Today is Delia Derbsyhire day, according to the Delia Derbyshire Day website. And to celebrate the electronic music pioneer, actress and prog fan Caroline Catz (who featured in My Record Collection in Prog 106), who has directed the upcoming Delia Derbyshire: The Myths & The Legendary Tapes film has been in conversation with former Throbbing Gristle and Chris & Cosey musician Cosey Fanni Tutti and Caro C of the Delia Derbyshire Day website. You can watch their chat in full below.
Delia Derbyshire: The Myths & The Legendary Tapes is a conceptual and atmospheric journey into the legacy and character of electronic music composer/sound pioneer Delia Derbyshire, who, in 1963 conceived one of the most familiar compositions in science fiction, the Doctor Who theme, while working at the BBC’s Radiophonic Workshop.
The film features Derbyshire's own musical creations are featured alongside a soundtrack by Cosey Fanni Tutti constructed from samples chosen by Cosey and Catz from Delia’s posthumously discovered Attic Tapes.
“People will be less familiar with the fact that I’ve directed two other films that are music related, Tapestry Goes West and A Message to The World, along with a short film about Delia that screened at BFI London film festival 2018,:" says Catz. “The films have a common theme, I think. I’m really interested in the idea of outsiders brushing against the mainstream of the dominant narrative of the time: people that are unsung, forgotten or uncredited, but that are also driven by a strong force of creativity in spite of that.
"I’m fascinated by Delia Derbyshire, her music and her legacy, and the fact that she introduced avant-garde electronic sounds to a whole generation through the medium of a teatime television show -- that’s really what inspired the whole idea for the film. "
Delia Derbyshire: The Myths & The Legendary Tapes premiered as part of the BFI London Film Festival in October. It will also be screened as part of Coventry’s City of Culture for 2021 and part of the Spring programming at the BBC in its Arena strand.
