Almost one decade after his debut album Elemental Themes, Chrome Canyon returns with Director, a soundtrack to an unmade film intended to spark vivid, cinematic imagination.
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Director was recorded partly in Chrome Canyon’s home near downtown Los Angeles and also partly in the desert town of Landers, outside of Joshua Tree in California. The drama of the desert landscape inspired him to create a record that could be the soundtrack to a surrealist film. He says, “Director is meant to accompany whatever it is you’re doing while you’re listening to it. Maybe that’s a long night time drive, or a psychedelic walk through a city park, the music is meant to augment and heighten the experience.”
Chrome Canyon has long been inspired by original scores that are as revered as the films they soundtrack: Goblin’s Suspiria, Wendy Carlos’ A Clockwork Orange, Vangelis’ Blade Runner, and Giorgio Moroder’s Midnight Express. Soon after moving with his collection of synths from New York City to Los Angeles, he was invited to create and perform a live soundtrack for the silent classic Metropolis at a festival, before moving on to compose for the Cartoon Network / HBO Max animated series Infinity Train. For the show’s four-season run, Chrome Canyon’s retro-futuristic score became synonymous with the sci-fi and fantasy series.
Certain tracks on Director evoke a sense of place: “Snow in the Headlights” is inspired by a midnight drive through the high desert in the middle of winter. Others highlight Chrome Canyon’s interest beyond the realm of electronic music such as “Flatworld”, which features a distinctive choral palette of a Bulgarian women’s choir, and “Broken Theme” with its baroque-influenced chord changes.
With Director, Chrome Canyon hopes the listener will imagine their own silver screen moments and, just like the cinema that inspired the album, find their own story to tell in the music.