Episode 26: Blade Runner 2049

Art of the Score

In Episode 26, we return to the world of Blade Runner for the 1982 film’s long-belated sequel. Directed by Denis Villeneuve, and with a soundtrack by Benjamin Wallfisch and Hans Zimmer, Blade Runner 2049 has a different sound and a different set of thematic ideas. But how does the music work, and what is all this interlinked stuff about, anyway? To help us answer those questions – and more – we’re once again joined by the brilliant synth expert Seja Vogel (whose fantastic podcast, where she interviews musicians, you should check out here: http://sejamusic.com). Episode notes: 5:01 – How the sequel came to be 8:06 – Jóhann Jóhannsson, and what could’ve been 12:43 – Benjamin Wallfisch and Hans Zimmer 16:52 – The opening title card (the Memory theme) 19:25 – Or is it the Puzzle theme? 21:24 – The 2049 Melody (the Soul theme) 27:36 – Sapper Morton’s musical secret 35:08 – Voices in the furnace 38:30 – Sound design 40:48 – The rebel’s fan fair 45:44 – The return of the opening chords 49:18 – Synth talk with Seja 52:32 – Seja talks us through her reconstruction of 2049’s opening cue 1:03:11 – The final product 1:08:26 – Joi’s theme 1:12:56 – Wallace’s throat singing 1:25:05 – Flight to the LAPD 1:29:03 – Sea Wall 1:36:18 – Tears In (The) Rain 1:41:15 – The Mesa Melody 1:46:09 – The scoreless moments 1:49:10 – D for Diegetic 1:52:44 – Punching with Presley 1:55:48 – One For My Baby, and One For The Replicant 2:02:40 – Peter and the Wallace 2:11:13 – Final thoughts We love to hear from our listeners – get in touch via Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook, and if you like The Art of the Score, please take a moment to subscribe, rate and comment.