Music Genre
“Beyond Reach by Simpolished is an epic cinematic theme with ongoing energy and tension, music that could easily fit in game trailers or intro, showcasing a part of an epic batle where engage users curiosity to check for more. Well mixed and rich in layering.”
-Nagamag.com
“Ultraviolet from Empasse is a post rock with electronica influences and hidden nostalgia which unfolds through its addictive laid back groove and blissful harmonics.”
-Nagamag.com
Recorded in Kirikiriroa, Aotearoa (Hamilton, New Zealand), Empasse is the musical project of Nick Johnston, a local government bureaucrat by day and musician by night. Some of Nick’s previous bands include post-rock band Sora Shima, and indie pop bands The Changing Same and Dynamo Go.
The music for Ultraviolet EP was primarily composed during New Zealand’s first COVID-19 lockdown, a creative escape away from civil defence and community recovery work during the day.
Nick jokingly refers to the musical style as ‘post-rock baroquetronica’, but it can be more simply described as having cinematic qualities… something that would not feel out of place on the big screen. The ‘baroquetronica’ aspect refers to the blend of synthesisers with an eclectic range of instruments including the Marxophone (a type of fretless zither).
“My musical background is mainly in pop and rock bands, so when it came to creating electronic music, I was not very familiar with how to manipulate synthetic sounds” says Nick. “Rather than manipulating the sound of the synthesisers, I ended up blending synthetic sounds with organic sounds to create new instruments and textures”.
Nick describes the tracks as a “soundtrack to a story that is not well known in New Zealand outside the Waikato Region where I live” – the story of the town of Rotowaro, a former mining village that was entirely removed in the 1980s to make way for an opencast coal mine. The mine fuelled the Huntly Power Station, the largest thermal power station in New Zealand which has been identified as responsible for over half of New Zealand’s carbon emissions from electricity generation.
The evocative cover photo for Ultraviolet EP was taken in 1985 by David Cook, a photographer who has spent nearly four decades recording the effects of the coal industry on Rotowaro and Rāhui Pōkeka | Huntly.
“Ultraviolet is about the damage and wounds that we cannot see – in this case, it is the rural communities that have battered over many generations to grow and power our larger cities, as well as the carbon emissions damaging the health of our planet.”
“Does shadows can speak? and how they sound? This epic cinematic neoclassical theme translate their dark language in harmonies. A dark contemporary modern classical song.”
-Nagamag.com
Coinciding with the September 18th release of Lionsgate’s Antebellum, the motion picture starring Janelle Monáe, Milan Records will release Antebellum: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack, with music by Nate “Rocket” Wonder and Roman GianArthur. Best known for their work alongside Monáe on her albums and as part of her Wondaland Arts Society, it’s the first-ever score from the production duo, a Colin Stetson-esque work which combines dark, orchestral strings with contemporary textures and influences.
“Opening” is the first song from the score and film itself.
“Writing the score for Antebellum has been a rewarding adventure in creating a musical bed that compliments the script while becoming its own unique character and identity within the film. It was really wonderful to work with my brother on this, it was one of the most fulfilling experiences,” says Nate “Rocket” Wonder of the project, adding, “Working with Janelle Monáe has also been a pleasure as always. We’ve done this a few times before and every time it is a thrilling experience to work on such intriguing ideas. It’s been especially heart-warming to work on this feature, as it is the next step in the evolution of her emotional pictures.”
https://www.facebook.com/AntebellumFilm/
https://www.instagram.com/antebellumfilm/
https://twitter.com/antebellumfilm
Obviously deeply passionate for soundtrack and neoclassical music, Harris Procopiou in his tracn "Renewal" dive us into a deep emotional state of cinematic harmonics with a nostalgic atmosphere, spicing the flavor of feelings with minimal synth arps. Brilliant emotive music.
Opening with deep tonal rumbles flooded with cavernous French Horn, 'Colourfield III' is the last track to be taken from Dan Michaelson's acclaimed new album. At just over 3 minutes, it is by far the most compact of his tracks, condensing many of the album's core ideals into one simple message. Featuring a full orchestral compliment, heavy swells of piano envelop strings in waves of bass before they reemerge in one of Colourfield's most optimistic and uplifting moments.
Dan Michaelson's new album 'Colourfield' is out now on Village Green Recordings. Drawing inspiration from all corners of his record collection, including John Luther Adams, Spiritualized, Laurie Anderson, Brian Eno, Mogwai and Gavin Bryers, 'Colourfield' is Dan Michaelson's first full-length release as an instrumental artist as well as his debut for the contemporary music label.
On making the decision to step back from singing and lyric writing, the thinking was simple, “everyone gets tired of the sound of their own voice sometimes...”.
Though better known for his solo albums of dark, Americana tinged reflection, Dan is no stranger to instrumental music, having spent the past few years creating score for film (Blowin'Up 2018) and television (Detectorists Series 1,2 &3. 2016-2018), and gradually building confidence with orchestra through his trilogy of albums 'Distance', 'Memory' and 'First Light', his 2017 album for voice and strings.
“Whilst working on the tone of those records, I fell in love with the likes of John Adams, Steve Reich, Anna Thorvaldsdottir and Caroline Shaw with the same force that I had fallen for The Velvet Underground, Leonard Cohen and Jonathan Richman many years before, and with the same outcome.. the inspiration to investigate a new direction”.
The result is a vast field of sound, as informed by texture and human intervention as it is by melody. “The hope is to be lost in it, to get to the other side with no memory of where you set out from ”
Working closely with violist and conductor Robert Ames and violinist Galya Bisengalieva to complete the record, Dan found their way of working to be “very similar to being in a band, just with less wrong notes”.
BUY/STREAM 'COLOURFIELD' HERE
www.danmichaelson.bandcamp.com
www.twitter.com/danmumbleson
www.instagram.com/danmichaelson
www.soundcloud.com/danmichaelson
www.facebook.com/danmichaelsonmusic
Fransoafran wrote this music in February 2020 after the Australian bushfires tragedy, putting the song on hold for a while when the pandemic started. A classical piece for piano and strings with spreaks out in a cinemtatic emotive dramatic tone, diving into deep emotional fields.
Music composed by Francois Mathian. Piano performed by Lena Matienko.
https://www.facebook.com/FransoafranMusic/
A deep, atmospheric and lush ambient track of analogu synth textures spiced with field recordings. A track from the due to be released soundtrack 'Castle in the Ground'. Starring Alex Wolff, Neve Campbell, Imogen Poots, Keir Gilchrist and Tom Cullen.
The story: "After the untimely death of his mother, a teenager befriends his charismatic but troubled next-door neighbor and becomes embroiled in a world of addiction and violence just as the opioid epidemic takes hold of their small town. "
Few words about Chris Hyson:
Chris Hyson is a London based multi-instrumentalist, producer and composer. He studied at the RWCMD and the Royal Academy of Music in London, where he developed his keen sensitivity and creative flair for composition, indulging an appetite for writing that has since led to a professional portfolio spanning performance, composition, and production.
As a performer, Chris has shared the stage with various acclaimed artists across genres, including English singer/songwriter Mara Carlyle (EMI), renowned Drummer/Producer Richard Spaven (José James and Jameszoo), Mercury Prize nominated Folk artist Sam Lee, Mercury Prize nominated British Rapper TY, three-time Grammy Award winning artist Bill Laurance, project of Australian-born London-based Singer/songwriter Jamie Doe ‘The Magic Lantern’, Rough Trade Records artists Josienne Clarke and Ben Walker, and Sony artist & Texan Jazz Singer Hailey Tuck, with whom Hyson appeared live on Jools Holland in 2018.
Chris’ talent and creativity truly take center stage however in his steadily growing collection of self-produced solo instrumental music, now spanning a notable 5 EP’s; ‘Little Moon Man’, ‘Alive With Closed Eyes’, ‘Paradise’, ‘Human Error’ & ‘Still Life’. This impressive body of work has not gone unnoticed, collectively reaching over 1 million streams online, and gaining recognition and radio play across major UK stations, including BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 3, Jazz FM and Classical FM.
Chris is the composer and producer behind ‘Snowpoet’, a hugely successful collaboration with Jazz FM's Vocalist of the Year (2016) Lauren Kinsella. Tracks from the band’s self-titled debut album, ‘Snowpoet’, were championed by BBC 6 Music and Snowpoet’s stunning second album, ‘Thought You Knew’, a unique & fresh offering that was dubbed by Clash Music as ‘a multi-faceted jewel’ drawing influence deeply from jazz yet imaginatively and ‘wonderfully retrained’.
Chris has recently branched out into the world of film composition, a landscape beautifully suited to his effortlessly enigmatic and emotive composition style.
He has composed several noteworthy film scores; Richard Raymond’s ‘A Million Eyes’, ‘Pink Wall’, starring Tatiana Maslany & Jay Duplass - which premiered at SXSW Festival 2019,‘Castle in the Ground’, starring Neve Campbell, Alex Wolff & Imogen Poots which premiered at TIFF in September 2019 and ‘Hailey Alien’, directed by Hannah Arterton, starring Gemma Arterton & Karla Crome.
Chris has also worked as a producer, lending his sensitivity, imagination & dynamism to the music of contemporary Jazz Vocalist and composer Emilia Martensson, Alternative Folk Singer/Songwriter Laura Fell and, most recently, Ninja Tunes emerging talent Jordan Rakei; holding true to Clash Music’s celebration of Hyson’s ‘ability to stretch towards virtually any style placed in front of him’. Indeed, it seems clear that there is no creative field in which Chris fails to excel, impress, delight and surprise.
‘an exceptional musician’ TIME OUT
‘His music exhibits a remarkable self-assurance’ - New York Times
https://www.instagram.com/chrishyson
Nagamag:
What are the genres that describe better your music style?
Kepa Lehtinen:
Classical, cinematic
Nagamag:
Few words about your musical background and career?
Kepa Lehtinen:
I was born in Helsinki, Finland in 1971 and began studying music in childhood, eventually learning to play piano, synthesizers, theremin, and drums. I went on to study Sound Design at Finland’s Aalto University and I have since written music for many films, commercials, and TV productions. My work has appeared in award-winning Finnish titles such as Kimmo (TV series), Almost 18 (feature film), and A Stone LeftUnturned (short film). I released my first solo album, Playing Theremin, in 2018. In 2019 I released Helsinki in November and 2020 album “It Is OK To Be Sad And Dark”.
Nagamag:
Do you remember your first connection of love to music that was the right impact to be a music artist now?
Kepa Lehtinen:
As a child, the Queen was the biggest. Seeing live aid on tv and year after that seeing band live (on Stockholm). Point of no return.
Nagamag:
Does your music have any underlying messages in it?
Kepa Lehtinen:
Strong melodies over anything else.
Nagamag:
Is music political? Should it be?
Kepa Lehtinen:
I have been on some political projects, including "I Have Only Just Begun,” a song for gay rights in Russia. It made Boy George cry and Madonna said it is something Putin should hear.
Nagamag:
Most artists have a favorite song from a different music genre than the one they are producing music for... Which is yours?
Kepa Lehtinen:
Placebo "Running up that hill"
Nagamag:
Of Course Nagamag would love to listen also which track from a similar artist you admire?
Kepa Lehtinen:
Ryuichi Sakamoto "The Sheltering Sky"
Burn Embrace from Telepathy is a deep atmospheric dark cinematic sludge metal song, taken from their latest same titled album. A track with a hypnotic guitar drive, cinematic strings and nostalgic harmonic layering, where the vocals deliver deep sadness and post apocalyptic mood along, engaging emotions like questions full of WHY...?.
For The Glory, a single by Darkwars, is a wonderful cinematic epic theme with big tension, the tension that generates by massive preparations in the fields before a big medieval battle begins. A battle that will change the world as we knew it. Listen to this soundtrack and revive that scenery.