Electronic soundscapes
Delving into early sci-fi films and the progression to 3D soundscapes that have shaped our ideas of the future, Mark reveals some of his favourite electronic soundtrack albums.
Eraserhead
"Boasts industrial groans and strange electronic wheezes"
Some soundtrack albums feature noises which blur the boundary between music and sound effect. The soundtrack album to David Lynch’s nightmarish feature debut Eraserhead (1977) remains one of my firm favourites.
Midnight Express
鈥淭he result was electrifying鈥�
I remember very well going to see the film [in 1978] at the Hendon Odean. It was an X certificate and I had to stand on my tiptoes because I wasn’t really old enough to get in. The film felt urgent and contemporary and to give it an edge Alan Parker turned to electro music guru .
The Young Americans
"A home-grown British film trying its very hardest to look like a big budget Hollywood movie"
Featuring US star Harvey Keitel, the film was an unexpected hit and owes its existence to very low-rent technology. Composer revealed the defining theme of the score, which became part of the soundtrack single Play Dead by , was recorded in one take: "We had three minutes left on the clock because we didn't have any money. The orchestra you hear on that record, it's the first time any of them had ever seen [the music]"
Berberian Sound Studio
"One of my favourite films of recent years"
The prevalence of atmosphere over narrative is nowhere more apparent than in Peter Strickland’s gem Berberian Sound Studio (2012), scored by the British band .
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