"Ethnic" Soundtracks

[Muad'Dib 1,802]

Recently hearing to Zimmer's amazing work on The Power of One I started to wonder how many "ethnic" soundtracks there must be out there, as I love this sype of sound. I use the "ethnic" term very loosely here, meaning any soundtracks that sound sort of tribal and out of the Western norm of the traditional Hollywood orchestra. Anything that sounds specifically from a certain culture and is rooted on the musical folklore of that particular country or zone.

So, to start off a couple that come to my mind:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zsVgk3cFgN4

[Naïve Old Fart 9,524]

For "ethinic", they don't come better than "The Last Temptation Of Christ".

Try Peter Gabriel's CD of the score, called "Passion". "Return Of The Giant Hogweed", it ain't!

[Sharkissimo 1,973]

For "ethinic", they don't come better than "The Last Temptation Of Christ".

Try Peter Gabriel's CD of the score, called "Passion". "Return Of The Giant Hogweed", it ain't!

Was just going to post that! I believe Peter Gabriel has been a big influence on Hans Zimmer, and not just that score—his output as a whole. If anyone here's big a Zimmer fan, check out his Genesis records plus his first 5 solo albums. YMMV with the rest but his recent Scratch My Back is excellent. It's a symphonic cover album with exquisite orchestrations by John Metcalfe. If you like Pärt, Górecki, Reich, Glass, Bryars and Nyman; you'll dig this. Recorded at Air Lyndhurst—Zimmer's favourite studio.

[Unlucky Bastard 7,782]

What does ethnic mean? A lot of female wailing? Exotic instrumentation? Anything that's not white European because white Europeanism isn't an "ethnicity"?

[Dixon Hill 4,234]

For "ethinic", they don't come better than "The Last Temptation Of Christ".

Try Peter Gabriel's CD of the score, called "Passion". "Return Of The Giant Hogweed", it ain't!

Was just going to post that! I believe Peter Gabriel has been a big influence on Hans Zimmer, and not just that scorehis output as a whole. If anyone here's big a Zimmer fan, check out his Genesis records plus his first 5 solo albums. YMMV with the rest but his recent Scratch My Back is excellent. It's a symphonic cover album with exquisite orchestrations by John Metcalfe. If you like Pärt, Górecki, Reich, Glass, Bryars and Nyman; you'll dig this. Recorded at Air LyndhurstZimmer's favourite studio.

This post intrigued me.

[Naïve Old Fart 9,524]

I suppose one could call PG a forerunner of the "ethnic" sound. He was using African musicians on "peter gabriel" ("Security") in 1982, long before Paul Simon ever got a sniff.

As for what westeners call "ethnicity": it can only be a stylized, watered-down, lo-cal form of the concept.

[Koray Savas 2,251]

There's an album of the chanting music from The Thin Red Line. All traditional material.

[Dixon Hill 4,234]

Now I've got that tune in my head. You know the one.

[Gruesome Son of a Bitch 6,488]

This is pure Kafka.

[Koray Savas 2,251]

Now I've got that tune in my head. You know the one.

http://youtu.be/WTMLZfifoec

[Faleel 5,347]

Be carefull, Henry Buck think you are being racist

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

No love for Under Fire?

[KK 3,307]

This one has some of my favourite "ethnic" moments:

1:40....just damn...

Or:

[Sharkissimo 1,973]

No love for Under Fire?

Well it beats of the shit out of CONGO, that's for sure.

[KK 3,307]

Indeed.

[Luke Skywalker 1,795]

Does this count as ethnic?

Salomé by Roque Baños. Its an 'artsy fartsy' film by Carlos Saura, Spanish filmmaker. The music is a mix of Flamenco, arabian and jewish sounds. Using instruments from all three.

Here is 'Dance of the Seven Veils' the highlight of the score, in my opinion: (NOTE: the ending could be considered not work friendly...)

[Melange 446]

......and out of the Western norm of the traditional Hollywood orchestra.

Anything that sounds specifically from a certain culture and is rooted on the musical folklore of that particular country or zone.

I'm kind of stating the obvious, but the place to find that is outside of hollywood, in the soundtracks of movies made in other cultures.

For the most part, our soundtrack take on other cultures is either fusion or caricature (as good / enjoyable as both results can be).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3GsvXgBAgR4

[Uni 306]

James Horner's Bopha! has some decent material on it. But I'm with you, Michael—The Power of One has always been my favorite. (Love that "Southland Concerto". . . .)

[Sharkissimo 1,973]

For the most part, our soundtrack take on other cultures is either fusion or caricature (as good / enjoyable as both results can be).

I think that's one this thread is referring to, though.

[Naïve Old Fart 9,524]

No love for Under Fire?

Are you kidding??!!!

"Under Fire" is fantastic! Not sure if a guitar makes it "ethnic", though.

[Unlucky Bastard 7,782]

It's not "white" sounding, so we lump it under that "ethnic" euphemism.

[A24 4,331]

Some more nice albums with ethnic influences mixed with Western tradition:

Memoirs Of A Geisha by John Williams

The Last Emperor by Ruychi Sakamoto and David Byrne

The Sheltering Sky by Ruychi Sakamoto

China by Vangelis (officially not a soundtrack but I don't care about that)

Alex

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

No love for Under Fire?

Are you kidding??!!!

"Under Fire" is fantastic! Not sure if a guitar makes it "ethnic", though.

Ummmm.... Pan pipes! And Mariachi style trumpets?

[Muad'Dib 1,802]

It also sounds very Spanish, a nice concious mix by Goldsmith.

[Wojo 2,453]

Does the film take place in Spain?

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

Nope.

[Muad'Dib 1,802]

No, it takes place in Colombia. Some people complained to Goldsmith because of the use of the Spanish-styled music but Goldsmith did it on purpose, he wasn't ignorant about it.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

Pan pipes are also incorrect for that country. Which is Nicuracua not Colombia.

[Muad'Dib 1,802]

Ah, you're right. I don't know why I got them mixed up.

Nicaragua.

[stewdog1 50]

Some more nice albums with ethnic influences mixed with Western tradition:

 

 

Memoirs Of A Geisha by John Williams

 

The Last Emperor by Ruychi Sakamoto and David Byrne

 

The Sheltering Sky by Ruychi Sakamoto

 

China by Vangelis (officially not a soundtrack but I don't care about that)

 

 

 

Alex

China by Vangelis is just an amazing album.

[Naïve Old Fart 9,524]

It's not as good as "See You Later" (which has "Memories Of Green").

But it is better than "Beaubourg"...

[stewdog1 50]

It's not as good as "See You Later" (which has "Memories Of Green").

 

 

But it is better than "Beaubourg"...

Definitely

[Hlao-roo 389]

No, it takes place in Colombia. Some people complained to Goldsmith because of the use of the Spanish-styled music but Goldsmith did it on purpose, he wasn't ignorant about it.

So what was the purpose behind the use of the "Spanish-styled music"?

[A24 4,331]

I'm probably one of the few people on Earth who loves Beaubourg (Invisible Connections is much harder to listen to). See You Later isn't very popular Vangelis album either due to the pop/rock/drum computer/singing factor. IMO, China has the prefect balance of all the elements: lyrical, melodic and atmospheric, sound engineering... And Vangelis avoids the overly mushy and the simplistic bombast he sometimes is known for (each album usually has 1 or 2 tracks) .


Alex

[Incanus 5,714]

The Nativity Story by Mychael Danna contains various cultural influences from the Near East and he uses extensive exotic instrumentation but also a wide variety of music from different centuries that was inspired by the story. He combines this with the symphony orchestra and chorus with beautiful results. You would think something containing the Coventry Carol, Carol of Bells, plainsong styled Corde Natus Ex Parentis, Veni Veni Emanuel and traditional Jewish chants and approximations of the music and modes of the time two millenia ago and modern orchestra would sound disjointed but Danna brings it all together with surprising dramatic cohesion to create a fully rounded musical world for the film.

[Muad'Dib 1,802]

So what was the purpose behind the use of the "Spanish-styled music"?

If I remember correctly it was something the studio or the temp-track, and Goldsmith telling them the pan-pipes were incorrect to that particular zone, but the producers insisted.

There was a very complete interview about this somewhere, but I can't find it. I remember very clearly something among the lines of several fans approaching and commenting that the pan-pipes and the guitar were incorrectly used, but he responded something like he knew about it, but he was going for a more general approach.

[Incanus 5,714]

So what was the purpose behind the use of the "Spanish-styled music"?

If I remember correctly it was something the studio or the temp-track, and Goldsmith telling them the pan-pipes were incorrect to that particular zone, but the producers insisted.

There was a very complete interview about this somewhere, but I can't find it. I remember very clearly something among the lines of several fans approaching and commenting that the pan-pipes and the guitar were incorrectly used, but he responded something like he knew about it, but he was going for a more general approach.

Here you go! Jerry talks about Under Fire around 38 minute mark:

[Naïve Old Fart 9,524]

I'm probably one of the few people on Earth who loves Beaubourg (Invisible Connections is much harder to listen to). See You Later isn't very popular Vangelis album either due to the pop/rock/drum computer/singing factor. IMO, China has the prefect balance of all the elements: lyrical, melodic and atmospheric, sound engineering... And Vangelis avoids the overly mushy and the simplistic bombast he sometimes is known for (each album usually has 1 or 2 tracks) .

Alex

"Soil Festivites" rocks!

[Dixon Hill 4,234]

You would think something containing the Coventry Carol, Carol of Bells, plainsong styled Corde Natus Ex Parentis, Veni Veni Emanuel and traditional Jewish chants and approximations of the music and modes of the time two millenia ago and modern orchestra would sound disjointed

Oh you have much to discover my friend, beyond this lovely score.

I'm probably one of the few people on Earth who loves Beaubourg (Invisible Connections is much harder to listen to). See You Later isn't very popular Vangelis album either due to the pop/rock/drum computer/singing factor. IMO, China has the prefect balance of all the elements: lyrical, melodic and atmospheric, sound engineering... And Vangelis avoids the overly mushy and the simplistic bombast he sometimes is known for (each album usually has 1 or 2 tracks) .

Alex

Beaubourg is a fine album. Invisible Connections has to be my favorite though, as a whole - but I don't think my favorite Vangelis track would come from that one.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

No, it takes place in Colombia. Some people complained to Goldsmith because of the use of the Spanish-styled music but Goldsmith did it on purpose, he wasn't ignorant about it.

So what was the purpose behind the use of the "Spanish-styled music"?

It was Jerrys genius to determine that the authentic music from Nicaracua was insufficient in portraying both the region and the plight of the films characters in a meaningful way.

[Incanus 5,714]

You would think something containing the Coventry Carol, Carol of Bells, plainsong styled Corde Natus Ex Parentis, Veni Veni Emanuel and traditional Jewish chants and approximations of the music and modes of the time two millenia ago and modern orchestra would sound disjointed

Oh you have much to discover my friend, beyond this lovely score.

Any tips?

[Sharkissimo 1,973]

You would think something containing the Coventry Carol, Carol of Bells, plainsong styled Corde Natus Ex Parentis, Veni Veni Emanuel and traditional Jewish chants and approximations of the music and modes of the time two millenia ago and modern orchestra would sound disjointed

Oh you have much to discover my friend, beyond this lovely score.

Any tips?

THE ICE STORM is probably his most influential score, but LILLIES, FAMILY VIEWING and FELICIA'S JOURNEY (partly 12-tone) are my favourites.

[Dixon Hill 4,234]

You would think something containing the Coventry Carol, Carol of Bells, plainsong styled Corde Natus Ex Parentis, Veni Veni Emanuel and traditional Jewish chants and approximations of the music and modes of the time two millenia ago and modern orchestra would sound disjointed

Oh you have much to discover my friend, beyond this lovely score.

Any tips?

There are many, many composers who both quoted directly from plainchant or wrote in a manner evoking that same aesthetic. It's one of my biggest musical fascinations. Some recommendations, if that's what you meant, since Sharky has the Danna recommendations covered (also Life of Pi is lovely).

Respighi did it a lot. Some prime examples:

Duruflé too, more with the organ than orchestra though.

[Sharkissimo 1,973]

Grey, do you know any composers who evoke medieval organum - in particular the type of organum where you have two voices moving slowly in contrary motion, involving lots of 4ths, 5ths, thirds and 7ths. In other words, loads of passing dissonances.

 

Kind of like what the bassoons play in the opening of Nielson's 5th. It's a bit like "mirror writing" (to quote Persichetti). I think Copeland did it too in places.

 

 

This is something of a minor obsession for me, I guess.

[Dixon Hill 4,234]

A few spring to mind immediately, without thinking too hard about how closely they technically evoke pure organum.

Sort of along the lines of what you meant? That kind of thing is all over Pärt, especially the stuff for strings.

[rpvee 805]

Does this count as ethnic?

Salomé by Roque Baños. Its an 'artsy fartsy' film by Carlos Saura, Spanish filmmaker. The music is a mix of Flamenco, arabian and jewish sounds. Using instruments from all three.

Here is 'Dance of the Seven Veils' the highlight of the score, in my opinion: (NOTE: the ending could be considered not work friendly...)

I've always loved this piece!! It's brilliant.

Nice to see a thread about this corner of the film score world. I started a thread a while ago about specifically Middle Eastern influenced scores, the suggestions in there might be appealing: http://www.jwfan.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=18269 (hard to believe I posted that five years ago...)