Ben Wheatley, the film director behind cult classics like High-Rise and Sightseers, has a secret passion project: making music as Dave Welder. With 26 records released in just over a year, spanning genres from electronica to drone, Welder has become one of the most prolific musicians you've never heard of.
Wheatley's entry into music-making was a late development, with GarageBand becoming his primary tool for creative expression. "It's this weird flow state where you sit at the machine and then this tune pops out and it's like, 'Oh, fuck,'" he recalls, describing the process of composing music that pours out of him in these moments. Music-making has become a distraction from his filmmaking work, allowing him to tap into a creative outlet that was previously elusive.
For Wheatley, music is not just another creative pursuit but an integral part of his overall artistic expression. His latest project, Bulk – a sci-fi film that blends elements of film noir and B-movie sci-fi – features Welder's original score, showcasing a more experimental approach to scoring films. The credits for the movie pay homage to his musical inspirations, including the Fall, Neu!, and Aphex Twin.
Wheatley has long admired the DIY ethos of punk music and has applied this same mindset to his own creative endeavors. His latest film, Bulk, embodies this spirit of self-sufficiency, from its lo-fi special effects to the instructions for recreating the film on homemade equipment. The credits sequence, in particular, is a loving tribute to the punk aesthetic, with Wheatley inviting fans to recreate the experience using GarageBand and other primitive tools.
As a reaction against the commercialism of big-budget projects like Meg 2 ($130m budget), which prompted him to explore new creative avenues, Wheatley sees his music-making as an extension of his filmmaking work. The process has become a source of comfort and creativity, allowing him to experiment with new sounds and ideas.
Wheatley is now eager to take this approach further, envisioning immersive experiences that combine music with films in cinemas, incorporating stacked sound systems and bespoke narrative light shows. While the financial viability of such an endeavor remains uncertain, Wheatley's passion project has become a labor of love, driven by his insatiable curiosity about the creative possibilities of collaboration between film and music.
For now, he is content to share his music with fans in clandestine live performances, like the one at London's Cafe Oto. "Music needs to be listened to by people," Wheatley asserts, highlighting the importance of direct engagement with his audience. By doing so, he continues to push the boundaries of what it means to create and experience art, refusing to let convention hold him back in pursuit of a more authentic connection between music, film, and human experience.
Wheatley's entry into music-making was a late development, with GarageBand becoming his primary tool for creative expression. "It's this weird flow state where you sit at the machine and then this tune pops out and it's like, 'Oh, fuck,'" he recalls, describing the process of composing music that pours out of him in these moments. Music-making has become a distraction from his filmmaking work, allowing him to tap into a creative outlet that was previously elusive.
For Wheatley, music is not just another creative pursuit but an integral part of his overall artistic expression. His latest project, Bulk – a sci-fi film that blends elements of film noir and B-movie sci-fi – features Welder's original score, showcasing a more experimental approach to scoring films. The credits for the movie pay homage to his musical inspirations, including the Fall, Neu!, and Aphex Twin.
Wheatley has long admired the DIY ethos of punk music and has applied this same mindset to his own creative endeavors. His latest film, Bulk, embodies this spirit of self-sufficiency, from its lo-fi special effects to the instructions for recreating the film on homemade equipment. The credits sequence, in particular, is a loving tribute to the punk aesthetic, with Wheatley inviting fans to recreate the experience using GarageBand and other primitive tools.
As a reaction against the commercialism of big-budget projects like Meg 2 ($130m budget), which prompted him to explore new creative avenues, Wheatley sees his music-making as an extension of his filmmaking work. The process has become a source of comfort and creativity, allowing him to experiment with new sounds and ideas.
Wheatley is now eager to take this approach further, envisioning immersive experiences that combine music with films in cinemas, incorporating stacked sound systems and bespoke narrative light shows. While the financial viability of such an endeavor remains uncertain, Wheatley's passion project has become a labor of love, driven by his insatiable curiosity about the creative possibilities of collaboration between film and music.
For now, he is content to share his music with fans in clandestine live performances, like the one at London's Cafe Oto. "Music needs to be listened to by people," Wheatley asserts, highlighting the importance of direct engagement with his audience. By doing so, he continues to push the boundaries of what it means to create and experience art, refusing to let convention hold him back in pursuit of a more authentic connection between music, film, and human experience.
the way he combines music and filmmaking is so refreshing, its like he's on a whole different wavelength dude 
i love how he sees his music-making as an extension of his filmmaking work, its like they're two sides of the same coin 
He's taking the DIY ethos from punk music and applying it to his filmmaking work, creating this amazing sci-fi flick Bulk that blends film noir and B-movie sci-fi. The fact that he's experimenting with lo-fi special effects and invites fans to recreate the experience using GarageBand is so inspiring! 
And can you believe 26 records released in just over a year? That's insane! 
What I love about Wheatley is that he's not afraid to think outside the box and push boundaries, refusing to let convention hold him back. It's all about embracing creativity and connection with his audience 
dave welder is like a genius on the low 
26 records in one year is insane! i love how he compares it to being in a flow state where music just pops out of him, that's so relatable 
anyway, bulk sounds like an amazing film and the fact that his score is more experimental is awesome 
... scientists say we've only got 5 years left before the world is completely uninhabitable 
, that's like, forever from now 
& meanwhile Ben Wheatley is making music as Dave Welder, which is cool i guess 
but who cares about a bunch of dudes in space when we've got extinction-level threat looming over us? 
. And can we talk about his latest film Bulk? The way he's incorporated music and sound design is, like, whoa 
. It's awesome to see him pushing boundaries and experimenting with new ideas – even if it means taking risks financially 
. For me, the real beauty lies in his connection with his audience, sharing music in those intimate live performances 
i mean, 26 records in a year? that's insane! 
also, his latest film bulk sounds super cool, especially with the experimental score 