Ben MacDiarmid is a composer, singer-songwriter and producer who lives in Norfolk, England. His music is the fruit of many years’ dedication which led him to the study of early Western music (often undertaken in monasteries, where he immersed himself in monophonic chant and medieval hymnography) and also of folk and classical forms from around the world, not to mention those indigenous to the British Isles.

After early studies in philosophy at King’s College London, a crucial musical formation was received from Agnes Kory of the Béla Bartók Centre for Musicianship. Since 2018 he has released music under the nom de guerre John Johanna, an output that has run from initial four-track cassette forays in minimal rock and psych-folk to 2022’s futurist soundscape EP Ahimsa with Mandé kora virtuoso Sefo Kanuteh. This work has received radio play on BBC Radio 6 and enthusiastic support from the likes of Don Letts and NTS’s Zakia Sewell.

Day of the Fight is his first venture in film composition. Written and directed by Jack Huston and featuring Michael Pitt, Joe Pesci, Steve Buscemi and Ron Perlman, it was premiered at the Venice Film Festival in September 2023.

“Ben MacDiarmid's amazing soundtrack resonates…” Movieplayer Italia

“Ben MacDiarmid’s melancholy score brings plangent hints of Irish folk lament…” Jonathan Romney, Screen Daily

“Ben MacDiarmid makes his debut and it is hoped that many other directors will notice him, because the work he created is music that almost seems to caress the soul of the protagonist, even during the fight…” Andrea Barone, Quarta Parete