Composer Will Bates joins me to talk about scoring the Amazon Prime film Bliss, which stars Owen Wilson and Salma Hayek. Along the way we talk about his work on commercials, starting off as a jazz and indie rock musician, and creating recording and production studio Fall On Your Sword.
I recently wrote about Will’s score as part of my February 2021 recap: “My first listen to Will Bates’ Bliss left me utterly confused: how can a score cohesively jump genre every few tracks? It moves between heady sci-fi sounds, romantic optimism, lounging jazz, and the chaos of a crumbling reality. Bates’ melting pot of musical genres shouldn’t work, but it does. The eclectic mix follows the journey of Owen Wilson’s character and when set to screen it all clicks seamlessly. Bliss is an impressive feat that doubles as a demo reel for Bates’ genre mastery.”
Find out more about Will on his website. Bliss is currently available on Amazon Prime. Will’s score, as well as many of his other works, is available on all major streaming platforms.
Have a listen to our conversation below or wherever you get your podcasts (including Spotify and Apple Podcasts).