Tune for Time Team (From Penarth Times)

Tune for Time Team

PENARTH composer Danny Chang has been signed up by Channel 4 to write the music for the new series of the hit show Time Team presented by Tony Robinson.

Danny Chang, who owns Nutopia Music and the Briarbanks recording studios in Penarth, is a prolific composer of television music.

Danny has also been commissioned to write the theme tune and all the incidental music for a new BBC gardening series called Gardening School featuring Dermot Gavin.

Time Team has been a huge success for Channel 4 and is credited with boosting the popular appeal of archaeology.

Time Team digs usually last only three days often on sites where funding is not available for other longer excavations.

Danny has written a long list of music scores including work for the UEFA Champions League and the soundtrack to animated German box office smash Felix.

Danny said: "When composing for film or television it is my role to interpret the director's brief. Sometimes he or she will not be able to convey this in musical terms so the music will have to go through a couple of changes until we get there. In the end, it's whatever is best for the film."

"How many real musicians I use is mainly down to budget. I always use one or two real players, as I feel it is this element that separates one composer from another. Amazing results can be achieved when combining clever sampling with real players, even on a large orchestral piece.

"For example, if I compose a string part using samples, overlay it with a small string section, and then double that section, I can achieve the'feel' of all the strings moving giving the full sound of a large orchestral string arrangement. This also applies to the brass and woodwind section."