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Christopher Duffin

Musician, Producer, Composer

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Duffin is a multi-instrumentalist, producer and composer based in the North of England. Pitchfork says that "Duffin isn’t just some decorative noisemaker, but a crucial corrupting influence - he wields his sax like a flamethrower, blasting open portals into unrestrained psych-jazz chaos...like a lion tamer luring his beast into a cage” whilst The Wire describe him as "a slippery antagonist - often fidgety and slyly taking on the characteristics of multiple instruments". A keen collaborator, experimental and in-demand, he is currently recording and touring internationally with avant garde experimental musicians, Virginia Wing, electronic spiritual jazz acts, James Holden and XAM Duo, taking on keyboard and woodwind duties for Hayden Thorpe, Yard Act and Drahla. He splits his time between touring, producing, teaching, and composing music for film and television.

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Selected Discography

Appearances and releases on labels such as Domino, Island Records, Sonic Cathedral, FIRE, Captured Tracks, Fortuna Pop, Too Pure, Sony, Hatch, Come Play with Me, Polytechnic Youth... 
Below is a small sample of recorded output, composition, arrangement and session work.

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James Holden - Imagine This Is A High Dimensional Space Of All Possibilities

March 2023

Saxophones

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Hayden Thorpe - Moondust For My Diamond

August 2022

Tenor Saxophone

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Duffin - Helicopter

July 2022

All instruments, compositions and production

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XAM Duo - XAM Duo II

June 2022

Production, Composition, Tenor Saxophone, Soprano Saxophone, Rhodes, Various Synths

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Holodrum

February 2022

Synths, Clav, Electric Pianos, Saxophones, Writing

Listen
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Yard Act - The Overload

January 2022

Tenor and Soprano Saxophones

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Beautiful Lunches - Slumgullion

June 2021

Producer, Composition, Saxophones and all other woodwind, Sampling, Rhodes, Synths

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Virginia Wing - private LIFE

Febuary 2021

Production, Composer, Saxophones / Flutes / Clarinets / Recorders, Bass Guitar, Synths and Pianos

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Drahla - Useless Coordinates

May 2019

Tenor Saxophone
Co-Writing

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Virginia Wing - Ecstatic Arrow

June 2018

Tenor & Soprano Saxophones, Synthesisers, Fender Rhodes, Co-Writing

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Hookworms - Microshift

February 2018

Tenor & Soprano Saxophones

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Virginia Wing / XAM Duo - Tomorrow's Gift

December 2017

Tenor & Soprano Saxophones, Hammond Organ, Fender Rhodes, Melodica, Various Synthesisers, Writing

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Deadwall - The Zero Cliff

March 2017

Fender Rhodes, Mellotron, Hammond Organ, Philichorda, Saxophones, Moog Little Phatty, Juno 6, Fender VI, Programming, String Arrangements, Writing

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XAM Duo - XAM DUO

November 2016

Tenor & Alto Saxophones, Organs, Synthesisers, Sequencing, Fender Rhodes, writing and production

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Live

Live work has included global tours, international festival appearances, radio sessions and guest spots with the likes of James Holden, Yard Act, Hayden Thorpe, Virginia Wing, Hookworms, Drahla, XAM Duo, Modern Nature, Holodrum and many more. 

Some Upcoming Stuff...

2022

Hayden Thorpe UK Tour

March

27th - Louisiana - Bristol

28th - Scala - London

30th - Green Door Store - Brighton

31st - YES - Manchester 

1st - Rough Trade - Nottingham

Yard Act

May

19th - District - Liverpool

20th - Irish Centre - Leeds

Solo Date

August

26th - Peer Hat, Manchester

Holodrum

September

8th - Brudenell Social Club - Leeds

9th - Future Yard - Birkenhead
10th - Servant Jazz Quarters - London

Drahla UK Tour

17th - 23rd September

Venues TBA

Yard Act UK Tour

November

22nd - Queen Margaret Union - Glasgow

23rd - Newcastle University Students Union - newcastle

24th - O2 Academy - Leeds

25th - O2 Ritz - Manchester

26th - Marble Factory - Bristol

27th - Tramshed - Cardiff

29th - 1865 - Sounthampton

30th - Chalk - Brighton

December

1st - O2 Forum Kentish Town - London 

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Composition and Scores

Bespoke pieces for exhibitions, video, events, advertisements, etc... always open to talking about possible commissions and collaborations.


Filmography - Scores

SOFT THINGS - Directed by Sarah Boulter

Soft Things is a newly commissioned set of twin ultra-short films by Sarah Boulter, with a song and sound piece by electronic musician Alice Merida Richards. The work centres on gorging for escapism, cure-all distractions for pandemic obsession and limitations. Nourishment found in shallow yet genuine connections with imaginary friends, dreamy creamy sickly food rituals and pure fantasy.

Alice 404 - Directed by Kate Graham, Alice 404 (pictured) is look at grief through a modern technology lens. 

Scrum - Following the success of Alice 404, Kate Graham and Northern Flowerhouse (Chris and Tom Basri) collaborated once again, this time on the BFI backed, Scrum.

Hairdresser Michelle (Kelli Hollis) arrives at a muddy rugby ground, furious to find that her 14 year-old daughter, Jodie (Emma Wrightson), has cut her face playing rugby league. Despite her daughter’s protests, Michelle bans Jodie from ever playing again.

Set in present day Leeds, Yorkshire, Scrum is an affecting look at a mother-daughter relationship that reminds us sometimes the people we love aren’t quite who we expect them to be, and that’s OK.

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  • Piano - classical, jazz, contemporary

  • Keyboards - playing styles, techniques, the studio is full of synthesisers, an upright piano and a Fender Rhodes

  • Saxophone

Teaching

Chris teaches from his studio space based in Leeds

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