UNKLE Gives 'X-Files' Theme A Fresh Spin

When "X-Files" heroes Fox Mulder and Dana Scully wrap up their second big-screen search for the truth this summer, audiences will exit to two tracks by U.K.-based electronic/rock artist UNKLE: One an original, hand-picked by series creator Chris Carter, and one a reinterpretation of the classic "X-Files" TV series theme song, commissioned after the fact.

"There was something I was looking for at the end credit of the movie, and it needed to be a really specific beat," Carter says. "I had gone to see the Police over the summer. They opened the show with 'Reggatta De Blanc,' which is one of my favorite Police songs. I love that song, and it was in my head as I was writing the movie. Then [20th Century Fox music supervisor] Danielle Diego gave me this UNKLE piece, and I realized that was really what I was looking for. Immediately I called her and I said, 'I think I've got my end-credit piece.'"

The song, "Broken," from UNKLE's 2007 album "War Stories" (Surrender All), has the spry new wave guitar and insistent pulse of "Reggatta," plus wayward lyrics sung by vocalist Gavin Clark, which seem to fit the profile of Carter's eternally tense fictitious duo ("We're miles adrift/We're inches apart").
"It's funny, because the lyrics ended up working unexpectedly," Carter says.

"It's really the beat that's the perfect fit for the end of the film."
Carter phoned UNKLE mastermind James Lavelle personally to explain his intentions for "Broken," and the two discovered a mutual admiration: Lavelle was a fan of the long-running TV series. A big one. "I've seen every episode," he says.

After that conversation, "it was decided by all of us that James would be the person to ask to -- 'remix' is the wrong word, I'll call it 'reinterpret' -- the 'X-Files' theme for the end of the film as well," Carter says. The two tracks will also be featured on the "X-Files: I Want to Believe" soundtrack as the only additions to the Mark Snow-composed score. The album is due July 22 via Decca.

Lavelle took the distinction between "remix" and "reinterpret" to heart. "Most of the time when you hear remixes of themes, they're never as good as the original and they sound cheesy, like the James Bond theme," he says. "With this piece it was difficult to take the original parts and move them around; it didn't sound right. And we wanted something that would work in context with 'Broken' as well. That was the directive: to have the same kind of emotion. So we went that route sonically, with a snare and a rockier bassline."

Carter -- a self-proclaimed "student drummer" who took DJ'ing lessons during his "X-Files" downtime -- says there are more collaborations in the future for he and Lavelle, who is also an internationally renowned DJ. "His sense of tempo and beat and the blending of it will be a beautiful match for some ideas that I have," Carter says. "We've already talked about it."

Source: billboard.com

Another Mark Snow Interview

ScoreKeeper: Thank you for taking the time out to speak with me today. I’d like to start off talking about THE X-FILES: I WANT TO BELIEVE. As a bona fide fan of the series, I am very excited about this new movie. How does it feel returning to the world of Mulder and Scully after six years? Did you miss it?

Mark Snow: I did and I knew many years ago that this project was in the works. In fact, Chris Carter called me from London about five years ago and said “Get ready. We are going to do another one…”.

Then it got bogged down and there was red tape with the studios while they were “ironing out” the contracts. But it came to pass and I was thrilled to be invited back. It just felt so comfortable.

SK: Having scored nine seasons of episodic television and a feature film, how did your approach to the new film fit within the X-FILES universe?

MS: It’s very different than the first movie. This is more of a stand alone episode while the first one followed the mythology story with government conspiracies and aliens. There is a lot more heart, warmth and tuneful music in this one - as well as all of the wonderful sound design and atmospheric things.

The idea of being able to write some great themes for some of these very emotional scenes…well, it’s really great! In the score there is this great contrast of fast and slow and loud and soft and melodic and atmospheric. There’s just so many wonderful textures.

I had my full battery of samples and synthesized sounds. I certainly bring back a few things that people might remember from the old days plus a lot of new things. I had a session with a big orchestra that just did atmospheric sound effect music. There was no music written out. I would just give the orchestra instructions like with an accent or a “boom,” or “let’s crescendo here,” or “make a funny noise here,” or “drop a pencil on the music stand,”…all kinds of real cool inventive things.

There’s a battery of percussion with these fabulous taiko drums and all kinds of things. Plus live whistlers and live singers…It’s quite a sound!

It was all very creative.

So, you’ve got that and then a big orchestra hanging out playing written out music for four days of recording. The thrust of the orchestra is mostly like a baritone to low orchestra. There are no trumpets, no high woodwinds. There is a flute solo but it’s an alto flute solo and there is one moment where there’s a high baroque trumpet playing over a very emotional scene. There are eight French horns, five trombones, and two pianos and harps…thirty-two violins, sixteen violas, twelve cellos, and eight basses…

SK: Wow!

MS: That makes a hell of a sound! It has been great.

One of the most wonderful things was I was able to get Alan Meyerson to be the scoring engineer and the music mixer. He does all of James Newton Howard and Hans Zimmer’s stuff. His creativity is really just fantastic! His mixes just come alive.

SK: That improvised aleatoric jam session you talked about…Were you doing that to picture?

MS: No, there was no picture. I just made a tool box of all these sounds and had it at my disposal to sprinkle throughout the score. There’s all sorts of short accents and long sustained things…all kinds of drums…just really marvelous stuff.

SK: You mentioned Chris Carter said there was interest about five years ago to do a second film. At what point did the creative process begin for you? Did you receive a script during that time to start thinking about music? At what point did the compositional process begin for you?

MS: There was such incredible secrecy about this project. I did receive a script and each page had my name watermarked on it. I had to sign something saying if I gave this out then I would be killed.

[Both Laugh]

MS: So that script was going to be chained to my wrist for the whole duration so to speak.

Certainly reading it was the beginning of my thought process and I remember the most direction that I got from Chris Carter was “This is a love story with spiritual and religious overtones.”

I’m reading the script and saw a love story in it along with real good classic X-FILES weirdness. It’s a very complex story. After the first reading, I was so intrigued and I read it so quickly that I had to read it twice and even a third time. But there is still nothing like seeing the visuals. That’s when it really kicks in!

I did write a couple of themes that I thought might work and actually one of the things I wrote before seeing the picture did work out beautifully. Another piece, Chris (Carter) and Frank Spotnitz, the producer, weren’t crazy about but I was able to take it and turn it around and make a variation of it. It worked out great.

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Another small article about Mark Snow

Mark Snow returns to 'The X-Files'

(Hollywood, CA) Award-winning composer and X-Files theme creator Mark Snow returns to the paranormal with the score for “The X-Files: I Want to Believe.” Based on the hit sci-fi TV series, the 20th Century Fox film is directed by X-Files creator Chris Carter and reunites original cast members Mulder (David Duchovny) and Scully (Gillian Andersen). For his score, Mark Snow incorporates an 80-piece orchestral rendition of his iconic theme as well as an original haunting, yet dramatic underscore.

Best known for creating memorable music for leading TV shows, Mark Snow continues to receive accolades for his film work. Last year, Snow was the only American nominated for the prestigious César Award, France’s equivalent of the Oscar, for “Best Music Written for a Film” for the French film “Coeurs.” He has also received over a dozen Emmy and ASCAP awards, including ASCAP’s prestigious Golden Note Award for his significant impact on music culture. Mark Snow is the first composer to receive the Golden Note Award, joining past recipients such as Elton John and Stevie Wonder.

As a master at composing electronically and with an orchestra, Snow has scored over one hundred feature films, television series and telefilms. His name is synonymous with the most popular themes in TV history including Starsky and Hutch, Hart to Hart, Dynasty, Cagney and Lacey, and T.J. Hooker. Snow continues to evolve with current TV scores for “Ghost Whisperer, “Smallville” and “One Tree Hill.” Mark Snow continues to demonstrate his ability to transcend genres and make significant contributions to the realm of film and television music.


Source: scoretrack.net

Mark Snow scores The X-Files: I Want to Believe

Posted on May 30, 2008 by Dan Goldwasser

This week at the Newman Scoring Stage at 20th Century Fox, composer Mark Snow returned the franchise that gave him six Emmy nominations when he scored The X-Files: I Want to Believe, the new feature film based on the cult television show that became a phenomenon.

Details on the session and the music remain a mystery, but we can tell you that Pete Anthony conducted the Hollywood Studio Symphony, and in the booth scoring mixer Alan Meyerson was at the console along with composer Mark Snow and orchestrator Jonathan Sacks.

The X-Files: I Want to Believe will be released on July 25, 2008.

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Source: scoringsessions.com