Nick Turner

Background

About Nick Turner

Nick Turner has worked in the music industry for over thirty years as sound artist, producer, engineer, performer, and writer. He founded Watercolour Music in Lochaber in 1994, building the business up from a single room recording studio in a disused hotel function suite to its current position as one of the country’s most sought-after recording locations in purpose-built premises in Ardgour, Lochaber, overlooking Loch Linnhe and Ben Nevis. Nick divides his time between production and recording commissions at Watercolour Music’s studios, and his own creative and writing projects, with a particular passion for song-writing and sound design. He was the lead writer in the award-winning Talamh Beò, a writing, recording and performance community project for Coigeach & Assynt Living Landscape. He has been in residence as Sound Artist in Association for Aberdeen Performing Arts, He was also Artist in Residence at the ØY Festival in Papa Westray, Orkney. In association with SAMS (The Scottish Association for Marine Science) he developed ‘The Deep Sea Light’ sound installation project. He has engineered and co-produced many albums and TV series with his partner, Mary Ann Kennedy, including several albums for both Macmeanma, Greentrax Recordings, as well as for their own Watercolour label. He has completed projects for Rough Trade, Virgin V2, Sanctuary and Sony. Large scale collaborative projects include the recording and production of the orchestral soundtrack to the feature-length film version of ‘An Drochaid: The Bridge Rising’. He also oversaw the production of ‘Aiseag’, Watercolour’s commission as part of the Commonwealth Games/ PRSF New Music Biennial 2014 – a collaborative composition between lead artist Mary Ann Kennedy, Canadian composer Scott MacMillan, poet Aonghas MacNeacail and Nick as audio designer. He and Mary Ann continue to work together on projects including the 2016 Blas Festival Commission – Beul na h-Oidhche Gu Camhanaich (Mouth of the Night to First Light), a celebration of the night skies; Talamh Beò, and Mary Ann’s solo album projects, ‘An Dàn’ (2017) and ‘Glaschu – Hometown Love Song’ (2019) on the international world music label ARC Music. For the last few years most of these projects have included an audio-visual element. Nick’s filming and editing has now evolved into televisual delivery with the latest documentary Triall broadcast on MG Alba. Along with Mary Ann, he has also just finished an advisory role to the Glenbarr Community Development Association story archive.