Music Cue Spotlight: Miracle Mile Music

Mood/Feel: Funky/Suave

Composer's Notes: This cue was commissioned by Alex Seagram of Global Creatives, LLC and is not for sale. It was created as the soundtrack for a potential commercial.

We open with a driving drum beat, an open, clean guitar chord and an church organ climbing in anticipation. A reverse cymbal pulls us into the next section, where a distorted lead guitar plays a blistering lick, while in the background another guitar adds atmosphere with another open chord, this time with an eighth note wah-wah technique. That same organ from before continues to wail in the background, while the bass repeats its earlier minimalist approach. This all culminates in three distinct tom hits which were recorded, then copied, with the copies being reversed and placed before the originals, to give the drums a feeling of being pulled into the next section.

Then, Magnum Opus California drummer Cajun Adam gives us a cymbal swell, as our tempo slows according to the client's wishes, and a new, funky bass line is introduced. The kick drum then keeps time in quarter notes, before a drum fill leads to an expansive male voice heralds the beginning of the next section.

Now, a new distorted guitar plays the same funky line it inherited from the bass, this time employing a similar wah-wah technique from before. To keep things interesting, this funky theme is turned on its ear with every other phrase, adding a new tail that the keep the drummer on his toes. With each repetition, the clean wah-wah chord returns to give the track its 70's ambience, while the organ continues to add color in the background. Some extra modulated guitar notes continue to add to the musical tapestry, until finally we find ourselves building to our musical breakdown.

Here the guitar, bass and organ all playing a descending line, with the drums pushing the movement forward. After a nice fill, the drums move from the traditional hi-hat, kick and snare beat to a tom-centered one, bringing this section down to the dirt. To add emotional weight, strings are brought in, while the organ makes its return. Near the back half of this section, the organ adds a new descending melody over its earlier part, though this line is an octave higher than before.

The expansive male voice returns, and we have reached the bookend of the track; the intro has now become outro. The same funky bassline returns, with the modulated guitar notes rebounding, as well as the open chord guitar adding its wah-wah ambience. The one new addition to this section is a tasteful flute, playing a flourishing line with the upper octave organ, giving this closing section a nice cinematic feel. Continuing this cinematic approach, tremolo strings add tension and drama, bringing home the 70's blacksploitation sound that the client had requested. All the instruments seem to slow, with the drums banging out one final fill that brings it all to a halt.