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SOUND LIBRARIES www.postmagazine.com 24 POST JAN/FEB 2021 NEW ALIBI ALBUM CAPTURES THE PULSE OF SOCIAL JUSTICE TREND LOS ANGELES & LONDON — With social justice themes at the forefront of so much of today's story- telling, Alibi Music (www.alibimusic.com) has released a new production music album reflecting that trend. "Conscious Rap" features deep and thought-provoking lyrics ranging from hopeful and inspiring to hard-hitting and incisive. Instrumentation includes dusty vinyl drum beats, soulful pianos and organs, and intimate lo-fi guitars. Conscious Rap's lead track is a poignant response to the killing of George Floyd from artists L.Rucus, Trill Lee and TheChemist aptly called "I Can't Breathe". Alibi's head of sync A&R, Julia Trainor, met the yet unsigned L.Rucus at SXSW in 2019 and commissioned him to create for a few original tracks. He then approached her with the especially-meaningful song. "L.Rucus sent us 'I Can't Breathe' just as we were going into production on 'Conscious Rap', which was going to speak to some of these issues," Trainor explains. "It was so on-point, so good, we had to include it and make it our lead song on the album." "Conscious Rap" is well suited for thought pieces, documentaries, dramas and any production cen- tered on pivotal moments. In addition to the lead track from L.Rucus/Trill Lee/TheChemist, the album drew inspiration from such influences as Kendrick Lamar, Talib Kweli, Common, Mos Def, Kanye West, Tupac, Killer Mike, Black Thought and Black Eyed Peas, among others. Alibi's production music has been used in the trailers for Netflix's live-action preschool series Bookmarks: Celebrating Black Voices, IFC Films' MLK/FBI, and Tyler Perry's Ruthless, among many others. UNIVERSAL PRODUCTION MUSIC RELEASES 'ZENITH' FROM ICON'S ARTISTS SERIES SANTA MONICA, CA — Universal Production Music recently released "Zenith", a bold, new album from the Icon music label. The first title in Icon's Artists Series, the album features 13 original tracks from Emmy-winning composer and Icon co-founder Frederik Wiedmann. Combining grand orchestral arrangements — recorded with a live, symphony orchestra — powerful percussion and modern synths, Zenith delivers a majestic, transporting sound that is well suited for trailers, sports, reality TV and many other types of media. The album is available now on the UPM website (www. universalproductionmusic.com). Wiedmann, whose credits include the Netflix series The Dragon Prince and Disney's Mission Force One, had been developing the concept for "Zenith" for more than two years. The result is a series of thematically-linked tracks that use simple melodic lines to explore deep, emotional states. "I've long dreamed of producing a personal, solo album written in my own voice and expressing my artistic sensibilities," says the composer. "Some of my favorite tracks are based on the Lydian mode, a musical scale that immediately establishes a feeling of beauty and spaciousness." Icon's Artists Series is envisioned as a collection of albums, each representing the personal artistic statement of a single composer. The series employs state- of-the-art recording and mastering techniques, and world-class musicians. Many of the tracks featured on "Zenith" were recorded live with the renowned Fame's Macedonian Symphonic Orchestra. "The music of 'Zenith' is orchestral to its core," notes Wiedmann, "and the only way to do it justice was to have it played by a 40-piece orchestra." "As co-founder of Icon, Frederik was the perfect choice to launch our Artists Series," explains Icon general manager and co-founder, Joel Goodman. "The se- ries exemplifies Icon's commitment to creating epic music of the highest quality and artistic merit that is also highly adaptable to the needs of editors, produc- ers and other media professionals." Icon has worked with Universal Production Music since 2017 and has produced more than a dozen albums exclusively available through the UPM library. The label's distinctive epic sound has made its work popular among producers across a range of genres, including trailers, unscripted television and documentaries. "The Icon team continues to amaze us with their ambition, creativity and scope," adds UPM director of marketing, Andy Donahue. "With 'Zenith', they have once again outdone themselves, delivering music that is totally unexpected, exciting and new." Universal Production Music has a suite of international production music labels, including Abbey Road Masters, Atmosphere Music, Audio Wax, Chronic Trax, Icon Trailer Music, In Reality, Killer Tracks, Network Music, New York Beats, Sonic Beat Records and Vitamin A.