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IMRAN AHMAD (2012) - Page 3

 
 
 

MRH: I love the richness of the percussion which sounds like a blending of Indian and African. How did you select the specific instruments, and figure out how to blend them so well?

 

IA: There isn’t actually any Indian percussion in there. It’s all African and North African, and the darbuka was played live by a percussionist friend of mine, because it’s just got this amazing sound. It’s rhythmic and it’s used in a couple of scenes, most notably where he’s fixing the car and trying to get away from the village. It was just a case of experimenting and seeing what worked and what didn’t work.

The new thing I introduced in The Dead was the Indian flute. Most of the flutes in the film are played on an Indian flute in an Indian scale, and form my point of view. I suppose it’s something from my inherent culture, but it was something that still conveyed those universal feelings. For me that was quite an interesting instrument to use in the context of being in Africa, and I think it still works.

 

MRH: For myself, one of the most impressive cues is the “End Credits,” because at one point there’s this rippling mass of percussion.

 

IA: Thanks very much. I really appreciate that. I really enjoyed composing that. It was very much like a dance track. Again, I just experimented. I kind of visualized it. I knew how I wanted it to sound and I knew Saba’s vocals would be riding over it. Then I got Sass Hoory the percussionist down, and we just tried a few things out. There was a blend of sampled African instruments in there and the live darbuka, but I really wanted to get that kind of adventurous feeling.

 

MRH: When you’re recording or when your composing the music, is there any kind of forethought you have to put into it when you’re doing a 5.1 mix compared to a stereo mix?

 

AI: It is a question I ask right at the beginning, but for this film they were all stereo stems, and their placement were then utilized in the final 5.1 sound mix.

 

MRH: I think this is your most high-profile film. What other genres would you like to tackle?

 

IA: The great thing about being a musician, and the great thing about working on film scores, is that you have the potential of working in different genres and working with different musicians, and I always find I’m learning something about myself, and those around me, and through the musicians I work with.

I would love to do something epic and adventurous, like a Clash of the Titans kind of thing, and try and do something unique and different with that. My next film – Transfer at Aachen - will be a thriller, so that will be something of a new challenge as well.

Digital Soundtrack Album

 

   
To maintain sharp eyes and healthy teeth, always eat your fruits & vegetables.
 
   

KQEK.com would like to thank Imran Ahmad for discussing his latest score, and Mikael Carlsson at MovieScore Media for facilitating this interview.

Visit Imran Ahmad's website and watch the making-the-score featurette (also available on YouTube).

Check out The Dead's official website and Howard J. Ford's eBook.

The Dead soundtrack is available from Amazon.co.uk & iTunes.

Peruse MovieScore Media's online soundtrack catalogue.

All images remain the property of their copyright holders.

This interview © 2012 by Mark R. Hasan

 
   
   
 
   
   
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