Michael Nyman – The Draughtsman's Contract

In 1982 Cosey had done some film work on a couple of Peter Greenaway films and somehow, we got invited to see his new movie The Draughtsman's Contract. The soundtrack was by Michael Nyman, one of his best in my opinion. It's composed and played in a beautiful neoclassical, baroque style and is wonderfully expressive, haunting and very, very, very repetitive. Anyway Cosey liked the film but she hated the soundtrack, the repetition in it, which I guess is one of Nyman’s signature techniques and something I really admire, that influence of the minimalists that's in so much of what he does. Anyway, I got hold of the soundtrack and I have to admit I got slightly obsessed by it, playing it endlessly especially the track 'Chasing Sheep Is Best Left To Shepherds'. It was absolutely out of character and selfish of me but that’s how obsessions get you. It would drive Cosey mad, it still does. I’ve had it on my iTunes playlist forever but now I only play on headphones if I’m in the house, or if she’s gone out. It sounds great belting out on our big studio monitors. Even though it's a soundtrack it still stands up in its own right and works wonderfully regardless of Greenaway's marvellous film. Ironically, it being a contemporary classical album, this record has probably been more influential to my electronic composing, playing and performing in the last 15-20 years than any other album I can think of.