Good Chemistry
By
November 30, 2008
Most of the soundtrack of Nobel Son, a black comedy directed by Randall Miller (December 5), comes from an unlikely source: Paul Oakenfold. The London and Amsterdam-based DJ contributed more than half a dozen original compositions, his deepest involvement to date with a film. “I thought that sound would be really cool as the driving force, so it doesn’t feel like just another movie about an intelligent person, and not just another ransom movie,” Miller (who also directs the forthcoming Bottle Shock) explained, adding that he had been inspired by the techno soundtracks of Trainspotting and Run Lola Run.
Oakenfold’s connections helped the filmmakers secure original tracks by Crystal Method and Groove Armada, among others. The entire soundtrack wasn’t custom-made, though: Miller added Blossom Dearie’s remix of Cole Porter’s “Just One of Those Things,” with vocals by Brazilian Girls frontwoman Sabina Sciubba, to a seminal car-chase scene after hearing the song on the radio.
“The idea was to create movie that really takes you on a journey and doesn’t stop from beginning to end, kind of like when you go to a techno concert,” Miller said. “You don’t really know where it stops, because the next thing picks up.”
The soundtrack, from Lakeshore Records, is available on Amazon and iTunes.
