Cliff Martinez has an impressive pedigree from the fringes of rock in the late ‘70s/early ‘80s. He performed with The Weirdos and Lydia Lunch, the final lineup of Captain Beefheart’s Magic Band and an early lineup of Red Hot Chili Peppers. Composing the score to Steven Soderbergh’s breakout film, sex, lies, and videotape (1989), brought a change in direction. Since then, he has collaborated with Soderbergh several times and turned attention to soundtracks.
The new CD, Film Fest Gent and Brussels Philharmonic Present Cliff Martinez, interprets his music from Solaris, Kafka, Contagion and a half dozen other films in orchestral-electronic settings. Considerably more sophisticated than the hacks responsible for most contemporary movie music, Martinez draws from the gentle pulse of early Brian Eno and other ‘70s electronic pioneers as the orchestral strings stretch a moody scrim across the dreamy synthesizes and percussion.
