Description
In 2014, Cliff Martinez was the guest of honour at the annual World Soundtrack Awards Ceremony & Concert, where the Brussels Philharmonic, conducted by Dirk Brosse, performed a selection of his music for cinema. Following early stints as a drummer in rock bands - he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a former member of the Red Hot Chili Peppers - the American composer has built a successful and distinctive career in music for screen and is well known for his multiple collaborations with directors Steven Soderbergh and Nicolas Winding Refn. Nevertheless, Film Fest Gent's invitation was considered somewhat unexpected at the time, since, up until then, most composers featured at this event had a largely orchestral oeuvre that was more adaptable to a symphonic concert setting.
Cliff Martinez is, without question, at the forefront of the art of composing for screen - his ethereal and pulsating sounds are always modern, always innovative. Over the years, his music has proven to be a highly effective and essential contribution to the atmosphere of the films it accompanies, yet this album testifies that his scores remain equally spellbinding, and indeed contagious, away from those films.