Boy Harsher’s Augustus Muller has a chat with Soundsphere’s Dom Smith about his brooding and menacing ‘Cellulosed Bodies’ score, and the creative process behind it.
S] Hey Augustus, how are you doing today?
A] Doing fine, thanks.
S] How did creating ‘Cellulosed Bodies’ push you in new ways as an artist?
A] One of the reasons I love (and hate) doing scores for film is the insane deadlines. I’m coming from writing records where music is the priority and it’s not done until the music is perfect. With film and scores, music is almost an after thought for the filmmakers.
I had about two weeks total with notes and edits to finish each score, so it really pushes you to think in a pragmatic way. You approach every cue as an assignment and you need to find a fast and efficient way to write something. This is definitely a challenge for me, but it’s helped me develop some new techniques and a better understanding of music theory.
S] What about sonically?
A] That’s the cool part. It’s a lot of fun to write music to visuals. It’s almost like working with a vocalist on a remix. The images bring a certain vibe and you have to complement that. It’s made me create some music outside my regular genre or style.
S] I adore the sounds on ‘Fur And Metal’ – a great start to the record, what direct experiences inspired that one?
A] Crash is a driving film. It starts out with some great fast-moving shots outside a car window. That makes me immediately think of a driving bass line. Fur and Metal really shaped the sound of that whole score.
S] ‘Examination’ and ‘Endoscopy’ for example really create tension, and anxiety in the listener (they did for me anyway) was that the intention?
A] I felt Automaton was all about tension and release. There’s some brooding and menacing about the machine, but there are also moments of pleasure. The idea was to build up some anxiety and then cut it, leading into something more calming and soft.
S] Given the topics examine the erotic relationship between body and machine, what do you want the listener to take from this record?
A] I think the record stands on its own. I’m just happy to release this and share my work with the public. However, I encourage people who are curious to check out Crash and Automaton. My score is just one element of a larger project. There’s a lot to explore conceptually with these films. The director Vex Ashley is exploring concepts of sex in a groundbreaking way.
S] As someone who has experienced all forms of success with Boy Harsher, what does success mean to you now?
A] I just want to make good stuff. If I’m proud of my output, that’s all the success I need.
S] What about legacy, do you consider that much when it comes to this material, and Boy Harsher?
For me, my legacy is my body of work. This release means a lot to me. It’s always been a dream to write music for film and I’m happy to include it in my catalog.
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‘Cellulosed Bodies (Original Score)‘ is out September 1st, 2023 (Digital/CD/LP) on Nude Club Records.
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