Race to the Summit
What immediately excited me about the film was that both Nic and Goetz were keen for a soundtrack that was unlike any other mountaineering film score: no sweeping orchestral articulations but rather a very paired back electronic score, something tauter and more personal.
Some of my very early experiments in finding a way into the film musically brought me to Igloo Studios in Burbank where I recorded live drums and metallic percussion over long evolving time stretched pads and textures.
Drummer Kevin DePree recording in Igloo studios, Burbank
Many of these early ideas ended up in the film but as the cut progressed in the edit the music became sparser and more electronic. There was something very compelling experiencing these epic mountain shots and climbs with a paired down electronic score. It also gave these European mountains a strong identity and a sense of time and place in the story.
Race To the Summit/Duell Am Abgrund coming to Netflix worldwide 4th October 2023.
