The interview: Taurees Habib

Taurees Habib has helped design the musical pallettes of some of Hollywood’s biggest films. As lead sampling engineer for Hans Zimmer, Taurees has contributed to the sound of blockbusters from Man Of Steel to Interstellar. He takes time out from creating waves in Hollywood to speak to us about his life in LA, his band Bedlam Jackson, and shares insider information on how some of the greatest motion picture soundtracks were created

Tell us about your work with Hans Zimmer?

What I do is create a sample library, which is a fancy way of saying virtual instruments. What one can do with a computer and some music is pretty amazing. We create genuine sounding orchestras and instruments that are not actually played by musical instruments, but instead are created by manipulating a sound that a human can’t perform.

Share a story about the process of creating music for a motion picture:

The French horns in Inception at the beginning of the movie became defining and iconic as soon as that score came out. That’s our goal when working on a blockbuster film. For Man Of Steel, one of the interesting tonal colours we created was using a pedal steel guitar, an American instrument which we asked to be played like a violin or a cello. The end result was a science-fiction, alien sound. Since Superman is an American icon, and also an alien, it fit perfectly. With every film it’s a different process and a  new direction.

What do you think of the Pakistani music scene?

I’ve been very impressed with what’s been coming out of independent artists there. My brother, Ziyad Habib, is also part of a band called Noah’s Heark, and through him I’ve been exposed to the music in Pakistan. It’s very innovative and has an interesting blend of traditional, rock band and jazz. I hope, in the future, people see the value in innovation.

Would you say it’s just as hard for a Pakistani to enter Hollywood as anyone else?

Maybe people in Hollywood are more liberal, progressive and open-minded than elsewhere in the US, but I didn’t find being Pakistani a barrier at all, if anything it made me more ‘interesting’.

Would you ever produce music in Pakistan?

We have such interesting emerging talent, on the music and film end, and we’ve opened doors for more people to contribute – so I’d love to be a part of that.

What are your fondest memories from Pakistan?

I miss our sense of humour. We have a very distinct sense of humour, that doesn’t translate well in America.

Taurees Habib’s Tracks And Information Can Be Found On www.bedlamjackson.com

Talking Numbers

How many unread emails?

2297.

How many hours in the studio per day?

Six.

How many times do you use a curse word in a day?

I’ve never counted, but probably more than I think.

How many hours of sleep per night?

Six to eight.

Toss Up

Favourite motion picture soundtrack that you’ve worked on?

Interstellar.

Batman vs. Superman or Man of Steel?

Man of Steel.

Favourite Pakistani band or musician?

An underground metal band called Messiah, I probably wouldn’t have picked up the guitar if it weren’t for those guys. Their music was very influential in my development as a younger musician.

Favourite song lyric of your own?

The chorus of my song ‘In The Night’, which says ‘We all look so different in the night, we all look so different when we’re not trying to live right.’ The lyrics are inspired by the double standard lives we live in Pakistan. It’s a dichotomy because we have traditional values but are exposed to rest of the world.

The coolest instrument that you’ve created?

Once we created an instrument using the human voice recorded in different vowels. If you see the last scene in the movie Batman vs. Superman, you’ll hear it there.

Share a story of a celebrity encounter?

Once at the studio, I walked into the kitchen, and there was a man peeling an orange. I reached over his shoulder to grab something, and he turned around. It was Ron Howard, in uncomfortably close proximity to me.

Favourite instrument?

The guitar.