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Metropolis Meets Sonic Generator
by Joshua Broughton
Classic Sci-Fi Flick Screened with New Live Score
Martin Matalon, an Argentine composer, rescored the dystopian classic Metropolis for the second time in 2010; twenty minutes of neverbefore-seen footage surfaced and his 1995 score had to be lengthened to accommodate the new material. Members of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and the Atlanta Opera joined with Georgia Tech’s wonderfully nerdy ensemble-inresidence Sonic Generator to play the new score live as the film was splashed on the white walls of the Woodruff Arts Center. Classical music is often a traditionalist’s playground, eschewing textures and instruments that Sonic Generator works to include in its work. The sixteen-person group put together to play Matalon’s new score included electric guitars and
STUDIO PROFILE
For more info, visit www.martinmatalon.com
DARP Studios/Urban Angels Music
Southern Elegance with Modern Appointments
EQUIPMENT LIST Apple Computers, Line 6, Roland, Digidesign, ART, Focusrite, Avalon, various microphones and much more… PAST CLIENTS T.I., Monica, Lenny Kravitz, Madonna, Ludacris, Ice Cube, Björk, Boyz II Men, Lionel Richie and more… 6 JULY 2013 PERFORMER MAGAZINE
fretless basses, not to mention a full backing track of ambient industrial soundscapes – not exactly Les Mis territory. The percussion section was also hugely varied, featuring everything from traditional Indian drums to jazzy hi-hats. This isn’t the first time Metropolis has had the alt-music treatment – in the 1980s, the film’s soundtrack was updated by Giorgio Moroder to a pop-filled, early-MTV dreamland of Freddie Mercurys and Pat Benatars and Billy Squiers – but it may be the most important. The score was atonal, bass-heavy and exceedingly difficult to internalize. Matalon’s score feels more appropriate than Moroder’s work, particularly emphasizing the motifs of isolation and destitution in the film’s technologically-advanced setting. Fritz Lang would be pleased that his work, after 85 years, still has the power to inspire. Lang took care of the eyes; Martin Matalon and Sonic Generator gave the ears something just as wonderful.
Atlanta producer/songwriter Dallas Austin founded DARP in the early ’90s as a way to foster his own musical ideas. In the years following, the studio has grown to house state-of-the-tech gear in a comfortable environment, servicing a wide variety of musicians and producers. DARP has four distinct studios with individual and communal lounges. Studios A and B feature a custom built, one-of-a-kind monitor setup. Each room has its own distinctly flavored digital recording rig, and the operations staff is both technically capable and friendly. It all adds up to a great, comfortable setting in which to lay down a record. Urban Angels Music, operators and managers of DARP Studios, also functions as publishers and actively develops artists another great service right in the building.
CONTACT INFO Booking: Monica Tannian 582 Trabert Ave. NW - Atlanta, GA (404) 352-5096 www.darpstudios.com
Gregory Steward Pull Out Kings, Combichrist
interview by Joshua Broughton photo by Kali Marie Photography Gregory Steward is an Atlanta-based musician and producer. Over the last five years, he has built an impressive catalogue of remixes and original releases as one half of the production duo Pull Out Kings, and continues to tour the world as the keyboard player for industrial titans Combichrist. What do you do for POK? We’ve become a full-on production team, producing for bands in other genres in addition to releasing our own material. We’re definitely a DIY crew, so I do everything from writing and producing to graphic design and artwork. What’s the goal? We aim to provide meticulously-crafted material, whether it’s for ourselves, or in collaboration with our friends and clients. What’s your role in Combichrist? Combichrist is a different animal completely; we put on a very intense and visceral show. My onstage duties include keyboards, electronics, and backing vocals, but the essence of the show lies in our ability to brutalize ourselves and our instruments. If the audience isn’t as drained as we are following a show, we haven’t performed hard enough - haha! Has Atlanta been kind to electronic music? Atlanta has a bright and burgeoning music scene, which includes a strong electronic community. It’s a great city to live and work as a producer.
For more info, visit www.pulloutkings.com