Asian Drama
Traditional Asian instruments spin dramatic web for historical drama, reality programming, documentaries (MOPM-094)
Taiko drums have become a standard part of the adventure/drama soundtrack toolbox. The percussive giants contain a unique and spacious quality that adds gravity to whatever they score. But with a continent as large and rich with musical tradition as Asia, there are so many other instruments that contain uncommon characteristics, depth, and drama that tell stories of their own.
Asian Drama (MOPM-094) is an adventurous soundtrack full of twists and turns, peril and intrigue, scored by authentic instrumentation including taisho koto, hulusi flute, guzheng, and khim. Led by composer Sam Ecoff and his incredible library of authentic instruments, the Modus Operandi mastermind showcases live performances on many of these instruments throughout the record.
On why he made the effort to utilize live instruments, Ecoff shares :
“The sounds and timbres are so alluring and the performance techniques these instruments offer has opened up a whole new world of creative possibilities for me as a composer. Buying tons of instruments and spending hundreds of hours learning to play them is certainly not the easiest way to record an album, but I think it speaks to the level of passion and detail we bring to every MOPM album.”
But Ecoff’s interest in traditional Asian instruments stems from more than just curiosity. As we discussed with the composer in his Call & Response interview, Sam Ecoff also teaches unarmed combat, self defense, and weapons at a local martial arts school. Along with the discipline that he cites as a crossover skill between music and martial arts, Ecoff tells us how this unique partnership of passions led to these additions to his library:
Image courtesy of Sam Ecoff
“I actually became interested in instruments from Korea, China, and Japan because of my martial arts studies. I am very fortunate that my Tae Kwon Do school believes that students need to be immersed into the culture of their art, and so what began with trips to Asian restaurants and grocery stores turned into multiple trips to eastern Asia. While there was a lot of time spent training in martial arts on these trips, I sought out every opportunity to soak in the musical culture during my visits.”
In addition to these moving performances and melodies from Ecoff (and fellow MOPM composers David Schoepke and Evan Conway), Asian Drama adds the label-wide signature utility of Modus Operandi with multiple tracks sharing the same key and tempo. No matter the length of your documentary, reality TV competition, or historical drama, these related musical groupings make it incredibly easy to assemble your own cohesive soundtrack while including multiple similar themes.
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