AWE003 - MIDNIGHT ZONE (ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK TO THE FILM BY JULIAN CHARRIÈRE)
Original soundtrack out March 13, 2026 / select live score performances in April
Finally, emerging from the watery depths to announce: I am releasing an album of original soundtrack music March 13, 2026 on Awe! The film is called Midnight Zone by the artist Julian Charrière.
The first time Julian and I got together to discuss the possibility of scoring his upcoming film Midnight Zone I was most struck by the mention of polymetallic nodules. He was going into rich detail about the origin story and concept of the film — wanting to portray an impression of human intervention in the Clarion-Clipperton Zone, a remote abyssal plain region of the Pacific Ocean in between Mexico and Hawaii. According to the International Sea Authority (ISA) the CCZ is home to approximately 20 billion tons of polymetallic nodules — small, potato-sized aggregates of rare earth minerals including manganese, cobalt, nickel and copper. They form around bone fragments or shark teeth, and grow at a leisurely pace, on a cosmic scale: 1-10 millimeters per million years. This region and its nodules have become a target for deep-sea mining, given that these rare minerals are essential for the creation of EV batteries, solar panels and wind turbines.
Polymetallic nodules serve an essential role in preserving the ecosystem of the CCZ. Given that the seabed of the CCZ is largely a swath of silt and sediment, these nodules provide a distinct hard-substrate habitat in the otherwise sediment-dominated abyssal plain. The CCZ is also notable for its rich biodiversity - 42% of known deep-sea species were first discovered in the zone, and the biodiversity is not yet completely characterized (meaning, new species continue to be discovered and overall very little is known about the full extent of life in the zone).
Unsurprisingly, commercial deep-sea bed mining causes sediment plumes that can be detrimental to deep sea life. Particularly sensitive to these are xenophyophores (“bearers of foreign bodies” from the Greek), fascinating giant unicellular organisms which tend to grow in abyssal plains: these deep-sea amoebas are highly sensitive to human disturbances, and are a considered a “keystone” in benthic ecosystems.
Julian and I were discussing the film in June 2024 over pastries and coffee at a café in Kreuzberg on the canal. It was bizarre to be discussing ideas about a remote ocean region, its ecosystem, these highly prized polymetallic pucks existing in their numerous billions of tons in such a beloved, familiar, and decidedly uncosmic setting.
The film follows the descent of a Fresnel lighthouse lens into the water of the Clarion-Clipperton Zone — filmed at night in total darkness. The result is a hypnotic meditation on light, darkness, shades of blue, sea life, and descent.
The film was premièred at Julian’s show Midnight Zone at the Tinguely Museum in Basel in June of last year. On tour at the time, I took a train from Berlin to Basel and back for the night to watch the film, losing track of time in the moving image despite the fact that I’d seen the film hundreds of times by that point.
At the afterparty, we discussed the potential afterlife of the film’s music as an album and even live score performance. Now both have emerged from the abyss of possibility into reality.
The soundtrack album will be released in limited edition vinyl and CD. The vinyl edition comes in a beautiful gatefold package with a booklet featuring stills from the film. Pre-order and listen now!
To mark the occasion of the release, I am honored to present live-score versions of the film at the following select dates in April. Tickets on sale now!
APRIL 2 - BERLIN, DE - ZENNER (PRES. BY ANALOGUE FOUNDATION)
APRIL 10 - ISTANBUL, TR - SONAR ISTANBUL
APRIL 11 - THE HAGUE, NL - REWIRE FESTIVAL
I’ll save the process of composing the music for another post, as it deserves its own proper exploration. The music was primarily recorded on a Yamaha TransAcoustic piano amplifying the sounds of a Montage synthesizer, complemented with processed violin, viol da gamba and ocean foley.
For now, take a listen to single ‘Sunlight Zone’ and dive in.
I am consistently grateful to be able to make art in a world that is increasingly heavy and further atomized by genocide, relentless energy consumption and the seeming victory of capital over governments and labor. I believe the music contains some heaviness of the world that I have been digesting. I hope that it has come out at least partially sublimated.
Thank you once again for your continued support to this project and I hope that the music helps lift you as it does for me sometimes.
x LH
