Jeff Mills – Metropolis

The fact that this is one of a number of Jeff's conceptual and/or film score releases that seems as if made for the film, and yet decades, and decades removed, and in a medium also far removed musically and technologically, is no mean feat. A wonderful journey of moods, music and vibrations that you can enjoy in context to the film or as a stand alone work. Essential Mills

All the finesse and richness of Jeff Mills is expressed on this melodic EP and troubling at the same time. Very qualitative production.

I've seen the movie with Mills' soundtrack at De Melkweg, Amsterdam. He cut the movie to fit his soundtrack, which reduced the lenght to a little over an hour. I've seen the original 2+ hour version as well.
Must say the original is too long for me, but Mills reduced it to an hour long video-clip. Too short to really impress. I really like his soundtrack, it does fit to the images real nice.

After the movie was shown, Mills did a Q&A with the audience, in which he explained why he made music for Metropolis. He and a group of (unnamed) Detroit techno-producers came together one day and discussed why non of them ever was asked to do a soundtrack for a movie. At the end, he was chosen to produce one for an existing movie. He choose Metropolis because it was the first science fiction movie and because he felt his music was "black and white, with different shades of grey" as well... On my question if he wanted to produce music for big Hollywood motion pictures in the future (like a new Terminator movie) he just smiled and explained he was working on smaller, more experimental things...

Mills also told that the family of Fritz Lang were not amused by his soundtrack, and didn't gave him permission to release a VHS/DVD version with his music. He was allowed to show it in small theaters only on special occasions, and he wasn't allowed to charge money for viewings.

Entrance to Metropolis takes my thoughts off to a relaxed and vaguely euphoric place whenever and wherever I hear it. I often use it to close off a mix set I've done for the CD player in the car..
Good idea until I lose myself in it's haunting sounds when I'm doing 80 in the rain on the motorway. :-)

Actually, you have missed your chance to see Metropolis with the Jeff Mills soundtrack. It has been a worldwide tour in small venues where Jeff Mills himself plays the music while everybody can watch the film... I missed it when it was in De Melkweg in Amsterdam and I guess I will never get that chance again!

Metropolis, as well as every other "silent" film ever made, was never meant to be watched in silence. Criticizing this release for somehow messing with the veneer of silence that Metropolis is supposed to have is soft-headed. In the '20s, every movie house, no matter how small, had an organ or piano, and no film was ever viewed without music. Doubtless, many of the scores differed greatly from theater to theater, and a large amount of improvisation was expected on the part of the performer. There is no "right" score for any silent film, but watching them without music is definitely wrong, as they were never meant to be seen that way. Of course, some scores are better than others. Giorgio Moroder produced a soundtrack for Metropolis in the '80s featuring rock songs by Loverboy and Heart, among others, and it was horrible, but at least it introduced the film to a wider audience. Many groups have tried their hand at writing incidental music for silent films; The Cabinet of Doctor Caligari, Metropolis, and Nosferatu are probably the most popular among musicians over the last 15 years. As for this record, I haven't listened to it along with the film, since I don't know how it's meant to fit together, but I really like the music on its own, and would like to see it with the film some day. "Perfecture," in particular, is one of the most moving pieces Mills has ever composed, in my opinion.

This is Jeff Mills' hommage to a great film classic of the legendary austrian regisseur Fritz Lang. But need such a film sounds and noises? Don't misunderstand this critical opinion, the release is quite an very excellent production, but "Metropolis" from 1926 has its internal power in the oridinally meaning in the silence. Think about it.