Thief
By NWSPR on October 18, 2020 8:59 pm
Last week I was inspired by the soundtrack to the movie Warriors so this week I took a similar approach by watching Michael Mann's first feature film, Thief (not his best film) staring the incredible James Caan (this is not one of his best performances). Music in Michael Mann's films is very important. Almost as important as characters. He worked with Tangerine Dream on the film Thief (not one of their best soundtracks). All of these great talents put in some of their most ham handed work into the film but the sum of the parts is somehow greater than the individual contributions. It turns out to be a decent 80s take on a gritty crime drama.
This week's track is inspired by the Thief soundtrack. But not a cover or duplication of Tangerine Dreams score. I used more drums and faux synth guitar so it's more a blend of Jan Hammer (Michael Mann's composer for Miami Vice) with elements of Tangerine Dream 80s sound.
I use a suspended chord for long stretches while the bass moves underneath in an attempt to create drama. The chord progressions are familiar but I wander more and change things up slightly so it has that feel of a story... but I chicken out and put in more drums than would be necessary for solid film composers.
All synthesizers predominantly KingKorg which has great 80s sounds and Moog Grandmother which delivers a solid late 70s sound. Three drum kits and the pulsing bass line are Logic virtual instruments. Hope you enjoy it and if you get a chance, check out the movie. This was the first time I've seen it and I'll watch it again. I have a free 30 trial with Cinemax and am going to soak up as much of their library as possible!
Hope all is well this week for everyone. See you in the comments!
Audio works licensed by author under:
CC Attribution Noncommercial No Derivative Works (BY-NC-ND)