A Soundtrack for a Film

構成数 : 2枚
合計収録時間 : 02:28:53
It's something of a rite of passage for electronic artists to compose music for the classic sci-fi movie Metropolis, and with the simply named Soundtrack for a Film, Factory Floor join the ranks of Giorgio Moroder and Jeff Mills. Gabe Gurnsey and Nik Colk Void were commissioned to write a new score by London's Science Museum for a 2017 performance celebrating the film's 90th anniversary, and its tension between technology and humanity is almost too perfect of a subject for the duo. While Soundtrack for a Film is subtler than Factory Floor's albums, it still bears Void and Gurnsey's signature approach. Unlike some of the artists who have written scores for Metropolis, the duo doesn't overcompensate for the film's silence by piling on sounds. Instead, Factory Floor embrace the movie's spaces and pare down the music to its essence; "Run"'s shivery, abstract streaks and pulses sound primal and futuristic at the same time. Soundtrack for a Film also takes Factory Floor's skill at making expansive, evolving tracks to its logical conclusion, and the album could be heard as one two-and-a-half-hour cut. Despite its length, Gurnsey and Void never lose focus thanks to their carefully chosen motifs, such as the pendulous basslines that give "Metropolis" and "Suspicious" a portentous heft, or the distant but relentless pulses that suggest massive underground machinery on "Father" or a conversation between machines on "Circuit Senses." Soundtrack for a Film is so artfully stark that any time a new element arrives, such as the bubbling call-and-response synths on "Identity Switch," it's a major event. Similarly, Factory Floor use the beats that dominate their albums sparingly, doubling their impact on climactic moments such as the standouts "Babel" and "Transform." The seamless flow from track to track adds to the score's immense scope, and gives listeners the pleasure of hearing this world unfold as it ranges from the revolutionary purpose of "Up Rise" to the spacious fade of "End." As Factory Floor balance the organic and mechanical aspects of Metropolis and their music on Soundtrack for a Film, they achieve the best of both worlds -- a commissioned work that's just as original as their own albums. ~ Heather Phares