Sexy Beast

Jonathan Glazer's provocative thriller Sexy Beast mixed mystery with sensuality thanks to the film's gutsy soundtrack. UNKLE's James Lavelle masterminded a big part of the project alongside Peter Raeburn, Dorian Wathen, and Tom Kenyatta; however, UNKLE thoroughly took charge with their thick electronic edges and dark, atmospheric hip-hop loops. UNKLE also teamed up with the U.K. electronic outfit South to create the lush and mystifying ambience captured in their six tracks. Songs like "Cocaine and Camcorders" and "Suicide" spiral with mad trip-hop beats for an angry soundscape of the film's rising haste and passion. The Stranglers' cult hit "Peaches," from 1977's Rattus Norvegicus, was an appropriate introduction to the film and soundtrack, projecting a jaunty, loose feel. However, the culmination of Roque Banos' tranquil, yet boastful instrumentals with character voice overdubs selected additional emotion captured in Sexy Beast. "Teddy the Beast" bubbles with screeching synths and howling orchestration; a sense of loss is immediate. The film's initial point is that "there's a bit of the beast in all of us." Dean Martin's "Sway" may be an ironic close to the soundtrack, but yeah, a beast does lurk in each soul, and the musical composition to this haunting flick does a smashing job in allowing the listener to grimace and agree with that exact thing. ~ MacKenzie Wilson|