Scores in movies are meticulously crafted to match the feel and vibe of a film, whether it is to elevate what the actors are feeling or to add a little magic to a scene when it is brought to life by enhancing the storytelling experience. It is an unspoken language that helps build mood and tension, and takes viewers on a ride, assisting them in feeling an emotion or the direction of the film more deeply. Some films have recruited electronic music artists and producers to work on the score or contribute to a soundtrack; here are some you may not have known of –
The Chemical Brothers
English electronic music duo The Chemical Brothers, made up of Tom Rowlands and Ed Simons, were tapped to work on the 2011 film ‘Hanna,’ starring Saoirse Ronan, Cate Blanchett, Tom Hollander, and more. ‘What we found was really interesting with a movie is how you can have a very tense action scene, and then the challenge is making it go to a very beautiful moment,’ Rowlands said to the Los Angeles Times of composing the original score and soundtrack of a film. ‘We liked being able to create these moods that went along with everything else you were seeing in the film.’
Dom Dolla, Tiësto, Peggy Gou, and PAWSA
The highly anticipated Formula 1-themed film ‘F1,’ starring Brad Pitt and ‘Snowfall’ star Damson Idris, sees some of the major names in music on its soundtrack. Directed by Joseph Kosinski, the film follows a former F1 driver who teams up with a rookie after some persuasion and convincing from the owner of a struggling Formula 1 team. Grammy Award winner Kevin Weaver, the Atlantic Records West Coast President who has worked on ‘The Greatest Showman,’ ‘Suicide Squad,’ and Greta Gerwig’s ‘Barbie,’ among others, helmed ‘F1 The Album.’
Dom Dolla delivers the track ‘No Room For A Saint’ featuring Tennessee-born Nathan Nicholson, while Tiësto joins forces with rapper Sexyy Red on ‘OMG!,’ South Korean dance music icon Peggy Gou brings the heat with ‘D.A.N.C.E,’ with London-based tech-house producer PAWSA offering ‘Double C’ to give you the thrilling Formula 1 vibe. Don Toliver, Ed Sheeran, ROSÉ, and RAYE are some other popular artists on the soundtrack.
Daft Punk
Another film directed by Joseph Kosinski that saw an electronic music heavyweight compose the entire film score is ‘Tron: Legacy.’ The French electronic music maestro Daft Punk were approached by Konsinski in 2007 and, due to their admiration for ‘Tron’ technology, he convinced them to hop on the project. However, the process wasn’t simple. The duo took a year to decide whether they actually wanted to be on board with it.
“We were interested in the relationship between society and technology, and how the place of technology in the world had changed so much,” Thomas Bangalter, one half of Daft Punk, told The Hollywood Reporter when asked what drew them to the film with no script. “The first movie in 1982 was a very colorful, hopeful, naive look at technology, and the power of the computer. Thirty years later, this new movie would be a dark and not-innocent look at technology. It was in common with how we feel about technology, which is this love-hate relationship with it. It can be wonderful and terrifying.” The soundtrack blends electronic music with orchestra and has become a score to remember!
Skrillex
Grammy-award-winning dance music titan Skrillex joined forces with Cliff Martinez for the 2013 film ‘Spring Breakers.’ The soundtrack included his notable track ‘Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites’ along with tracks from Cliff Martinez, himself, and other artists.
Other films the Los Angeles-born producer has contributed are ‘Suicide Squad’ and the animated film ‘Wreck-It Ralph.’ ‘Purple Lamborghini’ is the collaborative track Skrillex offered for ‘Suicide Squad’ with hip-hop star Rick Ross. He also served as one of the producers for ‘Wreck-It Ralph,’ and his song ‘Bug Hunt’ featured on the soundtrack.
Marshmello
Known for his hits like ‘Alone,’ ‘Happier,’ ‘Silence,’ ‘Friends’ and ‘Wolves,’ Marshmello has also ventured into making tracks for films. The American DJ worked in tandem with hip-hop group Migos for the film ‘Bright’ on the track ‘Danger.’
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