Nicholas Britell, the composer behind the Oscar-nominated score for Moonlight, recently appeared on the Song Exploder podcast to discuss his acclaimed work.
Inspired by the script's poetic sensibility, Britell found the perfect piece of music to tie to Little, the film's boyhood protagonist: "Piano and Violin Poem." The composition of "Little's Theme," why and how each instrument and technique was used, and how the score changes as the film develops, are all covered in detail, with the relevant musical stems isolated as they're discussed.
The role of the "chopped & screwed" hip-hop sound as it relates to Moonlight's score is also unpacked: "That was an early exciting idea for us, this idea of my writing orchestral music and then, as a part two to that process, taking my own recordings and chopping and screwing and bending them, morphing the audio."
Listen to the full interview below.
