Almost by chance, I had the opportunity to attend a screening of Metropolis in March 2022, organized by mk2 Cinesur and Café Kino. Fritz Lang’s science fiction classic was to be accompanied by live music from pianist and electronic music composer Manuel Morales: an immersive and magical fusion of the old and the new, the experimental and the epic, the sonic and the visual, called Metropolis Live. At the end of the event, I was able to chat with him for a few minutes and arrange this interview, in which the artist tells us about some of the details of this performance, his musical roots, his concerns, and future projects.
Who is Manuel Morales? What has been your career path to get to ‘Metropolis Live’?
Well, I was born into a family deeply influenced by music, something that profoundly shaped how I express myself. Having a Kimball piano at home was a clear invitation to develop musicality. My grandfather used to buy Debussy and Strauss records, and that sparked a musical exploration among the various members of my maternal family, each in our own way and through a wide range of styles. We took music very seriously. My approach to music is closely linked to the search for the unusual, to experimentation. Although I also love the conventions that have developed in creating music, such as musical structures or the way each style approaches rhythm and tone. It’s fascinating to see how humankind has created such a vast range of musical expression in so many different forms.
How did a project like ‘Metropolis Live’ come to you? Was it a commission or your own initiative?
It was more of a commission. Teresa from Café Kino, who already had a solid portfolio of musicians performing silent films in various theaters and cinemas in Spain, invited me to think of a film that could be adapted into a musical, and Metropolis was the winner because it clearly approached the aesthetic universe that interests me.
Metropolis (Fritz Lang, 1927) is a classic film. How do you approach a project of this magnitude musically?
Well, I was driven by enthusiasm. I didn’t feel small for doing something so grand. Or rather, I didn’t pay much attention to labels or historical precedents. I approached it like a child given a toy. I didn’t even look to see what other children had done.
Metropolis isn’t the first classic film to receive a contemporary musical treatment. There are the soundtracks by Tennant and Lowe for Battleship Potemkin (S. Eisenstein, 1925) or Philip Glass for Dracula (T. Browning, 1931), to name just two examples. Since Metropolis is a science fiction film, do you think it’s easier for it to work with electronic music?
Undoubtedly. Electronic music will always be the champion of dystopia because of its timbral depth. Even so, Metropolis has a lot of footage of the human psyche that could perfectly be represented by orchestral instruments. In my soundtrack, in fact, there’s quite a bit of orchestral material.
The Metropolis soundtrack features industrial sounds, jazz-infused passages, and echoes of Vangelis… what are your musical influences? How have these influences translated into your work in general and this soundtrack in particular?
In my musical production, it’s been a quantitative burden because I’ve never established a sound, and therefore a style to identify with, to belong to a specific sonic niche. I like many types of music, and choosing one has always been impossible. Regarding this soundtrack, it may have been a positive factor, given that I’ve had many tools to color the many emotional and aesthetic nuances that the film presents.
Besides your influences, what other musicians do you follow or find really interesting, inside or outside of Spain?
Aphex Twin, Bach, Brian Eno, Surgeon, The Beta Band, Tricky, Air, Chemical Brothers, The Oh Sees, Siniestro Total, Can, Portishead, Bjork, Pj Harvey, Sonic Youth, Nirvana, Stravinsky, Trent Reznor, Gonzales, Otto Von Schirac, Eprom, Holden, Nathan Fake, Oneohtrix Point Never, Phillip Glass, Brad Mehldau, Abul Mogard, Herbert, Atom TM, Jamie Lidell, Squarepusher, Sophie, Manitoba, Burial, Gorecki, Ritchie Hawtin, Zappa…
Throughout your musical career in electronic music, you’ve explored genres such as electroacoustic, ambient, industrial, noise, and psychedelia. Which genre do you feel most comfortable in, and why?
I feel comfortable starting with an idea, seeing what the tools tell me, and following that path regardless of the label.
Metropolis Live has a very analog and somewhat retro sound, which is very fitting for the visuals. What equipment do you use?
Ableton. I use it as a modular system with controllers and a wonderful tool called Remotify, which lets me design the perfect MIDI routing for my performance. For me, the important thing is to play, not to be a slave to the mouse.
You’ve also created pieces for advertising, film, documentaries, music videos, and even video games. When creating music for these diverse media, where have you found the greatest difficulty and where the greatest satisfaction?
The world of video games beats them all because of the sheer volume of content it offers. There are no aesthetic limits, especially now. Film is a close second, but it also fascinates me. I do everything else to make a living.
Is the audiovisual medium the logical destination (or the escape route) for the electronic musician?
Good question. The other day I was listening to Abul Mogard. Some passages reminded me of situations I’ve experienced in random spaces devoid of music, yet musical in essence. Vibrations, irregular oscillations with a clear rhythmic pattern… Other passages had clear similarities to a Gorecki symphony, for example. The ability to sculpt sounds that we have when we’re in front of synthesizers, samplers, etc., creates that link with imagery. In the end, we capture specific moments of our lives in music.
Technology has changed the way music is made and distributed: streaming, interaction with fans through social media, collaboration between musicians over long distances… What is your opinion on these changes?
In some ways we’ve come out ahead, and in others we’ve lost out. At least as of today, in 2023. We’re just guinea pigs. As a true optimist, I hope that with time we’ll invest all this potential we have in our hands—which is beyond our control—more wisely. I see us as clearly outmatched. We lack perspective.
The term “metaverse” is almost commonplace now. Is there a place for musicians in that other reality? Or should music remain anchored in the real world?
The question is rather whether the human mind should be anchored to physical reality. My experience tells me it should, but I’m still just another human being in 2023 with a very short-sighted perspective. My mental stability is very much tied to the physical planet Earth. That much I can say with certainty. To the physical present.
After Metropolis Live, what projects do you have planned for the future?
I’m working on the soundtrack for a documentary about the techno scene in Asturias in the mid-90s, more or less. Mulero, Surgeon, La Real, etc. I’m also working on the soundtrack for a podcast about abused women. I’m learning a lot. Professionally, I’m focused on video game and film soundtracks.