Dougie Evans is a director, composer, and digital artist. Born in 1986, they grew up in South East London and now live in Norwich. They started their career as a sound artist in 2008, later becoming Co-Artistic Director of Lîla Dance (2012-2018), and gradually including photography, film and other digital mediums over the years. Over their career they have created a huge variety of award winning dance and theatre productions, BBC productions, short films, animations, National Trust audio walks, and sound installations.

They were Co-Artistic Director of Lîla Dance,  working collaboratively with Abi and Carrie, on some truly beautiful and meaningful works which they will forever be proud of.  Some of their other collaborations for dance and theatre include, Commotion DanceIeva Kuniskis, Joli VyannLa Petite Mort Theatre, Floods of Ink, Tim Casson, Stopgap DanceYael Flexer & Nic Sandiland, The Ballet Boyz, Bootworks Theatre CollectiveThe Mayakaras,  Platform-K, Micadanses, Indepen-dance, Aya KobayashiLudus DanceKJ L Mortimer, and Jerrel Jackson Dance Company.

Their ability to mix recordings of everyday sounds and real instruments into their sound work is what sets them apart from other composers and sound designers. Their work, whether it’s a soundtrack for a show or an installation, always aims to transport the audience so that they really feel like they are in a fictional world, even if that world is abstract or electronic. The use of familiar sounds in sometimes unfamiliar ways has become their trademark sound design.

Participation has also been a dominant feature of their work, and throughout their career they have had the great pleasure of working with a diverse range of people. They take pride in embracing an environment of inclusivity having worked with some of the leading disabled and integrated dance companies in Europe, and delivering inclusive workshops for various organisations including NHS Sussex and Hampshire County Council.

Their visual work has a strong focus on portraits and documentary photography, capturing the beauty and interest of real people and real life.

If you’d like to discuss some ideas with me, then I would love to hear from you. You can email me at dougieevans[at]gmail.com

Reviews

“The drama is punctuated beautifully with Dougie Evans’s soundscapes − here the sound of outside traffic and there, the pull of a dreamy, surreal blend of effects.”

“Dougie Evans’ driving soundtrack includes sound collages and loops shaped from the technological jungle sounds of devices, apps and printers – perfectly showcased in the Skype/text routine with lush strings punctuated by loops of text pings and that trademark ringtone.”

“Dougie Evans’s jittery sound design makes ample use of ringtones, notification pings and Skype and email sound effects, often echoing or overlaying them until they become distorted and disturbing. The very familiarity of the noises, like the familiarity of the blue light, the hunched shoulders and the preoccupied face, is the root of the soundscape’s queasy power.”

“The music plays no small part in this. The sounds of modern technology – from the clicking sounds of typing on a smart phone to sell service check outs – create a show that feels incredibly current. At one point, the two dancers struggle to keep up with the sounds around them, demanding their attention, gradually getting faster and faster.”

Portfolio

Music for Film/TV/Media

I have music availble for Film, TV, and Media through Felt Music. Please go to Felt Music Library to buy a liscenced track.

If you have any questions about commisioning music for a trailer, advert, short film, or feature, then please don’t hesitate to get in contact.

Field Recordings

Devil’s Dyke Soundwalk

Movement- album by Dougie Evans

Recent projects

Still Here (short Film) by Compass Dance

Still Here puts disabled dancers in the spotlight. It celebrates human resilience, strength and vulnerability through beautiful dancing in magnificent locations across East Anglia. Featuring choreography developed with each dancer by Rosa Kentwood and Gaelin Little, stunning cinematography from Poppie Skold, and an original soundtrack from Dougie Evans...

Sound Design- The Hotel Experience

If you are wondering how we made the immersive soundtrack to Lîla Dance’s new show The Hotel Experience you’ve come to the right place. The Hotel Experience is a new dance show currently touring theatres and rural venues around the UK. It features music and sound design in 6.1 surround sound, so that no matter… Continue reading Sound Design- The Hotel Experience...

They Live Next Door

They Live Next Door is a dance theatre show performed by 2 professional older dancers who take us on an emotional rollercoaster with some highly physical movement. We watch the relationship between the two men unravel, and witness their ever-changing bond through heart-warming moments of love and tenderness, contrasted with bouts of conflict and manipulation.  I… Continue reading They Live Next Door...

5 sound design Instagram accounts you should follow

A Sound Effect just published a great article featuring five sound designed focused accounts they recommend following on instagram. Here is what they had to say…...

Turtle Dove

“OK. When did you know it was love?” I had great fun making some music for Amy Morvell’s new duet called Turtle Dove. All the sounds take their lead from some beautiful soundbites of people talking about love, that Amy had collected during her research. So rather writing music for contemporary dance on the theme… Continue reading Turtle Dove...

Choreography of Sound- Preview Exhibition at The Point, Eastleigh

Huge thank you to The Point for hosting a preview of my immersive sound exhibition The Choreography of Sound. The exhibition gave me an opportunity to test some of the recordings I have made while researching the project, and get some audience feedback on what has been successful so far...

Researching the Choreography of Sound

Following an 8 year career writing and designing sound for contemporary dance, the Choreography of Sound is my first attempt at taking away the dancers and exploring just the movement of sound. After all, sound is a wave; and exists only within movement. So what happens when I start to shape how that sound moves in… Continue reading Researching the Choreography of Sound...

Do people with hidden disabilities hear sound differently?

In Brighton the sound of seagulls, traffic and people blend into a mixture of noise that most people have unconsciously trained their minds to filter out. Modern life has added a fairly invasive mix of mobile notification sounds, buzzing home appliances, music piped into every shop, self service check out machines, and phone waiting music… Continue reading Do people with hidden disabilities hear sound differently?...

Using room tones in Theatre & Dance Soundtracks

Room tones are the sound of silence. I‘ve borrowed the term ‘roomtone’ from the film industry, where regular practice is to record the stillness of a room or location after each shoot. That way, when various takes of are edited together, they can be glued into one continuous scene by a consistent audio background. Every environment has a… Continue reading Using room tones in Theatre & Dance Soundtracks...

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