A tense orchestral build. Sustained string sections followed by a quiet moment of pizzicato, before a final dramatic calamitous crescendo. Gripping, intense, scary and nerve-wracking. Things are not looking good for our protagonist in this scene. It’s a matter of life and death.
Tag Archives: Suspense
Suit and Tie
Hip hop instrumental with samples. 90s-influenced punchy piano samples, fleeting string samples, sparse synth melody, 90s beats and a magical orchestral sample. Hopeful, upbeat and summery, yet strange and tense, perfect for a slightly tense build-up onscreen. Breezy 90s vibes with a hint of strange uncertainty.
Let Me Grab My Cloak And Dagger
Slinky jazzy harpsichord track. Walking jazz double bass, dynamic hand drums, two intersecting lines of snaking jazz harpsichord melodies. Mysterious, intriguing and playful, suitable for a short advert for a cheeky product, offering you a handy shortcut to making an impressive meal, or a Pink Panther-style mystery on TV/Film.
‘Underscore’ version features bass and drums only.
Big Hublot
Sample-heavy 90s influenced hip hop track. Synth electric guitar plays a tense riff over various samples, including hand claps, vinyl scratches, radio static, organ, hand drums, tambourine and flute, and dark hip hop beats. Tense and slightly sinister but cool and collected,with a hint of dangerous fun, perfect for an atmospheric, streetwise advert or TV/Film sequence set in a dangerous neighbourhood where anything can happen.
Maxwell’s Demon
Piano-led orchestral/beat mash-up. Jazz drum intro, choppy jazz piano motif, driving drums. Orchestral strings join, smoothing out the disjointed piano, followed by edgy trap beats. Strings soar over the beats and grown-up piano. Abrupt ending. Jittery and excited at first, maturing throughout to a confident, epic piece. Would suit an advert for a transformative product, or a tv show interlude. A before and after from likeable and clumsy to impressive, mysterious, measured and powerful.
Postcard for Dominie
Melancholy solo piano. Haunting piano intro in an unsettling rhythm. Piano chords added, clashing and resolving. The sun comes out with the main motif repeated on a rolling wave of bass piano notes. More intricate melodies introduced , tumbling piano motif. Jazz piano soloing, more forceful, intense, emotional chords before a return to the haunting early motif played with added conviction. Searching, thoughtful and desolate, sounds like a message in a bottle bobbing over the seven seas, would suit a Film/TV/Doc journey, perfect music for a cross-country train journey as the landscape flashes by.
The Jester
Wistful solo piano. Dramatic, comedic chordal piano descent before Amélie-style European piano. Lolloping, waltz section, turns melancholy with low, stormy piano chords. Rumbling bass clef notes before the sun comes out with a bright tinkling segment, leading to a romantic waltzing around the keys. Indecisive, dramatic, tender yet troubled, would suit a European film set in on rainy Paris street, the character’s tumultuous lives at odds with their quaint surroundings.
Byron
African jazz-style instrumental. Dynamic drum intro, bold brass enters in unison, African-style jazz guitar, Étiopiques-style keys and lively marimba before a siren-like chiming, dissonant brass build, over increasingly frenetic marimba. Returns to jazz groove with a sax solo on top and a repeated melodic motif underneath on keys. Full band to the end. Joyful and excited, reckless and strange at times, would suit an upbeat summer advert, or as evocative mood music for a travel documentary.
Haunted Music Box
Haunting simple and cinematic, with music box, angelic vocals, piano and orchestral strings, including a searching solo violin. If you are looking for a magical and macabre setting for something you’ve hit gold. This will suit pretty much anything from fantasy adverts to Brother’s Grimm fairy tales. You can almost hear someone narrating over the top. Brilliant.
October
Folk roots, with vox, piano and guitar, building with anticipatory percussion (hi-hat and tambourine), breaking from a walk into an effortless run. Vocals pushing the fantasy but never in a way that leaves reality. For ads and campaigns, with the message that something magical, wonderful is happening and you’re all invited.