District 9 (soundtrack)

Last updated

District 9: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
District 9 Soundtrack.jpg
Film score by
ReleasedAugust 18, 2009 (original)
November 24, 2014 (expanded)
Genre Film score
Length29:45 (original)
54:22 (expanded)
Label Madison Gate Records
Producer Clinton Shorter
Clinton Shorter chronology
Terminus
(2007)
District 9
(2009)
Cole
(2009)

District 9: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack is the soundtrack to the 2009 film District 9. The album, produced by Clinton Shorter, was released by Madison Gate Records on August 18, 2009, four days after the film's release, and features 11 tracks. An expanded edition of the album was released on November 24, 2014, by Spacelab9, featuring eight additional tracks in double disc CD and vinyl LP record formats. [1]

Contents

Background

Shorter prepared for three weeks to score the film. He initially used a kamancheh in the soundtrack, but director Neill Blomkamp felt that it "was not dark and deep enough". Shorter used computer effects to make the kamancheh sound more synthetic. Blomkamp felt the orchestral score sounded too much like traditional film music, like that of E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial , and liked Shorter's production. Some of the film was scored in full orchestra. Shorter further recalled: [2]

"One of the tricky things was, the film starts off as a documentary, and it took us a while to get the sound together, because I’m used to scoring sequences, and what he really wanted was more of a blanket type of score for the opening, the first act. He couldn’t really articulate it, he just wasn’t too sure, and I kept scoring and scoring and scoring … I was framing in too much, and he really wanted it to be more a documentary style where they just ride the fader up and down, then as the film gets more dramatic and cinematic, they introduce more traditional scoring styles." [2]

Blomkamp wanted a "raw and dark" score, but one that maintained its South African roots. This was a challenge for Shorter, who found much of the South African music he worked with to be optimistic and joyful. Unable to get the African drums to sound dark and heavy, Shorter used a combination of taiko drums and synthesized instruments for the desired effects, with the core African elements of the score conveyed in the vocals and smaller percussion. The score also featured music and vocals from Kwaito artists. [3]

Track listing

Standard

No.TitleLength
1."District 9"6:28
2."I Want That Arm"2:13
3."She Calls"1:35
4."Exosuit"3:15
5."Harvesting Material"1:46
6."Heading Home"1:14
7."A Lot Of Secrets"2:27
8."Back to D9"1:45
9."Wikus Is Still Running"2:57
10."Get Him Talking"2:05
11."Prawnkus"4:00
Total length:29:45

Expanded edition

Disc 1
No.TitleLength
1."A Lot Of Secrets"2:28
2."Field Officer"2:17
3."Heading To District 9"2:11
4."Flaunting The Law"1:21
5."Hospital"3:02
6."Gun Test"2:48
7."Harvesting Material"1:45
8."Wikus Is Still Running"2:58
9."Back To District 9"1:46
10."You Can Fix This"3:40
Total length:24:16
Disc 2
No.TitleLength
11."She Calls"1:36
12."How Many Moons"1:37
13."I Want That Arm"3:30
14."Dropship"6:17
15."Get Him Talking"2:06
16."Exosuit"3:16
17."District 9"6:29
18."Heading Home"1:15
19."Prawnkus"4:00
Total length:30:06

Reception

Music critic Jonathan Broxton reviewed the score positively, but noted that he "may have been a little more scathing" if it was written by a more esteemed composer. [4] Thomas Glorieux of Main Titles was disappointed by the soundtrack because "several of the better tracks just didn't make it on the CDR edition that Sony published after the success of the film", but felt that the album consisted of "appropriate tension music and moody sound design". [5]

Filmtracks.com compared the soundtrack positively to Hans Zimmer's work on Tears of the Sun and Batman Begins , calling it a "guilty pleasure". [6]

Credits

Credits adapted from CD liner notes. [7]

Related Research Articles

<i>X-Men: The Last Stand</i> (soundtrack) 2006 film score by John Powell

X-Men: The Last Stand – Original Motion Picture Soundtrack was composed by John Powell and released on May 23, 2006 by Varèse Sarabande and Fox Music. X-Men: The Last Stand was the third film in the series, and Powell was the third composer used following Michael Kamen and John Ottman.

<i>Finding Nemo</i> (soundtrack) 2003 film score by Thomas Newman

Finding Nemo (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) is the soundtrack to the 2003 Disney/Pixar film of the same name. Featuring original score composed by Thomas Newman, the cousin of Randy Newman, who had collaborated with Pixar productions since Toy Story (1995), A Bug's Life (1998), Toy Story 2 (1999) and Monsters, Inc. (2001). The album consisted 39 instrumental tracks from Thomas' score and a cover of Bobby Darin's 1959 single "Beyond the Sea" (which is also a cover of the 1945 single "La Mer" by Charles Trenet) performed by Robbie Williams, released by Walt Disney Records on May 20, 2003.

<i>The Incredible Hulk: Original Soundtrack Recording</i> 1999 soundtrack album by Joe Harnell

The Incredible Hulk: Original Soundtrack Recording is the licensed promotional soundtrack from the 1970s/1980s television series adaptation of The Incredible Hulk.

<i>District 9</i> 2009 science fiction film by Neill Blomkamp

District 9 is a 2009 science fiction action film directed by Neill Blomkamp in his feature film debut, written by Blomkamp and Terri Tatchell, and produced by Peter Jackson and Carolynne Cunningham. It is a co-production of New Zealand, the United States, and South Africa. The film stars Sharlto Copley, Jason Cope, and David James, and was adapted from Blomkamp's 2006 short film Alive in Joburg.

<i>Up</i> (soundtrack) 2009 film score by Michael Giacchino

Up (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) is the film score to the 2009 Disney-Pixar film of the same name composed by Michael Giacchino. This is his third feature film for Pixar after The Incredibles and Ratatouille. Giacchino wrote a character theme-based score that the filmmakers felt enhanced the story of the film. Up received positive reviews from music critics and won major awards. Despite being well regarded, Up was not released as a compact disc (CD) until 2011, when it became available via Intrada Records.

<i>Cars 2</i> (soundtrack) 2011 soundtrack album by Various Artists

Cars 2 (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) is the soundtrack album to the 2011 Disney/Pixar film of the same name. It was directed by John Lasseter, a sequel to Cars (2006) and the second film in the Cars franchise. The film is scored by Michael Giacchino in his first and only collaboration with Lasseter. The score was recorded at the Eastwood Scoring Stage for over six to seven weeks, whereas the orchestra recording happened for six to eight days. The album was released by Walt Disney Records on June 14, 2011, ten days ahead of the film's release, and featured songs performed by Weezer, Robbie Williams, Brad Paisley and Perfume, with Giacchino's score accompanying the remainder of it.

<i>The Dark Knight Rises</i> (soundtrack) 2012 soundtrack album by Hans Zimmer

The Dark Knight Rises: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack is the soundtrack to the film of the same name, the sequel to Christopher Nolan's 2008 film The Dark Knight. The soundtrack was released on July 17, 2012. The CD edition of the album contains an exclusive code to unlock three bonus tracks, titled "Bombers Over Ibiza ", "No Stone Unturned", and "Risen from Darkness". Two additional bonus tracks, "The Shadows Betray You" and "The End", are digital-download exclusive tracks. The soundtrack was officially released online for streaming purposes on July 10.

<i>Minions</i> (soundtrack) 2015 soundtrack album by Heitor Pereira

Minions: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack is the soundtrack album to the 2015 film Minions, a spin-off/prequel and the third installment overall in the Despicable Me franchise, directed by Pierre Coffin and Kyle Balda, the latter in his feature directorial debut. The original music is composed by Heitor Pereira who previously worked on Despicable Me (2010) and Despicable Me 2 (2013), where he composed the score with Pharrell Williams. Minions, however is the first film in the franchise, without the involvement of Williams and Pereira taking over the sole credit as the composer. The soundtrack for the film was released, alongside the film, on July 10, 2015, by Back Lot Music.

Clinton Shorter is a Canadian film and television composer. He is particularly known for his score for Neill Blomkamp's film District 9. He has also composed the music for over 300 television episodes.

<i>Apollo 13</i> (soundtrack) 1995 soundtrack album by James Horner

Apollo 13: Music From The Motion Picture is the soundtrack to the 1995 film Apollo 13 featuring an original score composed, conducted and producer by James Horner. The soundtrack was released on June 27, 1995 by MCA Records that compiled seven tracks of score, eight period songs used in the film, and seven tracks of dialogue by the actors at a running time of nearly 78 minutes.

<i>The Help</i> (soundtrack) 2011 albums

The Help is a 2011 period comedy-drama film written and directed by Tate Taylor and based on Kathryn Stockett's 2009 novel of the same name. The film features an ensemble cast, including Jessica Chastain, Viola Davis, Bryce Dallas Howard, Allison Janney, Octavia Spencer, and Emma Stone. Two soundtrack albums were released for the film: an original soundtrack and an original score. Music producer Thomas Newman, music supervisor Jennifer Hawks, director Tate Taylor, worked on both the soundtracks as the executive producer, while Newman also composed the film score. The soundtrack album was released by Geffen Records and DreamWorks Records on August 4, 2011, while Varèse Sarabande released the score album on September 6.

Valkyrie (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) is the score album to the 2008 film of the same name directed by Bryan Singer and stars Tom Cruise. John Ottman composed the film's musical score in his fifth collaboration with Singer after Lion's Den (1988), Public Access (1993), The Usual Suspects, (1995) Apt Pupil (1998), X2 (2003) and Superman Returns (2006).

<i>Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa</i> (soundtrack) 2008 soundtrack album by Hans Zimmer and will.i.am

Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa is the soundtrack album to the 2008 film Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa, the second instalment in the Madagascar franchise. Released on November 4, 2008 by Interscope Records, the album featured original score composed by Hans Zimmer, who teamed up with American rapper will.i.am to produce the songs and score. will.i.am also wrote five new songs specifically for the film, while other incorporated songs were included in the film's soundtrack. The music received generally favorable critical response.

<i>Rise of the Guardians</i> (soundtrack) 2012 film score by Alexandre Desplat

Rise of the Guardians: Music From The Motion Picture is the score album to the 2012 of the same name, composed by Alexandre Desplat. The film marked Desplat's maiden score for a computer-animated film as well as his DreamWorks' film, not to be scored by either Hans Zimmer or his Remote Control Productions family of composers. The score was recorded at Abbey Road Studios and AIR Studios in London and features collaborations with London Symphony Orchestra and London Voices performing. In addition to Desplat's score, an original song "Still Dream" written by David Lindsay-Abaire and performed by soprano singer Renée Fleming, was featured in the film's end credits. Both Desplat's score and Fleming's original song was included in the film's score album, released by Varèse Sarabande on November 13, 2012 and received positive response praising Desplat's compositions.

<i>The Menu</i> (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) 2022 film score by Colin Stetson

The Menu (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) is the score album to the 2022 film of the same name, directed by Mark Mylod and features music composed by Colin Stetson, released by Milan Records on November 18, 2022. The album featured 14 tracks from Stetson's original music composed for the film, which had certain musical approaches and layers diverse throughout the film and the characters, and relied much on orchestral music.

<i>The Imitation Game</i> (soundtrack) 2014 film score by Alexandre Desplat

The Imitation Game (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) is the score album to the 2014 film of the same name. The film is scored by Alexandre Desplat who replaced the original composer Clint Mansell before the film's production commenced. The London Symphony Orchestra performed the original score that featured various instruments such as keyboards, clarinets, strings, arpeggio and bombe. The album was released on November 7, 2014 by Sony Music Entertainment. The album received critical acclaim and was nominated for several awards, including the Academy Award for Best Original Score but lost to The Grand Budapest Hotel, also composed by Desplat.

Arthur Christmas: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack is the score album to the film of the same name directed by Sarah Smith. The film's original score is composed and produced by Harry Gregson-Williams and released on 14 November 2011 by Madison Gate Records. The music was described by Gregson-Williams as "a very much tune-led, melody-led, theme-led score, utilising a large and colorful orchestration". It received positive reviews from music critics.

Milk (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) is the soundtrack to the 2008 film of the same name, featuring musical score composed by Danny Elfman and a selection of contemporary pop hits. The album was released on November 18, 2008 through Decca Records to critical acclaim and received nominations at various ceremonies, including an Academy Award nomination.

<i>Coraline</i> (soundtrack) 2009 soundtrack album by Bruno Coulais

Coraline (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) is the soundtrack to the 2009 stop-motion animated dark fantasy horror film Coraline directed by Henry Selick and produced by the animation studio Laika, in their maiden feature film. The album featured the original score composed by Bruno Coulais, who worked on the film for over an year, and was recorded at several places including Paris, Budapest, Los Angeles and Cincinnati. Coulais had developed the themes based on the visual style and used variety of instruments and orchestral and choir portions, to create strange sounds.

Noah (Music from the Motion Picture) is the score album to the 2014 film of the same name directed by Darren Aronofsky. Featuring music produced by Aronofsky's regular collaborator Clint Mansell, the album features 22 tracks from the score and an original song written by Aronofsky and performed by Clint Mansell. The album was released by Nonesuch Records on March 25, 2014.

References

  1. "DISTRICT 9: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack [Deluxe Expanded Version]". SPACELAB9. Archived from the original on October 19, 2015. Retrieved June 22, 2023.
  2. 1 2 Sargent, Mike (September 17, 2009). "Interview with District 9 Composer Clinton Shorter". Tor.com. Archived from the original on November 14, 2017. Retrieved June 22, 2023.
  3. Hoover, Tom (2009). "Interviews: Clinton Shorter – The Music of District 9". Score Notes. Archived from the original on September 9, 2009. Retrieved September 8, 2009.
  4. "DISTRICT 9 – Clinton Shorter". MOVIE MUSIC UK. August 14, 2009. Archived from the original on February 6, 2011. Retrieved June 22, 2023.
  5. "Clinton Shorter: District 9 - maintitles.net". www.maintitles.net. Archived from the original on June 29, 2010. Retrieved June 22, 2023.
  6. "Filmtracks: District 9 (Clinton Shorter)". www.filmtracks.com. Archived from the original on September 22, 2010. Retrieved June 22, 2023.
  7. "Clinton Shorter - District 9: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (Deluxe Expanded Edition)". Light In The Attic Records. Archived from the original on November 26, 2014. Retrieved June 22, 2023.