NEWS FROM COSTA COMMUNICATIONS


From Costa Communications:-

“THE ANGEL” COMPOSES AND “SHAPES” MUSIC FOR GAIA

AWARD-WINNING INDIE GAIA FEATURED AT DANCES WITH FILMS

LOS ANGELES – Over the past decade, “The Angel” has quietly become one of the leading ladies of film and TV composing. Critically acclaimed for pioneering an eclectic sound that is both urban and electronic, “The Angel” works with big budget, documentary and indie films including the current festival favorite, GAIA. The film was awarded Best Feature at the Berkshires Film Festival last weekend and is currently screening at Dances With Films in Los Angeles.

"In a film with so little dialogue, the soundtrack and score play an essential role in seducing the audience,” said GAIA director Jason Lehel. “‘The Angel” was able to take my somewhat crude descriptions on the way I'd like to go forward and not only interpret but breathe in a new life that gave me something beautiful, delicate and powerful all at once."

“The Angel”’s musical palate varies from traditional orchestration to ambient musical elements. The engaging sound fabricator enjoys “controlling and shaping the music” of her projects, including her new assignment as composer for the newly retooled second season of the TNT television show HawthoRNe. Her signature style blends musical genres with a healthy dose of irreverence, using both traditional and contemporary instrumentation.

Known for her urban and electronic music, her work on GAIA was a sonic departure into an acoustic soundscape. Connecting themes of grief, survival and forgiveness into a dramatic and emotional tale, GAIA follows a young woman's fight to find herself and reclaim her life back from a dark past.

“From the minute I watched it (GAIA), I could feel the pull toward organic, warm and evocative instrumentation for the overall feel,” said “The Angel” of the score. “I was able to paint in flavors and textures that I created from scratch, blending acoustic and electric guitars, obscure percussion instruments, ethnic flutes - for texture, not as leads - mandolin, autoharp and strings. I used these instruments among others, in non-traditional ways - sometimes played, then sampled and distressed - and being a bit of a renegade, decided to use electric bass as a lead instrument in some of the main themes.”

“The Angel” is a Brooklyn native and Los Angeles transplant (by way of London). She has charted unparalleled ground in a male dominated industry, combining her skills as a record producer and composer. She has produced and/or mixed for artists such as The Pharcyde, The Brand New Heavies, and Spearhead. Following a stint in London, “The Angel” entered film scoring when she met the producers of "Gridlock'd" (Tim Roth/Tupac). The jazzy, contemporary flavor of her remix of Donald Byrd's "Kofi," (Blue Note) caught the attention of director, Vondie Curtis-Hall. Since then, “The Angel”’s film and television projects include the provocative hit UK feature “KiDULTHOOD,” (Noel Clarke), “Boiler Room” (Giovanni Ribisi, Ben Affleck, Vin Diesel), “The Heart of The Game,” “Standoff” (Ron Livingston, Rosemarie DeWitt) and the Lifetime original movie, “Racing For Time” (Charles Dutton).

Recently “The Angel” worked closely with Glen Mazzara (The Shield, Crash), the new showrunner for TNT’s “HawthoRNe” to compliment the new direction the series will take in its second season beginning June 22^nd. “I was hired to bring my cutting edge sensibilities into the mix, while taking a more sophisticated approach with the music as a whole, blending acoustic instrumentation with electronic and urban flavors, keeping it contemporary with a sprinkle of classical feel here and there,” said “The Angel”. “I was able to get a very good bead on Glen's vision for the entire season because he invited me to tone meetings, six weeks before I was officially needed in post production.”

“I tend to work completely from a place of instinct and feel rather than mathematics and musical theory. With GAIA there were long stretches with no dialogue (that I had to score) and found myself doing interesting things with the dynamics of the music, since, in essence, it was often playing the part of a leading character, revealing parts of the story as well as carrying the emotion. It was delicate, finesse work, the kind that I happily lost myself in.”

“The Angel” continues to demonstrate that she is a prolific composer and producer. She established a music production company (Devilishly Good Productions), record label (Supa Crucial Recordings) and publishing company (Supa Crucial Music), as she continues to produce records that span the electronic genre: downtempo, hip hop, drum 'n bass and dubstep. Her original music has been featured in TV shows including “24”, “True Blood” and “The Wire.”