Music producer, composer, and audio engineer Mehmet Akbal presents a piece of his soul with a new 5-piece soundtrack entitled 'The Cure (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack).'
The self-taught musician strives to bring the best music and sounds with whatever he creates, whether that's making film scores or grooving through genres like blues, hip-hop, soul, and rock. Showcasing his conceptual and creative abilities is Mehmet Akbal's new 5-song soundtrack, 'The Cure (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack).'
The soundtrack EP opens with the dreamy and haunting introductory piece, "On the Path," setting the scene with airy, ghostly, and distant synths that slowly make their way into the foreground. As the atmospheric pads begin to rise in the background along with a downtempo clock ticking, Mehmet Akbal's lush piano melodies make their way in alongside a deeply reflective and emotional acoustic guitar. We have yet to see the film, nor know what it's about, but this piece gives an unnerving sense of knowing that time is passing with each moment.
Interestingly, Mehmet Akbal opens track number two, "The Cure," with the same piano melodies but through a subtle electronic tone at half the tempo. There are slight changes to this track, such as the addition of shimmering and echoed keyboard melodies and ethereal background strings, giving the piece a profoundly cinematic feel. It's wildly impressive how Mehmet Akbal offers this dark, introspective sound in a minimalist way; he perfectly illustrates how you don't need to over-stuff a song to impact. It's not till the last few seconds that he pumps our speakers with a taste of pulsating electronic synth bass.
Reaching the EP's halfway mark with "The Light," we can already tell how Mehmet Akbal's project is playing into the film's storyline. It most likely began with troubling times, seeking some kind of cure. Now, as the cinematic and orchestral strings (shoutout to the captivating cello) melt through our speakers along with the same clock ticking, we can feel the brightness and boldness slowly expand and wrap around us like a sonic embrace. This string-heavy piece is chilling to the core, and we're especially impressed with how Mehmet Akbal ties in those familiar keyboard melodies and the symbolic clock.
Bringing the energy down a touch is the project's fourth track, "A Dark Hope," opening with the downtempo keyboard melodies that have been a staple throughout this soundtrack. This time around, Mehmet Akbal reintroduces us to the emotional and soothing plucky acoustic guitar that takes center stage. This piece might represent some type of downfall or unfortunate event the protagonist experiences, but still, the bright strings and warm cello must signify some kind of light at the end of the tunnel. This piece is another soul-grabbing experience, peacefully taking us to the project's final track.
Reaching the final piece, "Mehmet's the Cure Sketchbook," distant and airy pads meet the ears alongside far-away piano melodies that slowly melt through our speakers. This piece circles back to track number one, "On the Path," but showcases each instrumental element we've heard throughout the entire EP. The familiar keyboard melodies add a sense of comfort alongside the beautiful string arrangements and plucky acoustic guitar. Mehmet Akbal takes us to the song's haunting and gripping end while closing it with vast passion, emotion, and release.
Experience instrumental mastery with Mehmet Akbal's new 5-song soundtrack EP, 'The Cure (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack),' now available on all digital streaming platforms.
Welcome to BuzzMusic, Mehmet Akbal. You've truly impressed us with the overall cathartic and conceptual experience in your recent EP, 'The Cure (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack).' What can you tell us about the film itself and how your music coincides with the storyline?
First of all, I gotta say it's truly a pleasure being interviewed by you guys. Now, without giving away too much, the heart of the storyline in this movie can be broken down into one simple question. How far would you go for true love? And (when it comes down to it), what are you willing to sacrifice for it? And for me, as a composer, the most important thing is and always will be the story. So the Score and the Picture rely on each other to tell the complete story and bring Florian Müllers, aka Flos (the director/writer/producer) VisionVision to life.
How much freedom were you given when creating the entire soundtrack for 'The Cure (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)'? Did you have certain parameters or guidelines to stay within?
Good question! Well, Flo didn't really have any guidelines or parameters except one thing, and he said it laughingly, and I quote, "Don't go too big with this one." But since I understood his VisionVision, I knew in which direction we should go with this movie. So, yeah, I had complete freedom. But that, again, is ultimately based on trust. You see, the relationship between the Composer and the Director is based on trust. The director can give directions to his actors or to the cameraman or the DOP on set, but when it comes to the score, he has to completely trust the composer. Because while they're out there shooting, I'm composing or recording or sometimes even starting to mix.
How did you add your own creative flair and touch to 'The Cure (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)'? How does this EP also represent the music you create?
I think that whenever any artist starts to create, they almost always will put a piece of themselves into their Art. And since I always put my heart and soul into my projects, it will always sound like me, if that makes sense.
Did you work alongside anyone when creating 'The Cure (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)'? What was that process like behind the scenes?
No, I did everything myself, from creating the Sound to composing to mixing the soundtrack, and I loved every second of it. It all started a couple of weeks before the shooting phase started. We had a meeting in my studio where we had an amazing conversation about almost every detail in the movie and the storyline, basically his VisionVision. On the same night, I started to work on the Score. The first thing I did was create and search for the right sound. After a couple of weeks, just before the shooting Phase started, I invited the Director and the main actors into my studio to show them the first ideas I had for the themes. Usually, I also like to invite the actors to the studio. The reason I do that is to see and understand their point of view. Since every actor has their own version of the character they play, I wanted to work that part of them into the score. A couple of days went by, and while they prepared for a scene, I visited them on set to see them in action. While on set, the actors got to listen to the unmixed version of the Score before they started shooting the scenes. While the post-production phase kicked in, I was already working on the Final Mixes. At the final spotting session with Flo, we discussed a number of things, and on top of that, he got to listen to the final score. And that's when his VisionVision started to take shape. That's basically the "short" version of the BTS.
How does 'The Cure (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)' represent a piece of your soul? What does this soundtrack mean to you?
Simple, it has my own sound. If I were to describe The Cure Soundtrack with four words/phrases/vibes, I think I would choose: post-apocalyptic, Lone Ranger, emotional, and pure unconditional love.
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