30 March 2012. Retrieved 6 August 2011.
7. "Wakefield Live Music Project". Retrieved 6 August 2011.^{[permanent dead link‍]}
8. "The Singing Violin". Retrieved 6 August 2011.
9. "About Joby Burgess". Retrieved 6 August 2011.
10. "Wears The Trousers, 4 December 2008". Retrieved 6 August 2011.
11. "Casper Clausen of Efterklang unearths Max De Wardener's hidden electronic gem". Archived from the original on 24 May 2011. Retrieved 10 August 2011.
12. "Max de Wardener Discography at Discogs". Retrieved 6 August 2011.
13. "Max de Wardener | Composer, Music Department, Soundtrack". IMDb. Retrieved 1 November 2024.
14. Cardew, Ben (20 March 2020). "Max de Wardener: Music for Detuned Pianos Album Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved 22 March 2020.

External links

• Official website
• Accidental records biography page on Max de Wardener
• Serious biography page on Max de Wardener^{[permanent dead link‍]}