Award-Winning Composer & Arranger Christopher Elliott Signs To Nettwerk + Shares First Single “Stillness”
June 26, 2019 BY Nettwerk
Nettwerk is excited to announce the signing of award-winning London based composer & arranger Christopher Elliott to its label roster. The acclaimed artist has worked with some of music’s biggest acts, like the late, great Amy Winehouse, Mark Ronson, Adele, Rufus Wainwright to Depeche Mode and U.N.K.L.E.
Elliott’s sonic flourishes and embellishments have traversed genres, eras, and formats – he also found fame in film soundtracks, working on Baz Luhrmann’s Moulin Rouge! among others. However, after working behind the scenes for over two decades, Elliott is finally stepping out of the shadows, emerging with his sumptuous debut solo music.
Recorded at his own studio – a converted chapel in rural Essex, “Stillness” is Elliott’s debut single, an inspirational piece full of emotion, featuring soft, minimalist piano and a sumptuous string arrangement that he’s famed for. Listen below:
Downing his regular compositional tools and dipping his toes in the waters of improvisation and chance, Elliott’s forthcoming solo material soundtracks a particular time and place in his life. “I went into a kind of meditative state that allowed me to just react naturally to what I was actually playing, rather than thinking about it in a tonal way, I just used my ears”, he explains. “The music grew out of seeds of ideas, layered, shaped and developed.”
Film music is also a major touchstone for Elliott, who holds Thomas Newman and Yann Tiersen in high regard. “As a student I thought – there is this wonderful use of the orchestra here, thoroughly not classical, yet with a wonderful atmospheric sensibility.” It was during his three-year tenure studying at Devon’s renowned liberal arts college, Dartington – “surrounded by nature and wildlife” – that Elliott was introduced to contemporary classical composers Arvo Part and Henryk Górecki, as well as the American minimalist school of Steve Reich and John Adams. “These composers all knew about atmosphere in their music,” recalls Elliott. “That was the overriding influence for me.”
Christopher Elliott is currently putting the finishing touches to his debut release for Nettwerk. More news to follow soon.
