Level 26ers,
As you’ve probably realized by now, music is a big component of the Level 26 experience. A few weeks ago, you got to hear a sample of Ultraman’s incredible mix for the closing credits of Level 26 and read about his creative process. Today, you’ll get to hear from Jimmie “Speedy” Gonzalez, who composed the awesome score for the project. Once you’ve read his blog, you can take a listen to part of the soundtrack by going to his website—just click on the link at the bottom of the post. Enjoy!
Anthony E. Zuiker
The Sound of Fear: Scoring LEVEL 26
by Speedy
If any of you have ever stepped foot in a dark, sweaty, smoke-filled dance club anywhere in the world within the last 20 years you may be familiar with the BOOM-BOOM-BOOM that shakes the foundation of your soul. The swirling crescendos peaking in sync with the energy of the room. The unification that culminates into hundreds on the dance-floor raising their hands on cue to that rare imported record you’ve never heard before. As a DJ and producer in the electronic music scene since 1985, I lived to deliver that feeling. Although that club still may exist today, the Boom-Boom-Boom might be from the Black Eyed Peas, the energy of the room comes from word that Paris Hilton is in the house and the unification is most likely the “We all got in” self-awareness. While many of my peers continue to search for that “loving feeling,” now mostly in Hotel Casino venues, personally I’ve come to realize it is alive and well in the movies. A good film accompanied by a good music score is equivalent to a good DJ set. The club is the writer, the promoter is the director and the DJ is the score. Ok great. Now what? So I’m a huge film geek, especially for those rare, hard-to-find European horror films no one else knows about. Sound familiar? So I’m a soundtrack fanboy who thinks John Carpenter is God. I listen to films just as closely as I watch them. I mean, come on, try to watch Halloween without the sound on. But all that doesn’t get you a place alongside a group of talented artists who have successfully worked for years in the business. You have to earn it. You have to prove yourself. That’s where Anthony E. Zuiker comes in.
After finally facing the fact that the DJ thing just wasn’t the same for me anymore, I put my money where my ego is and decided to buy that camera and shoot those crazy ideas I’ve always had in my head. In 2006 I wrote, directed and scored a short film and entered it into the Howard Stern Film Festival. This was my chance to express myself without any limits, with only my hero Howard Stern to please. Long story short, I was among the finalists who went to New York, screened our films in front of hundreds of Stern fans and was featured on his radio and TV show. My good friend and fellow producer, Jerry Brancucci, apparently convinced his brother-in-law (Anthony) to watch my film, which resulted in him wanting to speak with me. I thought, “Wow, this is it! I’m going to direct an episode of CSI! I’m going from directing a film for the king of smut to directing William Petersen in the crime lab.” Knowing mainly of my musical background, Anthony commissioned Jerry and me to produce a track for consideration for an episode for CSI. It was then that I came to peace with knowing that music is what I am meant to do. It’s always been the power of music in the visual that’s attracted me to the bigger picture. I still have goals of writing, directing and scoring my own film but like every thing else I’ve learned… I have to earn it. Although nothing ever came of that track I was on cloud 9 just to know I was on Anthony’s radar.
In the fall of 2008 I got a phone call from Jerry asking if I would be interested in submitting a demo for Anthony’s new project. “It’s a horror-thriller, Speedy! Right up your alley.” I couldn’t wait to get into the studio. I hadn’t even opened up Cubase in months. I was still getting offers to remix dance music and produce for top labels but just wasn’t feeling it. This was the music I wanted to make. To evoke emotion again. Make people jump when you want them to jump again. Give people goosebumps again. Make people cry again. Although unconscious to many, it is in cinema’s music where this is still alive. Try caring about Jack’s death in Titanic without James Horner’s “My Heart Will Go On” theme. When I got that first call from Anthony himself I was instantly absorbed by the passion he exudes about the project, yet quite honestly – he had me at hello. I was mute with excitement and gratitude so my only communication was to deliver the goods. My mission was to live and breathe Sqweegel. To truly imagine the sounds of evil that must loop in the mind of a killer. When I saw the first visual it was as if a switch was turned on. This is where all those relentless viewings of genre films kicked in. This was when I made sense of the connection I’ve always seen with classic horror and modern electronic music. This is when those darker memories from years in shady clubs re-emerged. It can only be seen as a positive now, but hearing the wrong frequencies at a warehouse on the wrong side of town can be a truly haunting experience; yet for a musician open to ideas it was just the right inspiration needed for a project like Level 26. I was especially drawn to the gig by the freedom Anthony allowed me on the project. To not hold back – to not worry about sounding like everything else in Hollywood. My favorite note from him was to “do the Speedy thing.” But perhaps the most precious gift was fusing my own intellect with his priceless advice to always remember the everyday man’s perception. The combination of all these elements is what I hope will come across in my score for Level 26. There’s no doubt about it: the words and visuals alone will scare the pants off you but if you are like me, you’ll immerse yourself in every aspect of the experience and lose yourself on the Dark side.
The official LEVEL 26 Soundtrack by Speedy can be sampled and downloaded at http://www.spacetoonzmedia.com/level26soundtrack/
Also, join in the “Music” discussion moderated by me in the Forum section of LEVEL26.com.
