Benson Taylor FRSA (born Mark Davison 10 September 1983)[2] is an English composer, songwriter, record producer, and humanitarian. He is best known for his work on film, television and video game scores. In November 2016, Taylor was awarded an honorary doctorate for services to humanitarian causes and music.[3][4]
Benson Taylor | |
---|---|
Born | Mark Davison 10 September 1983 Bradford, West Yorkshire, England |
Alma mater | University of California, Los Angeles |
Occupation(s) | Composer, songwriter, remixer, DJ, record producer, label owner, businessman |
Children | 2 |
Musical career | |
Genres | Ambient, classical, film score, electronic, dark ambient, hip hop, Post-industrial, experimental music, alternative rock |
Instrument(s) | Trumpet, piano, synthesizers, music sequencer, drum machine |
Years active | 2009–present |
Labels | Decca, Universal Music, EMI Music Publishing, Warner Music Group, Sony/ATV |
Website | bensontaylor |
He founded A Remarkable Idea in 2017, a sub label of Universal Music, located in Santa Monica, California and London. Taylor has collaborated with, and produced many artists for the label, including MOBO-winning jazz quartet Kairos 4Tet, The Halle Orchestra, Mercury Prize-nominated Maxïmo Park and Kele Okereke, Bloc Party, Good Charlotte's Billy Martin, Pulled Apart by Horses, Robot Koch, Lack of Afro, Benoît Pioulard, Freddie Cowan, Bo Ningen, James Brown, and Menace Beach.[5][6] He founded Luco in 2020, a Los Angeles and San Francisco based music company in partnership with Warner Music Group, publishing catalogues and developing AI technologies.[7]
Taylor won the "Best Original Music" award at the 2014 Monaco International Film Festival. In 2018, he scored and produced the music to Mathew Cullen's thriller adaptation of the Martin Amis novel, London Fields, starring Billy Bob Thornton, Amber Heard, Jason Isaacs, Cara Delevingne, Theo James and Johnny Depp. In 2020, he scored the music for the film, Chick Fight, starring Bella Thorne, Alec Baldwin and Malin Akerman. He co-wrote original songs with Bones UK and he served as the film's executive producer.[1][8][9]
Taylor is an goodwill ambassador for the UK aid agency CAFOD, part of Caritas Internationalis,[10][11] and a goodwill ambassador for the Cambodian Children's Trust.[12] He is patron of the British based charity, Music and the Deaf. Taylor was appointed the first ambassador of the Leeds Conservatoire, and in November 2021, he was installed as the first honorary Composer in Residence at the University of Huddersfield, both in the United Kingdom.[13][14]
He is a resident DJ on Los Angeles based radio station Dublab,[15] and a guest DJ on NTS Radio in London.[16]
Life and career
editBorn in Brontë Country, Bradford, Taylor later studied composition at the University of California, Los Angeles. After UCLA, he mentored with American composer, Mark Mancina, and studied privately with orchestrator, Hummie Mann.[17][18] His style of music has a British influence, often working a classic film score sound amongst electronics, and other musical settings.[19][20]
He began writing music at a young age as a trumpet player.[21] Whilst working as a jingle producer at Key 103 in Manchester, England he opened a studio producing scores for American television, including Two and a Half Men, 30 Rock, 90210, and The Big Bang Theory, as well as producing music for the Super Bowl between 2010 and 2014.[22] Taylor's music has been widely used across international advertising campaigns, including Nissan in 2017,[23] McDonald's in 2018,[24][25] Jose Cuervo's 2015[26] campaign and a collaboration in 2011 with CeeLo Green for the Las Vegas Tourist Board.[27][28]
In 2011, Taylor made his London West End theatre debut co-composing the electronic music for Derek Bond's production of the play Many Moons.[29][30]
In June 2013, music publishers Fairwood Music announced that they had added Taylor to their roster of artists which includes David Bowie, U2, The Selecter, Cat Stevens, The Average White Band, Bob Marley, and J.J. Cale. Taylor told British magazine Music Week, "I'm extremely humbled to join their roster, amongst some of the most recognised talents in the world. Here's hoping some of it will rub off on me!"[31][32]
In November 2014, Taylor was a Grand Juror at the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival alongside director Tomasz Wasilewski.[33][34][35]
In 2016, Taylor produced soundtracks for US talk shows, including, Late Night With Seth Meyers[36] and Jimmy Kimmel Live. He has twice contributed music to the Netflix produced series, Orange Is the New Black. Taylor's music has also appeared in the sixth series of Justified, the first series of How to Get Away with Murder, the second series of Ray Donovan, and in the 2015 Kroll Show.[37][38]
Taylor scored and produced the music to Mathew Cullen's thriller, London Fields in 2015, starring Billy Bob Thornton, Theo James, Cara Delevingne, Amber Heard and Johnny Depp. Due to legal problems between the director and producers, the film was not released until September 2018, three years after Taylor had finished the musical score.[39][40][41] As well as writing the musical score, Taylor collaborated with Toydrum and Bat for Lashes to cover Patsy Cline's "Walkin' After Midnight", and also with James Bagshaw from the British band Temples, covering "How Do You Sleep" from John Lennon's Imagine album, both tracks were recorded specifically for the film.[42][43]
In December 2021, Taylor's music was performed live by an orchestra and the Italian Mayor of Florence, Dario Nardella, in a returning Christmas tradition celebrating the city and its residents. The concert took place in the Salone Dei Cinquecento in Florence's Palazzo Vecchio.[44]
Taylor is a professional member of the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors.[45] He was styled as the "New Sound of Hollywood" by MovieScope magazine in its 24th issue in 2011.[46]
Taylor has a monthly show on the Los Angeles based Dublab,[47] and he is a guest DJ on NTS Radio in London.[16]
Business ventures
editSince 2020, Taylor has invested in Luco, a music company in partnership with Warner Chappell Music and Warner Music Group, focused on catalogues and developing AI technologies.[48]
In 2017, Taylor founded A Remarkable Idea, a music label based in Santa Monica in Los Angeles, and in London. The label produces music for film, television and video games. Taylor has collaborated with artists for A Remarkable Idea including The Halle orchestra, Maxïmo Park and Kele Okereke of Bloc Party, Pulled Apart by Horses, Robot Koch, Lack of Afro, Kairos 4Tet, Bo Ningen, Good Charlotte's Billy Martin, and ambient artists such as Benoît Pioulard.[5] Taylor previously ran his label, Insidious Music, which is now defunct after being acquired.[49]
The label has licensed music to television shows such as Grey's Anatomy, House, Revenge, Unusual Suspects, Breaking Bad, Masterchef, Gordon Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares, White Collar, The Oprah Winfrey Show, 24 and NFL on Fox.
In March 2014, through his publishing company, Taylor licensed a large catalogue of musical works in partnership with Peter Gabriel's CueSongs, and a smaller subsidiary of the catalogue to the Japanese national broadcaster, Nippon Hōsō Kyōkai.
He frequently records with the British orchestra, The Hallé, and they regularly perform his works in concert.[50] As part of his commercial recordings in 2015, he developed a short term education programme for students.[51][52]
Personal life
editTaylor splits his time between Tuscany, Yorkshire, and Los Angeles. He is married and has two children, who have dual citizenship in both the United Kingdom and Italy.[53][27][10]
His third great grandfather, George Davison, was the maternal uncle of John D. Rockefeller, the founder of Standard Oil.[54] Taylor is Roman Catholic.[10][55]
Humanitarian and activism work
editTaylor supports several charities globally,[56] including and was one of the founding committee members of the homeless charity Emmaus Bradford in West Yorkshire, England. He is also a goodwill ambassador for the Cambodian Children's Trust in Battambang, which works towards freeing children from severe poverty, and alongside the Cambodian government to end orphan tourism.[57][58] Taylor is the patron of the charity, Music and the Deaf, based in Britain.
Alongside Patrick Stewart, Lena Headey and Jodie Whittaker, in 2017, Taylor took part in a photography exhibition in Huddersfield raising awareness around the downgrading of services at Huddersfield Royal Infirmary. He spoke of his children being born there.[59][60]
Taylor is a known supporter of the NGO Médecins Sans Frontières, and the United Nations Refugee Agency,[61] producing music to support their awareness campaigns. He has worked alongside the World Food Programme for several years promoting zero hunger in Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Cambodia, and on the African continent. In June 2018, he travelled to the Bidi Bidi Refugee Settlement in Uganda with the WFP to raise awareness for World Refugee Day. Whilst in Uganda, he worked alongside refugee musicians from South Sudan.[62][63][64]
He is an ambassador for the international aid agency for the catholic church, CAFOD,[65] working to raise global awareness and fight poverty and injustice in communities across Africa, Asia and Latin America.[10]
In 2016, he was appointed the first ambassador of the music conservatoire, Leeds College of Music in the United Kingdom.[14]
On 26 June 2018, Alzheimer's Research UK released an educational film produced by Aardman Animations. The film was narrated by Simon Pegg and the music was produced by Taylor. It went viral the morning of its release after being shared by the British actor Stephen Fry, former British prime minister, David Cameron, Jeff Bridges, Richard Branson, film director Ron Howard and actors Andy Serkis and Bryan Cranston.[66][67][68][69][70][71][72]
Recognition and honors
editIn 2014, Taylor became a fellow of the Royal Society of Arts in London, and in November 2016 was also honoured with an honorary degree from University of Bradford for his services to humanitarian causes.[4][58][73][74] In November 2021, Taylor was installed as the first Composer in Residence at the University of Huddersfield.[13]
Musical works
editFilm scores
editYear | Title | Role | Director | Studio(s) |
---|---|---|---|---|
2007 | Brooklyn Rules | Composer (Additional Music) |
Michael Corrente | Southpaw Entertainment The Weinstein Company |
2009 | Hellbilly 58[75] | Composer (Additional Music) |
Russ Diaper | Sledge Films |
2010 | Cocaine Saints | Composer | Matt Reiker | Reiker Respect Entertainment Miramax |
2014 | Fear of Water | Composer | Kate Lane | KL Dream Pictures M4West Media |
2014 | Dark House | Composer | Victor Salva | Charles Agron Productions Paladin |
2014 | The Perfect Dictatorship | Composer | Luis Estrada | Bandidos Films |
2018 | London Fields | Composer | Mathew Cullen | Muse Productions Lionsgate |
2020 | You See Me | Composer |
Gray Hughes | Ridley Scott Scott Free Productions |
2021 | Chick Fight | Composer Executive Producer |
Paul Leyden | Yale Productions Idiot Savant Pictures |
Recent TV scores
editVideo games
editYear | Title | Role | Studio(s) |
---|---|---|---|
2009/10 | CSI: Deadly Intent[75] | Additional Music Composer | CBS Television Network Ubi Soft |
Awards and honors
editIn November 2016, Kate Swann awarded Taylor with an honorary doctorate from the University of Bradford for his services to music and humanitarian causes, making him the youngest person to date to receive the award. In November 2021, Taylor was installed as the first honorary Composer in Residence at the University of Huddersfield.[13]
Taylor was honoured with a Fellowship of the Royal Society of Arts in 2015.[4][58][76]
He won Best Original Music for his score to Fear of Water at the 2014 Monaco International Film Festival[77] as judged by film director Roland Joffé.
Year | Work | Category | Festival/Event | Results |
---|---|---|---|---|
2014 | Fear of Water | Best Original Music | Monaco International Film Festival | Won |
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b Meena Shamaly. "Benson Taylor Interview". Filmsandgamecomposers.com. Retrieved 3 October 2015.
- ^ "Benson Taylor's Age". IMDb.com. 28 August 2015. Retrieved 29 August 2015.
- ^ "Bradford University to honour figures from world of health and music at graduation ceremonies". Telegraph & Argus. Newsquest Media Group Ltd. 23 November 2016. Retrieved 3 December 2024.
- ^ a b c "Hundreds of proud students enjoy first day of University graduation ceremonies". Telegraph & Argus Bradford. Newsquest Media Group Ltd. 30 November 2016. Retrieved 3 December 2024.
- ^ a b "Taylor signs mercury prize nominated artists". Garth Hellier. Retrieved 6 April 2018.
- "Universal Music Signing". Lauren Sampton. Retrieved 5 January 2018. - ^ "A Remarkable Idea & Universal Music Publishing Group". Simon Davies. Retrieved 19 November 2017.
- ^ "LUCO®". LUCO® Music Group. Retrieved 13 April 2024.
- ^ "Benson Taylor to Score London Fields film". Film Music Reporter. 9 June 2014. Retrieved 13 April 2015.
- ^ "London Fields Movie at TIFF 2015". Toronto International Film Festival. Archived from the original on 9 September 2015. Retrieved 9 September 2015.
- ^ a b c d "Composer Benson Taylor appointed celebrity ambassador". CAFOD Aid Agency. Retrieved 8 March 2017.
- ^ "Our celebrity ambassadors". CAFOD. Retrieved 25 March 2017.
- ^ "Benson Taylor Becomes Goodwill Ambassador". Cambodian Children's Trust. 4 November 2014. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 5 November 2014.
- ^ a b c "Benson Taylor named as Composer in Residence". hud.ac.uk. University of Huddersfield. Retrieved 10 November 2021.
- ^ a b Hartley, Kath (6 January 2017). "Benson Taylor appointed Film Music ambassador at LCoM". Leeds College of Music. Retrieved 21 May 2018.
- ^ "Dublab".
- ^ a b David Connolly. "Benson Taylor NTS Radio Show". NTS. Retrieved 10 March 2019.
- ^ "Benson Taylor Award Winning Film Composer". Jamsphere.com. Retrieved 2 May 2015.
- ^ "Official website". Bensontaylor.com. Retrieved 2 May 2015.
- ^ "Fired Earth Music Interviews "Spirited" Composers". APM Music. 23 April 2012. Archived from the original on 4 May 2012. Retrieved 7 February 2013.
- ^ "Q&A with composer Benson Taylor". Future Composer. 12 March 2014. Archived from the original on 13 April 2014. Retrieved 12 March 2014.
- ^ "News". Dioceseofleeds.org. 29 July 2023.
- ^ Benson Taylor (17 November 2011). "Benson Taylor: The New Sound of Hollywood". Movie Scope. Archived from the original on 1 September 2013. Retrieved 7 February 2013.
- ^ Roveet Amun. "Nissan Sentra 舒適鑑賞篇 完整版". YouTube. Nissan. Archived from the original on 15 December 2021. Retrieved 21 April 2019.
- ^ Felipe Ascacibar. "McDonald's – 'Lucky summer'". Ad Forum. Retrieved 22 September 2018.
- ^ "McDonald's – Lucky Summer". YouTube. Archived from the original on 15 December 2021. Retrieved 23 September 2018.
- ^ Concerned Customer. "2015 Jose Cuervo Global Advertising Campaign". YouTube. Archived from the original on 15 December 2021. Retrieved 16 July 2015.
- ^ a b "5 minutes with Benson Taylor". TrailerMusicNews.com. 31 January 2012. Retrieved 22 March 2013.
- ^ Imran Hussain. "Big Bang Theory Music". El Cinema. Retrieved 26 October 2014.
- ^ Ian Foster (22 May 2011). "Many Moons – Theatre503, London". The Public Reviews. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 24 April 2015.
- ^ "Benson Taylor". Soundtrack.Net. Retrieved 7 February 2013.
- ^ "Lulu, Full Official Chart History". Official Charts Company. 20 May 1964. Retrieved 25 May 2015.
- ^ Simon Bicks. "Fairwood Signs Taylor…". Music Week. Retrieved 25 February 2013.
- ^ Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival. "2014 POFF Grand Jury". POFF. Archived from the original on 10 May 2015. Retrieved 5 November 2014.
- ^ Bruno Chatelin. "2014 Benson Taylor Juror". Filmfestivals.com. Retrieved 5 November 2014.
- ^ "2014 Black Nights announces diverse International Competition". Cineuropa. 5 November 2014. Retrieved 5 November 2014.
- ^ "Yuna Performs "Used To Love You" On "Late Night With Seth Meyers"". Headline Planet. 25 July 2016. Retrieved 19 March 2017.
- ^ "Orange Is The New Black". whawa.com. 5 October 2014. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 24 April 2015.
- ^ "INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION PROGRAMME JURY". POFF. 5 October 2014. Archived from the original on 10 May 2015. Retrieved 24 April 2015.
- ^ Child, Ben (18 September 2015). "Toronto cancels London Fields premiere after director Mathew Cullen sues producers". Theguardian.com.
- ^ Buchanan, Kyle (5 June 2018). "Watch the NSFW Trailer for the Controversial Amber Heard–Johnny Depp Movie London Fields". Vulture. Retrieved 14 June 2018.
- ^ "ЛОНДОНСКИЕ ПОЛЯ" [London Fields]. Kino Expo (in Russian). Retrieved 25 August 2018.
- ^ "Benson Taylor London Fields Interview". Meena Shamaly. Retrieved 3 October 2015.
- ^ "British Council Film: London Fields". British Council.
- ^ "Christmas kicks off in Florence with official Palazzo Vecchio concert". www.theflorentine.net. Retrieved 16 December 2021.
- ^ Oscar Wilde. "Benson Taylor". BASCA. Archived from the original on 23 April 2013. Retrieved 25 February 2013.
- ^ "Benson Taylor appointed Film Music ambassador at LCoM". Leeds College of Music. 6 January 2017.
- ^ "Dublab".
- ^ "LUCO®". LUCO®. Retrieved 13 April 2024.
- ^ "Insidious Music". Insidiousmusic.com. Archived from the original on 17 November 2012. Retrieved 25 February 2013.
- ^ "Benson's Concert". twitter.com.
- ^ Taylor, Benson (12 April 2017). "Storm.pic.twitter.com/MS1Eyuiu8a". Twitter.com.
- ^ "Halle". Twitter.com.
- ^ "At the pub (When we could) with Benson Taylor". 18 March 2021.
- ^ Downes, Simon (19 December 2021). "Why I Love Huddersfield". Huddersfield Hub. Retrieved 24 December 2021.
- ^ "Acclaimed composer so proud to be a CAFOD ambassador". Catholic News. 12 March 2017. Retrieved 17 March 2017.[permanent dead link ]
- ^ Debbie Matthews (4 September 2014). "Celebrity Charity Chinwag". Halifax Courier. Archived from the original on 23 April 2015. Retrieved 30 September 2014.
- ^ "Benson Taylor Becomes Goodwill Ambassador in Cambodia". Cambodian Children's Trust. 4 November 2014. Archived from the original on 10 June 2016. Retrieved 4 November 2014.
- ^ a b c Chloe Glover (15 April 2015). "Birkby film composer Benson Taylor honoured with fellowship into Royal Academy of Arts for selfless volunteer work". Huddersfield Examiner. Retrieved 15 April 2015.
- ^ "Sir Patrick Stewart & Benson Taylor support HRI". Wordsmith76. Archived from the original on 1 December 2017. Retrieved 21 June 2017.
- ^ Hemingway, Olivia (13 September 2017). "HRI photography series and stories". Oliviahemingway.wordpress.com.
- ^ Taylor, Benson (27 October 2018). "I did some music in support of @UNHCRUSA. Please watch and share. #WithRefugees …". Twitter.com.
- ^ "United Nations Support". Twitter. Retrieved 3 January 2017.
- ^ "Composer Benson Taylor joins the United Nation's World Food Programme to highlight World Refugee Day". Thelondoneconomic.com. 20 June 2018. Archived from the original on 27 April 2020. Retrieved 23 June 2018.
- ^ Dickinson, Michael (20 June 2018). "UK Composer & Producer BENSON TAYLOR Joins the UNITED NATION'S World Food Programme in Uganda to highlight World Refugee Day". Vulturehound.co.uk.
- ^ "Acclaimed composer so proud to be a CAFOD ambassador". 24/7 Catholic News. 12 March 2017. Retrieved 19 March 2017.[permanent dead link ]
- ^ "Simon Pegg narrates new dementia awareness film". The Irish News. 25 June 2018.
- ^ "Simon Pegg narrates new dementia awareness film | BT". Home.bt.com. 26 June 2018. Retrieved 19 May 2020.
- ^ "AlzheimersResearchUK (@ARUKnews)". twitter.com.
- ^ "Huge thanks to @_bensontaylor for composing and kindly donating the soundtrack to our latest dementia awareness film #DementiaUncovered …". AlzheimersResearchUK. 26 June 2018.
- ^ Bridges, Jeff (11 July 2018). "Dementia takes so much from us. We must support research to beat the diseases that cause it. Help @ARUKnews by watching and sharing this film they made with @SimonPegg and @ricoheurope. #DementiaUncovered". Twitter.com.
- ^ Serkis, Andy (9 July 2018). "Dementia affects so many families around the world, yet many people don't truly understand what it is. This film from @SimonPegg, @ARUKnews and @ricoheurope can help change this. Please watch and share #DementiaUncovered". Twitter.com.
- ^ Cranston, Bryan (2 July 2018). "One in three people born today will develop dementia. That's really shocking. We must support @ARUKnews and their research. Please watch and share this film they made with @ricoheurope and the wonderful @SimonPegg #DementiaUncovered". Twitter.com.
- ^ Stephan Lurie. "Taylor enters Royal Society". Thepost.com.com. Archived from the original on 25 April 2015. Retrieved 25 April 2015.
- ^ "2016 Benson Taylor receives Honorary Degree from Bradford University". Twitter. Brian Lesser. Retrieved 20 June 2016.
- ^ a b "Benson Taylor Game Scores on IMDb". IMDb.com. 2010. Retrieved 27 February 2019.
- ^ "2016 Benson Taylor receives Honorary Degree from Bradford University". Twitter. Brian Lesser. Retrieved 20 June 2016.
- ^ "Angel Film Awards – Monaco International Film Festival 2013". Monaco Film Festival. Retrieved 26 April 2015.