Kevin Kiner & co's AHSOKA (2023)

[Hego-Damask-II 15]

I wonder how orchestral the score will be. With it being a live-action series, there's the potential to have a good-sized orchestra. Though odds are that it'll be in the vein of Kiner's more typical synth.

[Gabriel Bezerra 302]

The Ahsoka portion of Tales of the Jedi and the third Final Season of Clone Wars album might give you an idea of how orchestral it will be. The synths are being used by his kids for the Empire stuff in Bad Batch, and the Dark Side in the Dooku portion of Tales of the Jedi, so I don't see it Ahsoka having that much synth.

[DarthDementous 1,059]

13 hours ago, Gabriel Bezerra said:

The Ahsoka portion of Tales of the Jedi and the third Final Season of Clone Wars album might give you an idea of how orchestral it will be. The synths are being used by his kids for the Empire stuff in Bad Batch, and the Dark Side in the Dooku portion of Tales of the Jedi, so I don't see it Ahsoka having that much synth.

He's likely going to be using his usual music team for this one though which would include those composers

[Manakin Skywalker 4,897]

That's right, I believe they already confirmed they'd all be involved (including DGR).

[Gabriel Bezerra 302]

9 hours ago, DarthDementous said:

He's likely going to be using his usual music team for this one though which would include those composers

Yeah, they will be there, I just listed where they use the synths, since Ahsoka won't really delve in the Empire, I think, it probably won't be used extensively, Thrawn's theme in Rebels is an organ! And Rebels has no synth work if I recall, the only place I can see it being use is for the villains, but only as an extra texture. I could be wrong, but they never used synths left and right without a "purpose".

[CGCJ 394]

Looks like the score was at-least partially recorded at the 20Th Century Fox Newman Scoring Stage.

 

Nice to see all of the composers were present for the recording session(s)! (From left to right Kevin Kiner, Sean Kiner, David Glen Russell, Deana Kiner, & Nolan Markey)

 

Edit: looks like two on from Nolan Markey might be Jason Fujita who I recently discovered credited for Doom Patrol (presumably the fourth series but no individual cues have turned up yet).

[29944 20]

No Peter Lam?

[CGCJ 394]

10 hours ago, 29944 said:

No Peter Lam?

He's the only one of Kevin Kiner's Star Wars team to not have announced their involvement, and looking at a photo on his website he doesn't seem to be in the session photo.

[Tydirium 1,167]

On 18/7/2023 at 5:33 PM, CGCJ said:

Looks like the score was at-least partially recorded at the 20Th Century Fox Newman Scoring Stage.

 

Nice to see all of the composers were present for the recording session(s)! (From left to right Kevin Kiner, Sean Kiner, David Glen Russell, Deana Kiner, & Nolan Markey)

 

Edit: looks like two on from Nolan Markey might be Jason Fujita who I recently discovered credited for Doom Patrol (presumably the fourth series but no individual cues have turned up yet).

 

Oh man! Finally a Kiner SW score recorded with an LA studio orchestra!

[LB Makes Stuff 240]

Yo they kept the Rebels themes, I’m pleased.

 

I also liked the piano stuff at the start.

 

EDIT: I also do have to say, Kevin and Co.’s slow and quiet stuff is fantastic here. It’s nice to hear Williams-esque stuff in Live Action Star Wars again.

[Courtney Sees Ghosts 269]

As someone who adored Ludwig's work on the first two seasons of The Mandalorian and still spins Nicholas Britell's work on Andor, I just wanted to say that GOD DAMN I missed that classic John Williams sound in SW scores. 

I've been listening to Kiner's music since I was 10 and it feels so rewarding to hear him and his team make the jump to a live action project. Loved hearing Hera, Sabine, and Ezra's themes again after so long. The music was my favorite part of two really solid episodes. Cannot wait for the rest of the season both as a series and for the music.

Love seeing this in a live action project too fr.

[Gabriel Bezerra 302]

Interesting use of this for the credits.

 

I'm almost certain there was a bit of Thrawn's theme in the scene Sabine first enters Ahsoka's ship. Hera's theme being as proeminent as it is was surprising, since it barely was used in Rebels, in contrast to Sabine's subdue theme. There's a lack of Williams quotes that I'm also quite surprised about it, probably instructed to

 

I kept expecting Ahsoka to pull some moves from the animated shows, like "stop that guy/ship with the Force!", but as Dawson's performance is quite different from animated Ahsoka, so is her fighting style and that's something I have to get used to.

 

Something I am rather confused about is when exactly did she trained Sabine? During the OT? In these 5 years after RotJ? I hope they answer it, 'cause we still don't know what she was doing.

[michael_grig 472]

Does somebody know if the theme we hear at 53:30 of Episode 1 is a new one for this show or was it used in any Kiner project before? Absolutely loving it.

[Damien F 1,742]

I totally disagree with this. I think the piano chords sound absolutely rubbish. Totally doesn't fit the scene.

 

 

[Faleel 5,353]

39 minutes ago, Damien F said:

I totally disagree with this. I think the piano chords sound absolutely rubbish. Totally doesn't fit the scene.

 

 

Yeah it was a bit too concertlike wasn't it. Like something from a Nintendo video game concert adaptation

[mstrox 6,651]

I haven’t watched yet but I think it’s neat - striking in a way that another fuckin fanfare wouldn’t be, and if we’re lucky, it fits the character well.

[enderdrag64 624]

52 minutes ago, Damien F said:

I totally disagree with this. I think the piano chords sound absolutely rubbish. Totally doesn't fit the scene.

 

 

Yeah that was the only bit of music in the two episodes that stuck out to me negatively. Other than that I liked everything I heard, even if I was a little disappointed at the lack of Williams themes

[Courtney Sees Ghosts 269]

4 minutes ago, enderdrag64 said:

Yeah that was the only bit of music in the two episodes that stuck out to me negatively. Other than that I liked everything I heard, even if I was a little disappointed at the lack of Williams themes

Not sure what Williams themes could be referenced this early if at all in this show. Binary Sunset later on perhaps, but that's about as much as I can think of in terms of Williams material that will be used.

Of course unless Luke, Leia, or Yoda appear then I'd look stupid. Lol

[enderdrag64 624]

17 minutes ago, Courtney said:

Not sure what Williams themes could be referenced this early if at all in this show. Binary Sunset later on perhaps, but that's about as much as I can think of in terms of Williams material that will be used.
 

There were a couple spots they could have used the rebel or Rebels themes (technically the latter is a Kiner theme although it's basically a direct adaptation of Williams material)

[Courtney Sees Ghosts 269]

11 minutes ago, enderdrag64 said:

There were a couple spots they could have used the rebel or Rebels themes (technically the latter is a Kiner theme although it's basically a direct adaptation of Williams material)

Aw yeah, the Rebel Fanfare. I'm sure we'll hear that soon for sure. 

[PokeDocMatt 57]

2 hours ago, Damien F said:

I totally disagree with this. I think the piano chords sound absolutely rubbish. Totally doesn't fit the scene.

 

 

Completely agree. Unsophisticated and trying too hard to sound “Epic”. 

[Faleel 5,353]

Maybe this was the temp track haha

 

 

[DarthDementous 1,059]

5 hours ago, Damien F said:

I totally disagree with this. I think the piano chords sound absolutely rubbish. Totally doesn't fit the scene.

 

 

I laughed when this happened, it sounded like they targeted the instruments to the wrong MIDI

The show itself was beyond awful

[Erik Woods 555]

13 hours ago, Damien F said:

I totally disagree with this. I think the piano chords sound absolutely rubbish. Totally doesn't fit the scene.

 

 

Agreed!
 

Kiner's score is a mish-mash of styles. At times, Kiner pays proper tribute to Williams' legacy, while elsewhere he drops in a heavy metal song during an action scene. Ugh! It's so bad. And then that tonally bizarre piano that you can hear above for Baylan Skoll during the opening assault on the Rebel ship is laughably bad. It sounds like piano cover you'd hear on YouTube. I mean, props for trying something different but as Ian Malcolm once said, "(They) were so preoccupied with whether they could, they didn't stop to think if they should."
 

-Erik-

[Faleel 5,353]

2 hours ago, Erik Woods said:

Agreed!
 

 while elsewhere he drops in a heavy metal song during an action scene. Ugh! It's so bad.
 

-Erik-

Pretty sure that's a Dave Filoni thing:

 

 

And non traditional sounds was apparently something Lucas wanted for the CW for some reason:

 

 

[Erik Woods 555]

Oh, I remember that EDM track all too well! 

:barf:

[Courtney Sees Ghosts 269]

A fully orchestral version of Ahsoka's Theme (a dream since I was 10) combined with wonderful statements of the themes for Sabine and Hera, this theme is probably the best piece of music Kiner has ever done for the franchise.

Gonna have this whole score on repeat when it finally comes out. And according to Sean and Deana, the soundtracks are gonna be lllllllooooooonnnnnnngggggggg.
 

 

[Gabriel Bezerra 302]

Keep expecting the force theme at 1:16.

 

Do we know for sure this was by Kevin?

[JNHFan2000 2,966]

Yeah, I believe so.

 

I know the action scene with Hera in episode 2 is by David Glen Russell

[Gabriel Bezerra 302]

I saw his tweet too, and then waited to check the Additional Composers credit... and he wasn't there, just Sean and Deana. 

[Knight of Ren 789]

Finally got around to watch the first two episodes, and I enjoyed them quite a lot! I'm a huge fan of Rebels so I was expecting to like the show, but I really like how the characters have been translated into live-action, especially Sabine, which so far is my favorite character. Cannot wait to see where the show takes us next!

 

Kiner's music is a bit eclectic, but I love that he brought back many of the Rebels themes, like Hera, Ezra, traces of Thrawn and obviously Ahsoka, plus my favorite one, Sabine's theme. The arrangement of the credits with the themes of the three female leads is fantastic! I do feel the material for the villains is on the weaker side, and it feels more atmospheric than thematic, but I hope they can slowly introduce some more prominent thematic ideas for them.

 

Also, I hope the first volume includes Sabine's introduction song, because I quite liked it, even if it's completely different from the rest of the score. It apparently was co-produced with Ludwig Göransson!

[JNHFan2000 2,966]

34 minutes ago, Knight of Ren said:

The arrangement of the credits with the themes of the three female leads is fantastic! I do feel the material for the villains is on the weaker side, and it feels more atmospheric than thematic, but I hope they can slowly introduce some more prominent thematic ideas for them.

Could you do a small breakdown of the end credits cue?

 

It's been a long time since I listened to the Rebels scores, so I can't really pick out the themes besides Ahsoka's.

 

Just a few timestamps would be much appreciated

[Courtney Sees Ghosts 269]

4 hours ago, Knight of Ren said:

Finally got around to watch the first two episodes, and I enjoyed them quite a lot! I'm a huge fan of Rebels so I was expecting to like the show, but I really like how the characters have been translated into live-action, especially Sabine, which so far is my favorite character. Cannot wait to see where the show takes us next!

 

Kiner's music is a bit eclectic, but I love that he brought back many of the Rebels themes, like Hera, Ezra, traces of Thrawn and obviously Ahsoka, plus my favorite one, Sabine's theme. The arrangement of the credits with the themes of the three female leads is fantastic! I do feel the material for the villains is on the weaker side, and it feels more atmospheric than thematic, but I hope they can slowly introduce some more prominent thematic ideas for them.

 

Also, I hope the first volume includes Sabine's introduction song, because I quite liked it, even if it's completely different from the rest of the score. It apparently was co-produced with Ludwig Göransson!

Ah, I didn't notice a Rebels theme reprisal. Time to rewatch.

[Knight of Ren 789]

4 hours ago, JNHFan2000 said:

Could you do a small breakdown of the end credits cue?

 

It's been a long time since I listened to the Rebels scores, so I can't really pick out the themes besides Ahsoka's.

 

Just a few timestamps would be much appreciated

Yeah for sure:

0:08 Ahsoka

0:40 Sabine

1:20 Ahsoka

2:28 Hera

3:12 Ahsoka

 

11 minutes ago, Courtney said:

Ah, I didn't notice a Rebels theme reprisal. Time to rewatch.

I meant themes from the Rebels show, not the theme for the Rebels Crew. I didn't pick that up, but I hope it comes up during the show.

[enderdrag64 624]

10 hours ago, Gabriel Bezerra said:

I saw his tweet too, and then waited to check the Additional Composers credit... and he wasn't there, just Sean and Deana. 

He is actually, just not in the same spot. His credit is in the bottom left while Sean and Deana are front and center. Why they split the additional music by credit into two different places I have no idea

[greenturnedblue 372]

4 hours ago, Knight of Ren said:

but I hope it comes up during the show

Woulda been nice during the long shot of the mural. But I suspect they are saving it for when they have the whole gang together

[Gabriel Bezerra 302]

On 25/08/2023 at 8:47 PM, Knight of Ren said:

Yeah for sure:

0:08 Ahsoka

0:40 Sabine

1:20 Ahsoka

2:28 Hera

3:12 Ahsoka

 

I meant themes from the Rebels show, not the theme for the Rebels Crew. I didn't pick that up, but I hope it comes up during the show.

Apparently the first one is the Ronin motif.

 

[Tydirium 1,167]

On 25/8/2023 at 1:40 PM, Gabriel Bezerra said:

I saw his tweet too, and then waited to check the Additional Composers credit... and he wasn't there, just Sean and Deana. 

Deana?

[Gabriel Bezerra 302]

Deana, yes.

[Tydirium 1,167]

23 hours ago, Gabriel Bezerra said:

Deana, yes.

I thought that was a misspelling. All my track metadata says Dean.

[Faleel 5,353]

46 minutes ago, Tydirium said:

I thought that was a misspelling. All my track metadata says Dean.

It's a Wachowski situation.

[Tallguy 3,397]

42 minutes ago, Signals said:

It's a Wachowski situation.

 

That's so newfangled. It's a Carlos situation.

[Faleel 5,353]

40 minutes ago, Tallguy said:

 

That's so newfangled. It's a Carlos situation.

[Brónach 1,302]

59 minutes ago, Tallguy said:

 

newfangled.

 

i learnt a new word!

 

1 hour ago, Signals said:

It's a Wachowski situation.

 

i suppose these glorified british people are annoying every pole by not changing this name too.

[Courtney Sees Ghosts 269]

The music in episode 3 is so fucking good! Chase music galore which makes me really happy.

[Faleel 5,353]

Okay, I am gonna need THAT cue to be on the OST!

[artus_grayboot 77]

Sounds like they referenced the Ghostbusters score (right when they look and see enemy fighters inbound I believe) - specifically the Gozer theme/that kind of mysterious, atonal-ish “two-note” progression. One of the editors from Ghostbusters: Afterlife, Dana Glauberman, works on the show (not this episode) but I have to imagine that or the Afterlife score are part of the temp tracks they’re using. 
 

This track specifically, going from 0:39 to 0:41. That sound is almost exactly what I heard in this episode. Could be coincidence.

 

5 hours ago, Courtney said:

The music in episode 3 is so fucking good! Chase music galore which makes me really happy.

I agree - really really excellent stuff. Reminded me a little of Gordy Haab’s action writing. Excellent playing too. And it really enhanced the action/suspense. That whole action sequence (and this episode in particular) was Star Wars at some of its best!!

[Gabriel Bezerra 302]

I think Russell is the only one of the team I can actually tell which cues are his.

[MaxMovieMan 273]

Haven’t gotten around to watching this show yet but I’ve heard good things. Is the music by Kevin Kiner any good?
 

Also Geeks and Gamers and Nerdrotic are the bane of my existence.

[Laserschwert 475]

Was it announced that this will get its soundtrack released?