Tom Hodge & Floex :: Je Suis Karl — Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (Minority)

Floex’s electronics can be punchy and delicate in spots; they juxtapose Hodge’s flow of wailing orchestral sounds. Sometimes, the electronics drive the soundtrack, and other times it’s the orchestra.

Orchestral strings and violins shimmer with urgency

The sound of a successful soundtrack is that it shouldn’t distract from the film—it should either just be there, or enhance the cinematographer’s impactful moments. That’s almost what this soundtrack achieves. In moments, the timelessness of Hodge’s orchestral strings and violins shimmer with urgency, reflecting the serious political context in which the movie is about. Similarly, Floex’s electronics can be punchy and delicate in spots; they juxtapose Hodge’s flow of wailing orchestral sounds. Sometimes, the electronics drive the soundtrack, and other times it’s the orchestra. And sometimes this soundtrack is a living, breathtaking composition without its movie, and other times its lifeless and bland.

The opening track, “Lost Future,” starts like many soundtracks, beginning with low strings playing repeated high notes over and over. Yet, gradually, this becomes a granular piece, with huge swells of orchestral strings and a pulse—like a racing heartbeat—setting a tense tone and a gripping opening. “Slow Deep Dive” is a large-sounding electronic piece that is ambient. It contains swelling strings progressing over time. “In Motion” is where we can hear Floex expressing himself freely with his trademark electronic-sounding instruments. “Absent Mind” mixes things up quite nicely, with a welcome change of pace. This track is laced with heavy percussion and granular sounding synths. It’s a strong change, as the resonant bass shakes the soundtrack up. Some listeners might be reminded of the minimal soundtracks by Philip Glass in spots. But, Glass had the piercing sounds of piano melodies to grip and rattle his audience.

The movie itself, Je Suis Karl, is produced by German director Christian Schwochow, who’s making a name for himself, after directing recent episodes in The Crown. Je Suis Karl is based on the story of Maxi, a survivor of a terrorist attack who becomes part of a European youth movement. When composing its soundtrack, Floex and Hodge created a database of loops, soundscapes, and sonic experiments, and along with Hodge’s orchestra, they used vintage equipment, such as the Yamaha MT4X cassette player. 

Generally, the movie received mixed reviews, and critics were harsh, yet moviegoers were more forgiving, gripped by its political narrative. The soundtrack has its moments—like many. Moments in “Lost Future” and “Absent Mind” stand-alone to be engrossing listening experiences, and many of its other tracks should be listened to while watching the film. You get the point, this is a fine soundtrack by Tom Hodge and Floex, with or without its movie, but it doesn’t take nearly enough risks to exhilarate its listeners.

Je Suis Karl Soundtrack is available on Minority. [Bandcamp]