How many films have you seen recently that drove your pulse to soar through the roof? That had you sweating and gritting your teeth at each turn? Each visual outburst intensifies by the syncopation of staggered drumbeats and the swelter of psychotically precise synth stabs? In 56' the duo of Louis and Bebe Barron rocked the "electronic tonalities" for Forbidden Planet with synthetic sounds unheard of by any living creature to date. After a slight delay in natural chronological advancement, examples of experimental techniques soon emerged in works like the Dr.Who television series' theme, with the great Delia Derbyshire, working her magic on reel-to-reels and strange oscillators in the BBC Radiophonic Workshop! Although throughout the sixties and seventies classical and symphonic music instrumentation was the norm, in the eighties films began to use pop music more often. I think we are well overdue for a swing in soundscape momentum. I enjoy electronic music and greatly appreciate the intricacies of it's production, and like classical music it can certainly evoke the powerful emotions necessary to aid in setting a mood or telling a character's story! My nine month old really digs some hip-hop and dubstep tunage and I'd bet my bottom nickel that younger audiences the world over would find great amusement in watching the next animated 3D film play out with a rollicking synthesizer/break-beat tune wobbling away through the theater surround speakers! Imagine the Imax experience with some Amon Tobin or BT flair blasting away to invigorate the senses! I'm pretty sure sampling and computer generated sounds in general have made some of the films I grew up with much stronger. Think about Blade Runner, The Burbs, The Saint, Layercake! Some of the music used was such a perfect fit you probably didn't even realize what you were hearing! So I'm ready for a more dominant and pronounced digital presence. It always gets my attention when I hear a driving break-beat on that Subaru commercial and I love it when the tension mounts with a lil' drum and bass for contestants on the cooking show Chopped! The integration may be gradual but, I'm sure your favorite action scene could pound a little harder with some dirty glitched out drum and bass. That twisted sci-fi world would widen your eyes a little more through some crazy layered experimental/ glitch sorcery. Absolutely the freakish horror flick that has you already on the edge of your seat could churn your guts a little deeper with the help of some fiendishly dark rumblings from your favorite dubstep producer!
