Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1500189
80 M PS E . O R G what I noticed most was the theme song which I'm so happy to know after all those years, was written by the incredible electronic music pioneer, Delia Derbyshire. It was flawless, otherworldly, hard to define, and beautiful. It was perfect. Good sound and music takes on life and at its best, could take flight or simply crawl out of the speakers. Songs can be a massive inspiration for sonic possibilities. I listened to New Orders' "Blue Monday" so much when it came out and now I own lots of synths. I was equally inspired by so many classic horror and sci-fi films like The Fly (1958), Nosferatu, The Abominable Dr. Phibes, The Birds, The Day the Earth Stood Still, and The Fantastic Voyage to name but a few. I loved the eerie silence and the perceived simplicity of the soundscape, though once I knew what it took to create those soundtracks, it took great skill, creative genius and a bit of muscle to pull off and to carry all the mag. The absence of sound in those films is often what made them more terrifying and creepy. I also love Star Wars, The Matrix, Back to the Future, Alien, Saving Private Ryan, Jurassic Park, Predator, Edge of Tomorrow, Oblivion. The list goes on and on… I love a good art film but I also love a good old cheesy action film or an irreverent comedy. You could say the roots of Skywalker Sounds repertoire are the soundtrack of my teens and though I've never been there, I have a deep respect for many of its sound artists, past and present. Who are your mentors, and how did you connect with them? DW: Professor Ian Whalley at the University of Waikato Music Department did a great job of trying to install some semblance of business acumen in me. My job interview with him was to go home and write three original songs on my 4-track recorder and play them to him the next day. I learnt a great deal in that little MIDI studio, mostly to figure things out for myself as there wasn't really anyone to help or teach me. Hirini Melbourne was one of the three people to revive the forgotten voices of taonga puoro or –Dave Whitehead) You could say the roots of Skywalker Sounds repertoire are the soundtrack of my teens and though I've never been there, I have a deep respect for many of its sound artists, past and present.