David Helpling
David Helpling | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | 1969 (age 55–56) |
| Occupations | Composer, producer |
| Years active | 1997–present |
| Labels | Spotted Pecary |
| Website | http://www.davidhelpling.com |
David Helpling is a California based guitarist and keyboardist, recording artist and film composer specializing in ambient music and electronic music.[1]
He started his solo career with Between Green and Blue and Sleeping on the Edge of the World.[2] His later works include A Sea Without Memory (2018) and Rune (2019), both created exclusively with electric guitar, as well as IN (2022).[3] Beyond his solo projects, Helpling has collaborated on Interdwell with Dark Sky Alliance and The Precious Dark with Eric Taylor.[4]
Musical career
[edit]Helpling is a self-taught musician, whose debut release, Between Green and Blue, was a finalist for the 1997 INDIE Album-Of-The-Year award.[5] In 1999, Helpling released his second album, Sleeping on the Edge of the World.[6][7] Among other musical influences such as U2 and Björk, one of Helpling's main inspirations is film music. Thomas Newman, Mark Isham and Elliot Goldenthal are among his favorites.[8][9] As a composer for visual media,[6] Helpling has written music for several films, one of which, Trade Offs, immersed him in the music of India. The score features several guest artists, including vocalist Nidhi Bhatmuley, who also performs on his 2022 album, IN.[7] Other film assignments include Cold Storage (2009), directed by Tony Elwood, for which Helpling scored a fully orchestral soundtrack using mainly virtual instruments.[9]
In 2024, David Helpling formed Dark Sky Alliance with drummer Jerry Marotta (Peter Gabriel) and synthesists Rupert Greenall (The Fixx) and Eric Taylor. Their debut album release Interdwell, released in April 2024, was met with significant success.[4] The following year, in April 2025, Helpling released The Precious Dark with Eric Taylor, which held the No. 1 position on college radio for eight consecutive weeks.[10]
Collaboration
[edit]Helpling and Jon Jenkins initially became a working partnership after being contacted by filmmaker Chris Cumming via Helpling's record company Spotted Peccary.[11] After working on the score to Cumming's film "False Summit" the pair discovered they had a mutual respect for and interest in each other's music. Starting with Treasure the two worked as true collaborators; both contributing equally to composing, arranging the tracks and engineering the recordings.[11] This collaboration continued as the two embarked on completing two follow-up albums, The Crossing[11] and Found winning the 2013 ZMR Music Award for Best Electronic Album;,[12] the three albums constituting a sonic trilogy. He continued his collaboration with Indian musicians on the album IN (2022), which involves vocalist Nidhi Bhatmuley and esraj player Benjy Wertheimer. Loop cellist Matthew Schoening also features on the album.
Film composition
[edit]Helpling is also a composer for film, and has also provided several themes, scores, and ambient beds for numerous television, corporate, and interactive projects. His production company is named DHM Music Design.
Other projects
[edit]"As the World Falls Away" is a time-lapse video filmed and produced by Shawn Malone and set to Helpling's music. According to WILX, it "went viral" in 2014.[13]
The video "North Country Dreamland", shot and produced by Malone, was set to "Lifted" from the album The Crossing.[14] The video "Radiance", shot and produced by Malone, was set to Helping's music.[15]
The animated video "You Already Are", produced by Joe Abreu, was set to the track of the same name from the album IN.[16]
In 2023, Helpling collaborated with the Synthwave band Heartracer on the single Living Like a Ghost, an ambient-synthwave fusion exploring themes of loss and solitude. The track features vocals by Kylee Swenson Gordon and was produced and mixed by Helpling at his Deep Exile studio in San Diego.[17]
Discography
[edit]| year | title | label | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | Between Green and Blue | Spotted Peccary | |
| 1999 | Sleeping On The Edge Of The World | Spotted Peccary | |
| 2003 | Trade Offs | Deep Exile | |
| 2006 | Cold Storage | Deep Exile | |
| 2007 | Treasure | Spotted Peccary | with Jon Jenkins |
| 2009 | Beyond Words | Deep Exile | with Jon Jenkins |
| 2010 | The Crossing | Spotted Peccary | with Jon Jenkins |
| 2013 | Found | Spotted Peccary | with Jon Jenkins |
| 2017 | A Sea Without Memory | Spotted Peccary | |
| 2019 | RUNE | Spotted Peccary | |
| 2022 | IN | Spotted Peccary | |
| 2024 | Interdwell | Spotted Peccary | with Dark Sky Alliance |
| 2025 | The Precious Dark | Spotted Peccary | with Eric Taylor |
Compilations
| year | title | label |
|---|---|---|
| 1997 | Stormchaser | Spotted Peccary |
| 1997 | Where The Sky Meets The Sea | Echodiscs |
| 2007 | The Knowing | Cue Records |
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ Harrison, Don (August 23, 2023). "A Kinetic Beat". richmondmagazine.com. Retrieved September 12, 2025.
- ^ Music, Spotted Peccary. "David Helpling". Spotted Peccary Music. Retrieved September 12, 2025.
- ^ "Artist Spotlight: An Interview with David Helpling". Retrieved September 12, 2025.
- ^ a b "Echoes Podcast: Dark Sky Alliance". Echoes. May 9, 2024. Retrieved September 12, 2025.
- ^ "Between Green And Blue | Spotted Peccary Music". Spottedpeccary.com. Retrieved August 28, 2015.
- ^ a b "The Official David Helpling Website". Davidhelpling.com. Retrieved August 28, 2015.
- ^ a b "The Music of David Helpling and Jon Jenkins". Deep Exile. Retrieved August 28, 2015.
- ^ "Ambient-Electronic Artist 'David Helpling' Tells Us His Story." Musicotfuture.com (Interview). July 26, 2023.
- ^ a b "Echoes May CD of the Month: David Helpling & Eric the Taylor". Echoes. May 3, 2025. Retrieved September 12, 2025.
- ^ "David Helpling & Eric "the" Taylor :: The Precious Dark (Spotted Peccary Music)". Igloo Magazine. May 7, 2025. Retrieved September 12, 2025.
- ^ a b c "Ambient Visions Presents an Interview with David Helpling and Jon Jenkins about Treasure". Ambientvisions.com. Retrieved August 28, 2015.
- ^ "2013 ZMR Music Award Winners". Zonemusicreporter.com. May 17, 2014. Retrieved August 28, 2015.
- ^ "Time Lapse Video of Upper Michigan Goes Viral". WILX News. October 30, 2014. Archived from the original on September 22, 2015. Retrieved August 22, 2015.
- ^ "North Country Dreamland video captures imaginations of many". UP Second Wave. May 15, 2013. Retrieved August 22, 2015.
- ^ Klug, Fritz (October 14, 2013). "See stunning video of overhead Northern Lights in Upper Peninsula". MLive. Retrieved August 22, 2015.
- ^ Hannaleck, Keith "MuzikMan". "New Age Music Reviews". Retrieved September 12, 2025.
- ^ "AMBIENT-ELECTRONIC ARTSIT 'DAVID HELPLING' TELLS US HIS STORY ABOUT HOW MUSIC CAME INTO HIS LIFE, INFLUENCES AND THE RELEASE OF HIS NEW SONG 'LIVING LIKE A GHOST' FEATURING 'HEARTRACER'. FULL CHAT BELOW". MusicOTFuture. July 26, 2023. Retrieved September 26, 2025.
External links
[edit]| International | |
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| National | |
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