Music Composed and Produced by: Joseph Trapanese
Release Date: January 8, 2013
Format: CD and Digital Download
Number of Discs: 1 (20 tracks)
Label: Walt Disney Records
Summary: Walt Disney Records has released the soundtrack for TRON: Uprising, the Disney XD animated television series inspired by the films TRON (1982) and TRON: Legacy (2010). The TRON: Uprising soundtrack features the original score from the series composed by Joseph Trapanese and is only available in digital format. In addition to the 16 tracks provided by Trapanese, TRON: Uprising soundtrack also includes remixes from 3OH!3, Opiuo, David Hiller, and a brand new track from Hollywood Records’ rising EDM star, 16-year-old Cole Plante, entitled “Rezolution.”
Bridging the gap between 1982’s “TRON” and 2010’s “TRON: Legacy,” composer Joseph Trapanese follows in the footsteps of Wendy Carlos‘ and Daft Punk‘s groundbreaking scores with his work on “TRON: Uprising.” As arranger and orchestrator he collaborated with Daft Punk on their “TRON: Legacy” soundtrack, a top 10 album in the US and certified gold with over 500,000 units sold. For “Uprising,” Joseph adapted the original Daft Punk synthesizer patches and sound palette used in TRON: Legacy for Beck’s journey in Argon City, paying homage to the film while also broadening the sonic world of The Grid with new instrumentation and color.
Trapanese’s cinematic score paints an aural picture that matches TRON: Uprising’s futuristic animation. Set in the era of TRON between the stories in the 1982 feature film and Walt Disney Studios’ TRON: Legacy, TRON: Uprising delves inside the computer world of The Grid and the people who live there with a visually striking series produced in CG animation with 2D aesthetic. TRON: Uprising stars Elijah Wood (Beck), Mandy Moore (Mara), Emmanuelle Chriqui (Paige), and Bruce Boxleitner reprising the role as Tron. Fans of TRON: Uprising will recognize Trapanese’s elegantly crafted compositions on the soundtrack.
A classically trained musician, Trapanese completed his undergraduate work in music composition at the Manhattan School Of Music then continued at UCLA’s Music for Visual Media program for graduate school. Here, he was given the first ever Jerry Goldsmith Award in 2007. Soon after, Trapanese started working on “Dexter” as orchestrator. Since then he has provided arrangements and orchestrations for “Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightening Thief,” “Butter,” “Fast Five,” among numerous other films and television shows.
Beck’s Theme – Lightbike Battle (From Tron: Uprising)
[youtube]http://youtu.be/2W66ds0e2yw[/youtube]
This is a cool soundtrack. It really set the tone for a great animated series, my favorite quasi-current animated series as a matter of fact, which aired mostly in 2012 and whose future is ironically uncertain. Ironic because it’s set in the future, see? Ah well. Although you have absolutely no need to have seen an episode to have an appreciation for this music, just watch the preview of the stylistically gorgeous and you’ll see how perfectly it was scored:
“Scars” Preview – TRON: Uprising – Comic-Con 2012 – Disney XD Official
[youtube]http://youtu.be/8RkTuMYi0T8[/youtube]
The “Scars Suite” takes up about one third of this soundtrack download, so if you loved that like I do, you’ll definitely want the download. As for the rest of the soundtrack, it is varied in tone and texture, even within the tracks, all of which are relatively short, 1:56 – 5:54, but is similar in quality to what you’ve just heard. There are a few things I want to note, however.
The primary theme, which pops up periodically and which you’ll learn in the first track, is set up beautifully but for some reason launches into a 1970s-sounding synthesizer voice. It borders on cheesy. But otherwise the primary 16 tracks are terrific and purchase-worthy.
The four tracks (the three remixes and the bonus track) could not possibly be confused with the rest of the album. They’re dance tracks. Hmm. They’re pretty cool; the 3OH!3 and David Hiller remixes each have sections that sound like they’re meant for fashion shoots, though the Hiller track features some very nice electronics, and the Opiuo track gets pretty funky. The Cole Plante track feels like the most ambitious, but I still can’t help but envision a goofy robot taking the dance floor. That doesn’t, however, mean it’s bad; it’s entertaining.
The bulk of the download, however, is perfect if you’re a fan of soundtracks, and particularly if you’re a fan of good sci-fi soundtracks. It doesn’t move the heavens like some, but it is epic on a smaller scale and is definitely worthy of inclusion in your rotation.
I give TRON: Uprising (Music from and Inspired by the Series) Four Out of Five Stars.
TRON: Uprising (Music from and Inspired by the Series) is available on iTunes and through Amazon:
[AMAZONPRODUCT=B00AOB76PC]
