District 9 (Soundtrack) by Clinton Shorter - Review

Grounded Exoticism

Review by Christopher Coleman

CLINTON SHORTER's score is a peculiar thing. Some are underwhelmed with this score as stand-alone experience, while those who've seen the movie say that they didn't notice any score at all. Ah. The Golden Goal of the Composer achieved. The music becomes an indistinguishable part of the whole. What Shorter faced was the difficult task of keeping us locked into the matter-of-factness of the film, while also giving the audience room to experience and enjoy the telling. His score must journey back to the Johannesburg, South Africa of the 1980s, and bring us face to face with racism and the fears that fuel it. Certainly, this is fertile ground for documentary film-making. Now, apartheid has been well chronicled in film over the last 30 years, but the racism we see in DISTRICT 9 is not a black/white issue, but a human/non-human one. Conscious of it or not, audiences are affected by the film's score, but what happens when the film, itself, defies convention? This late Summer entry does just that and what CLINTON SHORTER has to accomplish is no small feat.

Read the full review here

Scoring Session with Hans Zimmer on Casi Divas

Here is a great, little video documenting a small portion of the scoring process for the film CASI DIVAS. We see HANS ZIMMER, HEITOR PEREIRA (labeled as simply as "Guitar Player"), MARTIN TILLMAN, and director ISSA LOPEZ working out the music for a particular scene. Rather than just another video of the massive recording session, we get an interesting peek into the process that few DVD documentaries ever show us. The players obviously didn't agree but were able to come to work through to a decision on how the a scene would be handled musically.

Tweek #1 - Tracksounds' Tweets of the Week

Some of you astute followers of this blog have realized that there are far less posts in recent weeks. Well, we can all blame twitter for this. Many of our would-be posts have been shrunk down to bitesized, little treats of information and interactivity. The truth is, our adoption of Twitter has allowed us to make far more posts per day and interact with many more of you than ever before.

Yes. We like Twitter, but we also understand that blogs still have their place and that many prefer to "follow" us via this channel. Your concerns have been duly noted. Not only that, but starting today, we take action!

What you will find below is Issue #1 of, what we have dubbed, TWEEK. It's simply a digest of our "best" tweets of the week. Of course, "best" is a somewhat relative term, so to clarify...we simply mean the tweets that would most likely interest you faithful, soundtrack hounds. Of course, to get the full, live, interactive tweet experience, we suggest you just bite the virtual bullet and simply follow us on twitter. It's really quite painless.

In the meantime, here is our first weekly issue of Tweek!

THURSDAY All tracks from Danny Elfman and Deborah Lurie's score for "9" are available for preview at AmazonMP3. http://bit.ly/hO0oA (affiliate link) about 10 hours ago from TweetDeck 2nd free music tweet today. RT @SeanBeeson: Rage of the Gladiator Horlan the Crusher Trailer and Exclusive MP3 - http://bit.ly/eDdTE about 10 hours ago from TweetDeck WEDNESDAY Dario Marianelli is at it again. Listen to thee beautiful pieces from his upcoming score for Agora! http://bit.ly/TQE7h multimedia>music about 11 hours ago from TweetDeck Composer Geoff Zanelli's new official website http://bit.ly/1cDz0v Stumbled on it today. Not a ton of content just yet. about 14 hours ago from TweetDeck Free Soundtrack Download - Invincible Tiger: The Legend of Han Tao (video game) http://bit.ly/14WLPP Thx @joystiq about 17 hours ago from TweetDeck Gives props to Peak and mentions starting on God of War 3! RT @jeffrona: a short interview that came out recently http://bit.ly/P8UOL American Beauty? Really? RT @firstshowing: Best Original Film Scores Ever - http://digg.com/d31258M about 21 hours ago from TweetDeck Trailer Music News is back up. RT @tmusicnews: We are back online! Arr! Report any bugs you find, please. http://bit.ly/WNgT2 About 21 hours ago from TweetDeck TUESDAY Need some extra incentive to buy Pixar's UP? Lim. Ed. Blu Ray comes with collectors Luxo Jr. desk lamp! http://bit.ly/2rNUE (aff link) 11:32 PM Aug 25th from TweetDeck Dusting off one of the great video game scores of the last 5 years. John Debney's Lair. ♫ http://blip.fm/~cbd4b 10:00 PM Aug 25th from Blip.fm Somehow I thought John Powell was doing Astroboy not John Ottman. Here's video of the music from Fimucite 3 http://bit.ly/1zZmfV 9:39 PM Aug 25th from TweetDeck Ever get the feeling while listening to Phillip Glass that something tragic is about to happen? 7:11 PM Aug 25th from TweetDeck MONDAY New interview with Ron Fish co-composer on Batman:Arkham Asylum http://bit.ly/bxkgX 6:05 PM Aug 24th from twhirl SUNDAY In case you missed it, I've spun off my own twitter account @ccoleman. Would love to have more PEOPLE than bots actually following me. :) 9:41 PM Aug 23rd from twhirl One of James Newton Howard's best works to date. ♫ http://blip.fm/~c75pr 8:08 PM Aug 23rd from Blip.fm SATURDAY Mychael Danna's score for The Time Traveler's Wife is a subtly beautiful work - already a 2009 fav. Listen http://bit.ly/14HmwE (aff lnk) 10:53 PM Aug 22nd from twhirl Just discovered @cinemix on shoutcast radio. If you need some streaming film music (and who doesn't?) Try 'em out. http://bit.ly/QFiaP 10:00 AM Aug 22nd from twhirl The traditional music business is filled with a bunch of whiners? Short but interesting NPR article http://bit.ly/26caik 9:42 AM Aug 22nd from twhirl FRIDAY Leo Laporte intvs Greg Edmonson (Firefly, Uncharted). Apparently, just found out that games have symphonic scores. :/ http://bit.ly/R0n2p 10:15 PM Aug 21st from twhirl ...And the tweets go on

Tyler Bates Scores Halloween II

TYLER BATES SCORE ALBUM FOR ROB ZOMBIE'S HALLOWEEN II IS NOW AVAILABLE ON BATES¹ NEW ABATTOIR RECORDINGS

SOUNDTRACK FEATURES ALL NEW RECORDINGS PLUS UNRELEASED MUSIC FROM ZOMBIE'S FIRST HALLOWEEN MOVIE

MAKE SURE TO VISIT ITUNES TO DOWNLOAD THE SCORE

Composer Tyler Bates joins Rob Zombie once again in the re-imagining of John Carpenter's HALLOWEEN II. Following the success of Rob Zombie's HALLOWEEN, which premiered number one at the box office - breaking all Labor Day Weekend records, is the sequel, HALLOWEEN II, hitting theatres nationwide on August 28, 2009 from Dimension Films. HALLOWEEN II picks up where HALLOWEEN left off, and focuses on the struggles of Laurie Strode (played by Scout Taylor-Compton) and killer Michael Myers (played by Tyler Mane). The film also stars Malcolm McDowell, Sheri Moon Zombie, Brad Dourif, and Danielle Harris.

Tyler Bates once again puts his creative stamp on this classic movie, sharply distinguishing it from its 1978 predecessor. Bates score takes HALLOWEEN to a new level of hellish terror, imbued with the gritty texture of Zombie's realistic depiction of the horrors spilled onscreen by Michael Myers.

The Halloween II Score album is the inaugural release on Bates' new label imprint, Abattoir Recordings, digitally distributed August 25, 2009 by E1 Music. A physical CD release with previously unreleased music will follow with the DVD release of the film. E1 Music will release additional projects from Bates' Abattoir Recordings in 2010.

Tyler Bates has created scores for films such as 300 (2007), The Watchmen (2009), Slither (2006), See No Evil (2005), The Devil's Rejects (2005), Dawn of the Dead (2004) and many more. Make sure to hear Bates¹ music in Showtime¹s hit series Californication, in its 3rd season this fall..

For more info visit:
http://www.tylerbates.com
http://www.halloween2-movie.com/

Gametime 2009 - Interview with Ron Fish (Batman Arkham Asylum)

Gametime 2009

Interview: Ron Fish (Batman: Arkham Asylum)

Recorded August 21, 2009

Published August 24, 2009

Episode Highlights

00:27 - Opening - Ron Fish introduction

02:57 - Part I - Disney Imagineering

07:20 - Part II - Collaborative experience

09:32 - Part III - Writing for the cinematics

10:40 - Part IV - Dark environment, dark score

12:40 - Part V - How did your sound design experience play a role?

14:00 - Part VI - Modern influences in a video game score.

16:46 - Part VII - Modern score and listening fatigue

20:25 - Part VIII - Long distance collaboration

24:39 - Part IX - Breaking down boundaries in video game music

30:53 - Part X - The Sweet Spot

32:24 - Closing

Music Clips (Select music clips contained in this podcast)

00:00 Garden Silent Pred - Batman: Arkham Asylum (Ron Fish)

02:09 Thugs Ambush - Batman: Arkham Asylum (Ron Fish)

08:52 Joker Escapes - Batman: Arkham Asylum (Ron Fish)

10:47 The Asylum Cells - Batman: Arkham Asylum (Ron Fish)

15:36 Only Three - Batman: Arkham Asylum (Ron Fish)

23:52 Batmobile Attack - Batman: Arkham Asylum (Ron Fish)

31:28 Crackin' Heads - Batman: Arkham Asylum (Ron Fish)

Download the interview here

Check out the full HIGH SCORE! feature here

Tron Soundtrack by Wendy Carlos Daily Deal: $1.99

While this sort of post is normally relegated to our Twitter activities, this is too good of a deal to not post here as well. Plus, I've been begging Amazon to offer some daily deals (and freebies) in the soundtrack genre. Well, they come through with WENDY CARLOS' classic 80s score to the original TRON. You can get it TODAY ONLY at AmazonMP3 for just $1.99!

It's going to be all about TRON LEGACY next year, you should really get familiarized with the whole world of Tron and aside from watching the film, what better way than immersing yourself in the music of Wendy Carlos...and Journey, too?

The original score to TRON is unique, electronic/orchestral hybrid experience with the flare that only the 80s could deliver. If you want to receive more immediate updates on the deals we come across, be sure to follow us on Twitter. Your purchases through our links definitely help to keep Tracksounds going, so THANKS!

Get this Daily Deal here

9TH ANNUAL WORLD SOUNDTRACK AWARD NOMINEES

SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE LEADS PACK WITH 3 NOMINESS FOR

9TH ANNUAL WORLD SOUNDTRACK AWARDS

CARTER BURWELL AND HANS ZIMMER FOLLOW WITH 2 NOMINATIONS EACH

Ghent, Beligum (August 18, 2009) - The World Soundtrack Awards, the pre-eminent international film music event of the year, has announced its nominees for 2009 in 3 major categories including Best Original Score, Film Composer of the Year and Best Original Song. The winners will be announced on Saturday, October 17th at the closing of the 36th Ghent International Film Festival.

Oscar winning composers AR Rahman, Hans Zimmer, and award-winning composer Carter Burwell lead the pack with multiple nominations. Other top music names receiving nominations include Oscar winner Bruce Springsteen and Oscar nominees Alexandre Desplat, Danny Elfman and Michael Giacchino.

In addition, this year’s WSAs will feature live music concerts with performances by Oscar nominees Alexandre Desplat and 3-time Oscar winner and much-lauded film composer Marvin Hamlisch, who will be the guest of honor and recipient of the World Soundtrack Lifetime Achievement Award. As part of the evening’s festivities, Hamlisch will perform and conduct selected suites from some of his most famous scores, including The Way We Were, A Chorus Line and Sophie’s Choice. Past winners of the World Soundtrack Lifetime Achievement Award include Maurice Jarre, Elmer Bernstein, Angelo Badalamenti, Jerry Leiber, Mike Stoller, Sir George Martin and Alan & Marilyn Bergman, among others.

Alexandre Desplat will present a concert including suites from his films The Girl with the Pearl Earring, The Queen, Lust/Caution and his Golden Globe winning score for The Painted Veil.

2008 Discovery Award Winner Mark Streitenfeld will be on hand as well for the World Soundtrack Awards on October 17th and as part of the night’s events, the Brussels Philharmonic will perform music from Streitenfeld’s films American Gangster and Body of Lies.

Consistent with the Ghent International Film Festival’s focus on Asia this year and with the festival’s reputation as the premiere annual world film music event, Japanese composer Shigeru Umebayashi will present a special live concert on October 15th at the Vooruit Arts Centre in Ghent. Umebayashi has recently collaborated with some of Asian cinemas most renowned directors, including Wong Kar Wai (In the Mood for Love, 2046, My Blueberry Nights), Zhang Yimou (House of Flying Daggers, Curse of the Golden Flower) and Jet Li (Fearless, The Dark Sea). On October 16th, Umebayahsi will take part the festival’s annual Q&A and film music seminar, which this year will focus on the music of Chinese film.

The awards, currently in their 9th year, honor movie music that has been theatrically released between July 1, 2008 and June 30, 2009. The awards are presented by the World Soundtrack Academy which now encompasses over 300 music professionals from all over the world with a goal to promote music in film. The annual Benelux event has hosted a roster of the top names in movie music in the past 9 years including Oscar-winners Ennio Morricone, Gabriel Yared, Hans Zimmer, Maurice Jarre, Rachel Portman, Stephen Warbeck, James Netwon Howard, Gustavo Santaollala, Marilyn and Alan Bergman, as well as Patrick Doyle, Georges Delerue, Sir George Martin and Harry Gregson-Williams.

The nominees the World Soundtrack Awards 2009:

FILM COMPOSER OF THE YEAR

o CARTER BURWELL (Burn After Reading, Twilight)

o ALEXANDRE DESPLAT (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Coco Avant Chanel, Largo Winch, Cheri)

o DANNY ELFMAN (Milk, Taking Woodstock, Notorious)

o MICHAEL GIACCHINO (Star Trek, Up, Land of the Lost)

o HANS ZIMMER (Frost/Nixon, Angels & Demons, The Dark Knight)

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE OF THE YEAR

o BURN AFTER READING by Carter Burwell

o THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON by Alexandre Desplat

o FROST/NIXON by Hans Zimmer

o THE INTERNATIONAL by Reinhold Heil, Tom Tykwer, Johnny Klimek

o SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE by A.R. Rahman

BEST ORIGINAL SONG WRITTEN DIRECTLY FOR A FILM

o “GRAN TORINO” from ‘Gran Torino’

Music & Lyrics by Jamie Cullum, Clint Eastwood, Kyle Eastwood and Michael Stevens

Performed by Jamie Cullum & Don Runner

o “JAI HO” from ‘Slumdog Millionaire’

Music by : A.R. Rahman

Lyrics by Gulzar and Tanvi Shah

Performed by A.R. Rahman, Sukhvinder Singh, Tanvi Shah, Mahalaksmi Iyver, Vijay Prakash

Published by KM Musiq ltd

o “O SAYA” from Slumdog Millionaire’

Music & Lyrics by A.R. Rahman and Mathangi Arulpragasam

Performed by M.I.A. & A.R. Rahman

Published by KM Musiq ltd

o “RUN & HIDE” from ‘Je l’aimais’

Music & lyrics by Anna Chalon

Performed by Anna Chalon

o “THE WRESTLER” from ‘The Wrestler’

Music & lyrics by Bruce Springsteen

Performed by Bruce Springsteen

Published by Bruce Springsteen

Soundcast Interview: Clinton Shorter (District 9) + Visual Edition

Well before you head out to your favorite multiplex to check out DISTRICT 9, why not check out our latest SoundCast interview first? Or even after you get back from the theater...that works, too. And today, we launch our visual edition of the SoundCast! Ok. So it's no groundbreaking technology, but it is our transcription of the interview, which is a decent amount of work. Also, "visual edition" sounds a lot hotter than "our transcript." In any event, if you are more inclined to reading than you are listening to podcast then our transcrip...err...visual edition is just for you.

Interview: Clinton Shorter (District 9)

Recorded August 12, 2009

Published August 14, 2009

Episode Highlights

00:28 - Opening - Intro - It's all about "District 9"

03:48 - Part I - How much attention has District 9 brought to you?

06:40 - Part II- Was the short "Alive in Jo'burg" an influence?

09:13 - Part III - Working in indigenous sounds of Africa

11:20 - Part IV - Peter Jackson's creative influence

13:30 - Part V - What composers have influenced you over the years?

14:10 - Part VI - Twitter submitted questions

16:00 - Part VII - Did you have your eye on the Halo movie?

17:25 - Part VIII - Are you working on the next Neil Blomkamp film?

18:50 - Part IX - The District 9 soundtrack release

19:58 - Closing

Music Clips (Select music clips contained in this podcast)

00:00 Exosuit - District 9 (Clinton Shorter)

02:34 Distric 9 - District 9 (Clinton Shorter)

08:40 A Lot of Secrets - District 9 (Clinton Shorter)

19:37 Distric 9 - District 9 (Clinton Shorter)

Download this interview here

Subscribe and get more info here

Read the Visual Edition here

District 9 Soundtrack to be released at Amazon and iTunes!

During our interview with composer CLINTON SHORTER today, he confirmed that SONY would be releasing an official soundtrack containing his original score for the film DISTRICT 9. Having listened to the 10 track promo, I can say that his work is definitely worth a release. In the meantime, here is what CLINTON SHORTER said regarding the release. Be sure to look for our full podcast interview and transcribed interview in just a couple of days!

Tracksounds: You mentioned the word "album."... Is there something in the works that you can talk about?

CLINTON SHORTER: Yes. Sony closed the deal on Friday of last week and hopefully, it's going to be available for pre-order on Amazon.com this Friday and on iTunes, mid to late next week.

Pre-Order from Amazon.com

Battlestar Galatica at The House of Blues with Bear McCreary

BATTLESTAR GALACTICA CAST REUNITES ON STAGE DURING

BEAR MCCREARY: THE MUSIC OF BATTLESTAR GALACTICA CONCERTS

AT THE HOUSE OF BLUES IN SAN DIEGO



Battlestar Galactica: Season 4 Soundtrack Debuts on Billboard Charts at #195

Burbank, CA – July 28, 2009– Universal Cable Productions presented Bear McCreary and the music from Battlestar Galactica for three nights at the House of Blues in San Diego from July 23-25th – during Comic-Con! Each of the nights was hosted by and featured appearances by members of the cast of Battlestar Galactica. The concerts celebrated the July 28 release of a special 2-CD set, Battlestar Galactica: Season 4, which reached the top 10 on Amazon’s Best Seller list for overall music sales, peaking at #4 and debuts at #195 on the Billboard Top 200. La-La Land Records is releasing the Battlestar Galactica: Season 4 soundtrack through a license agreement with NBC Universal Television, DVD, Music and Consumer Products Group.

The Thursday night concert was hosted by Edward James Olmos and featured guest appearances by Richard Hatch (Tom Zarek), Luciana Carro (Captain “Kat” Katraine), Michael Hogan (Colonel Tigh), and Katee Sackhoff (Captain Kara ‘Starbuck’ Thrace). “The highlight of the concert for me,” composer Bear McCreary described, “was hearing the audience explode as Katee Sackhoff and I sat down at the piano and kicked into ‘All Along the Watchtower.’”

Featuring a cast reunion on stage with a touching tribute to producer Harvey Frand, who recently passed away, Friday’s concert was a must-see event. Joining Edward James Olmos (Admiral Adama) and Grace Park (Sharon ‘Boomer’ Valerii) – the evening’s emcees – on-stage were Richard Hatch (Tom Zarek), Michael Hogan (Colonel Tigh), Michael Trucco (Samuel Anders), Nicki Clyne (Crewman Specialist Cally Henderson), Michelle Forbes (Admiral Helen Cain), James Callis (Gaius Baltar), and executive producer David Eick.

Grace Park took over hosting duties for Saturday night’s performance which featured an appearance by Tahmoh Penikett (Captain Karl ‘Helo’ Agathon). The performance included fan favorites “Adama and Roslin,” “Pegasus,” “Prelude to War,” the theme music for the Battlestar Galactica prequel Caprica, and a cover of Michael Jackson’s “Earth Song.”

"Bear McCreary’s music was an integral part of the re-invention of Battlestar Galactica. Its complexity, depth, and breadth helped elevate the series beyond a simple ‘Space Opera.’ Seeing Bear play his music at the House of Blues, and having it serve as an impromptu tribute to Harvey, was a real honor," said Mark Stern, EVP, Original Programming, Syfy and Co-Head, Original Content, Universal Cable Productions.

The emcee the first two nights, Edward James Olmos agrees. “The day has finally come when I will be able to experience live the sights and sounds of Bear and his friends. Wow.... what a privilege!"

“I was thrilled to be able to bring the Music of Battlestar Galactica to the House of Blues during Comic-Con,” said McCreary. “All three evenings were magical in their own way, and I'll never forget them. The cast members who jumped on stage thrilled the crowd, and many fans that approached me at the signings afterwards had lost their voices from screaming all night…and yet, despite the intense energy coming from the audience, when I played my intimate, quiet piano compositions the hall was respectfully silent. It was all the energy of a rock concert combined with the loving attention of a symphonic concert audience.”

Season 4 composer McCreary was recently called one of the top 10 composers “that make space adventures epic” by www.io9.com. His work on the television series Battlestar Galactica has been described as offering “some of the most innovative music on TV today,” by Variety, and his blog www.bearmccreary.com/blog, which features in-depth inside looks at the process of scoring Battlestar Galactica, was called "one of the best blogs in the business. It's a fascinating look at the process of making music for film and television and the care he takes with aligning the score with the twists and turns of each character's plot lines," by The Hollywood Reporter.

McCreary’s feature film credits include Wrong Turn 2 and the Rest Stop films. He also scores the series Eureka and Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles and will be scoring the upcoming Syfy series, and Battlestar Galactica prequel, Caprica and the Capcom video game Dark Void. McCreary was among a handful of select protégés of late film music legend Elmer Bernstein and is a classically trained composer with degrees in Composition and Recording Arts from the prestigious USC Thornton School of Music.

Read more about composer Bear McCreary here

Gametime 2009 - Review: Killzone 2 and Interview with Joris de Man

For our most recent Gametime 2009 update, we give you our review of the original score for KILLZONE 2. The mega-hit sequel to the game Killzone has sold upwards of 1.5 million copies and Sony's eventual release of JORIS DE MAN's original score for this sequel has been eagerly awaited for months. While word remains that the iTunes release is imminent, we bring our full review of the promotional tracks right now...including three streaming clips from this powerful score.

Here is an excerpt from Marius' glowing review of Killzone 2:

The world of First-Person Shooter games is hardly under-populated, and the general expectations for musical quality have been high thanks to standards set by the Medal of Honor series and others besides. So it's no surprise that sometimes a title slips onto the market without getting the recognition it should for music. When the original Killzone hit stores in 2004, it received largely mediocre reviews and seemed to be considered a title that lacked distinguishing features. While the game itself may have been unremarkable, JORIS DE MAN's musical score for it was one of the most superbly well-crafted efforts in the game music world. Taking the military game score stereotypes and raising them to new heights of symphonic majesty, DE MAN's score flowed from soaring brass fanfares, to remarkably lyrical sections, to epic marches, to aggressive modern elecontrics...all while demonstrating clever, lush orchestration and narrative musicality. It was an under-appreciated gem. Considering DE MAN's extensive musical background and experience, it's not surprising that he managed to raise the bar and deliver a cinematic and enthralling sequel score for KILLZONE 2.

Read the full review here.

To tie right in with this review, we have just published our full transcription of the podcast interview we conducted with Joris de Man back in February of this year. Included on the interview page is a fantastic documentary on the creation of the score, produced by Open Door.

Check out the full interview here

Next week Neill Blomkamp's highly anticipated film, DISTRICT 9, will finally be released. The original score for the film was composed by CLINTON SHORTER, whom we are looking to interview next week. Shorter's music for the film is formidable with uneasy strings, edgy electronics, indigenous instrumentation and vocals, and percussion...heavy percussion. A musical recipe that appears to be a good match for the innovative film. Look for more details next week, but for now check the official presser...

HUMAN COMPOSER SETS TONE FOR ANTICIPATED SCI-FI DRAMA

DISTRICT 9

(Earth - Los Angeles, CA) Film Composer Clinton Shorter scores District 9 produced by Peter Jackson and directed by Neill Blomkamp. The film, based on Blomkamp’s short film, Alive in Joburg, centers on the fallout caused by a group of alien refugees stranded on Earth (in Johannesburg) and forced into a segregation camp (the title comes from District 6, a former inner-city residential area in Cape Town infamous for the forced removal of 60,000 residents in the 70s by the Apartheid regime). The film blends documentary style with traditional shooting techniques. Shorter, recently named by Hollywood Reporter “Next Generation of Film Composers to Watch,” has worked with the director on several projects, “I had worked with Neill [Blomkamp] over the years on his commercials and short films. When he called in late 2008 and asked me if I'd score his first feature I was all over it.”

For “District 9,” Shorter collaborated closely with Blomkamp, “I spent the first several weeks experimenting with every African instrument I could think of. Neill was really pushing me to give the score an African sound; it was quite a task to maintain an African feel but give the film the darkness and edge it required. We incorporated African male vocals with some percussion from the region combined with other elements. With “District 9,” I knew from the beginning that I was going to go with more of a hybrid score of live and synthesized instruments. Without giving too much away there's a "mutation" of sorts in the film and I wanted to have that mirrored in the music” Shorter also scored the short film which was the impedus of the feature but, as the composer said, “For the short, we hired a singer and used various orchestral libraries. The sound for the feature is quite different.”

I had known Neill for a few years leading up to that short. A friend of mine worked at the same CG house that he was working at, Neill was only 22 at the time but everyone at the office could see the talent and felt one day he would be a super star.

Composer Bear McCreary Talks Dark Void

Composer Bear McCreary (Battlestar Galactica, Sarah Connor Chronicles) gives us a little insight into his first video game project, Capcom's DARK VOID. The game's release date has been pushed to 2010, it looks like it will be worth the wait. Yes...the game looks pretty much...incredible. Looking forward to hearing what McCreary does musically to match the visuals!

Get more info on Dark Void here

Live interview with Composer Kevin Riepl via Tinychat

Join us FRIDAY, AUGUST 7, 2009 at 4:00 PM PT (7:00 PM ET) for a live, video, interview and chat with composer KEVIN RIEPL (GEARS OF WAR, UNREAL TOURNAMENT, HUXLEY). He will be sharing about his brief trip to this year's Comic Con (from a composer's perspective) and some of his latest projects including the upcoming game ALIENS: COLONIAL MARINES and the mysterious DAMAGE VAULT project. We'll take questions in the chat room, so come ready to fire away!

Enter our official Tinychat room here

Gametime 2009 - Interview with Jim Dooley and Mel Wesson (Infamous)

You've played the game (or at least heard the positive buzz about it). Did you wonder about that unique musical palette used for the INFAMOUS' original score? Well, our latest Gametime 2009 update features two of the composers: JIM DOOLEY and MEL WESSON. The two, long-time collaborators joined Amon Tobin, Jonathan Myers, and Martin Tillman to create the game's electrifying music. Dooley and Wesson's collaborations go all the way back to Hans Zimmer's score for HANNIBAL. They have since gone on to work on titles such as: PUSHING DAISIES, ANGELS & DEMONS, PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN, and THE DARK KNIGHT.

Check out our latest podcast interview where the two share about their experiences in working on the score for Sony's INFAMOUS.

Listen in here!

Caption Contest: Win G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra by Alan Silvestri

Yo! This month we offer you the opportunity to nab yourself the latest from composer ALAN SILVESTRI - G.I. JOE: THE RISE OF COBRA! While the jury is still out on just how the movie itself will come off, we can almost always rest in the fact that Silvestri will come through with a solid score.

Simply submit up to three captions from the selected scene from the film and you could win the original score released by Varese Sarabande!


Enter the contest here