Archived audio cues

The Poozies Neptune Infinite Blue Pure Records 1999

The renaissance of traditional song composition has been spearheaded by artists such as Kate Rusby. This has thrown up new challenges for both artist and producer - keeping traditional structures but bringing out really strong vocal and instrumental performances and setting them against a relevant contemporary arrangement.

This track in particular shows how we've attempted to achieve that. It weaves together harps, accordion and acoustic guitar against a really dry vocal from Kate to evoke the swell of the sea.

I love hearing Kate's Lancashire accent coming through and the way it works with the striking and simple arrangements.

Salsa Celtica El Portobello Malecon The Great Latin Adventure Greentrax Records 2000

With a line-up of an 8 piece brass section, a 5 piece percussion section, bagpipes, accordions, piano, guitar, bass, fiddles and everybody wanting to sing, this album was quite a challenge. What is particularly rewarding is the huge reception the album has had in North and South America. The Great Latin Adventure has achieved Top Ten placings in both European World Music charts and the Canadian Mundial World Music Charts. Go to Salsa Celtica's site.

Ealtainn Mac TV BBC Scotland Arts Series © 2002

The music brief for this Gaelic arts series was to compose an up beat title piece with a world music feel.

Sun Worshipers Caledonia Sterne and Wyld / BBC2 BBC2 feature length documentary © 2002

Science meets art c1830.

This feature length drama / documentary , directed by Les Wilson and based on the work of photography pioneers Hill and Adamson, moves between the early 19th centuary and the present day. The programme also features Lord Snowdon and Robbie Coltraine. Three music cues, which feature strings, mandolin and electro beats, have been edited together here to give you the full scope of the project.

The Real Tartan Army Caledonia Sterne and Wyld 6 programme series BBC 2 © 2002

This rousing title track for the BBC2 series of six programmes is written for bagpipes and brass section with a bit of military funk drum core thrown in for good measure.

Taggart, Fire Burn SMG / ITV1 ITV1 2 hr Network Drama © 2002

'The Bomber's Theme'

The music for this 2 hour special underscores a dark, multi-layered story-line directed by Mike Alexander. Mike was keen from the start on an abstract / soundscape approach to the music, encouraging it to become part of the fabric of the film. The composition process developed through sitting in on location filming, developing music ideas with the director and then composing directly to picture - the composing and recording process being one and the same.

This extract uses a sample of an aviary; the sound of the birds pitched down creates a dark whooping sound which forms a bed for this character's theme.

Taggart, Fire Burn SMG / ITV1 ITV1 2 hr Network Drama © 2002

Final Scene / Reid's Theme

As tension mounts towards the final physical confrontation, this more lyrical music theme reflects the key character's own internal feelings - a process repeated throughout the film where the composition underscores action but also gives shape to character's thoughts and feelings. Mike Alexander, the director, was often in the studio during the composition and recording process, a creative collaboration which was good for both composer and director especially for this dramatic closing scene.

King Jamie and the Angel Caledonia Sterne and Wyld 6 programme series, Channel 4 © 2001

The brief, from director Les Wilson, for this historical drama for children was to create music which fitted the period (James VI) but which might also appeal to modern children. Here two cues showing this run together - the first featuring a bowed psaltery and reed pipes was used as King Jamie's theme and the second, where the scene shows a satanic incantation, is underscored by a 'satanic electro beat box'!

Atmospheric Sound Scapes Montage

This short audio montage begins with 'Victoria and Begonia' -a dark moody piece featuring jazz brushes, fire sticks and the pitched down creak of a Saughton prison door mixing into a cut from the film As an Eilean. The montage continues with Ally Bain's fiddle, with banjo from Gary Finlayson, layered with the 'wild track' of a Shanghai street scene, which then mixes into…Time Quines. This piece for three voices was commissioned by Caledonia Sterne and Wyld for opening music for the STV series of the same name.

Play Me Something bfi 1989

Bruno is a character in the John Berger / Tim Neat film Play Me Something for which this music was commissioned. Bruno loves Marietta and plays trombone for her in the film as a kind of melancholy serenade.

This film won the much-coveted Europa prize at the 1989 Barcelona Film Festival, and was Jim's first feature film. Jim also took Berger's voice, manipulating it to create the sound of boats and vaporettas in Venice and weaving that into a bed of music and soundscape for the film. A second collaboration, the feature film Walk Me Home with the same team followed in 1993

An Ceasnachadh Pelicula Films Channel 4 2000

The Stone of Destiny in stolen and the police wind their way along a single track road in the opening scenes of this BBC Scotland drama. Directed by Mike Alexander, a long-standing collaborator with whom Jim has also worked on two feature films, As an Eilean for Pelicula and Mairi Mhor for Freeway Films, both of which enjoyed a tour of the film festivals. Jim and Mike also collaborated on Land of Europe a ten country ten programme European co-production broadcast in all European Countries and on CH4 in the UK.

The Easy Club Reel © 1984

Polkemet/ Grorud Pipe Band here performing one of Jim's most popular tunes 'the Easy Club Reel'

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