By Dustin Driver
For most of us, music conjures imagery — calm pastoral landscapes, futuristic chase scenes, laid-back metropolitan lounges. For King Britt, imagery and experience conjure music. “As a kid, I listened to my walkman every day on the way to school,” he says. “I would stare out of the window of the train and everything was so visual, so coordinated with the music, like a music video. Since then I’ve approached all my records from a visual standpoint.”
In the late ’80s, Britt worked with superstar DJ Josh Wink, producing jazzy, funk-fueled dance tracks and house music hits. In the ’90s he shredded vinyl for the groovin’ hip-hop trio Digable Planets, spinning under the pseudonym “Silkworm.” Later he produced remixes for Tori Amos, Donna Lewis, Keoki, Jazzanova, G-Love & Special Sauce, United Future Organization, and Gilles Peterson. He then formed his own super funk-jazz-hip-hop fusion group “Sylk 130,” which released two internationally acclaimed albums. In 2005, he remixed recordings of New Orleans painter, blues singer, and self-proclaimed “bride of Christ” Sister Gertrude Morgan into a stunning funk-infused opus.
Still, despite his natural aptitude for cranking out visual tracks, the producer hadn’t scored any films — until now. In 2006, he underscored several scenes in Michael Mann’s remake of the legendary ’80s cop drama “Miami Vice.” “It’s always been my dream to do music for movies and I’m a huge Vice fan,” he says. “When Michael Mann asked me to underscore a few scenes for the film, I was just blown away.” Britt produced several tracks for the film using Logic Pro and Power Macs and went on to score several high-budget commercials for Rolex and the soundtrack for a National Parks Service documentary. In the midst of it all, he managed to produce an album of electronic music and complete an international tour. “It’s just amazing how easy it has become to make music,” he says. “I can create tracks so quickly and efficiently using Logic and Macs that I end up making a lot more music.” more
No comments:
Post a Comment