A soundtrack can have a powerful effect on a movie, but it’s arguable that no genre of music defines a scene quite like EDM.
That’s a subjective statement of course, but it’s one I’ll certainly stand by. Think back on the Tom Cruise flick Collateral for instance and the most memorable scene is almost indisputably a nightclub shootout set to Paul Oakenfold’s “Ready, Steady, Go.” If you count Moby’s “Extreme Ways” as EDM, then it has an incredibly deep tie to the Bourne movies. And who could forget the haunting rave tune by Atticus Ross and Trent Reznor that played during the student club party scenes in The Social Network? Something about EDM just stamps a scene in our memory.
But there are also some movies that take the connection to EDM well beyond a given scene. They’re not always the most accomplished or critically acclaimed films, but they’re a whole lot of fun for fans of the genre to get into (and in some cases the soundtrack records are just worth buying on the side). It’s tough to narrow down these movies, but these are my picks for five of the best.
TRON: Legacy
I have to lead off with TRON: Legacy because it’s probably the most famously EDM-infused film in history. That’s because Disney got Daft Punk to do the entire soundtrack (and make a fun cameo in the film), blending deeply creative electronic beats with a tech-infused fantasy world composed in neon. Some have speculated that the group was only brought on to perform existing ideas, but that idea has been put to rest. An interview with one Joseph Trapanese who is sometimes credited with the soundtrack quoted the collaborator as saying that while he did help in ways, he “was also just along for the journey,” with Daft Punk (Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Cristo) doing the bulk of the work. Whatever the case, the end result is a bizarre but thrilling movie that quite simply wouldn’t work without its music.
John Wick
Unlike TRON: Legacy, the 2014 shoot-em-up flick John Wick could probably have survived with any number of different audio styles. One could imagine the movie set to hip-hop, hard rock, or potentially even cleverly arranged soft rock or classical music. As it happens though, a lot of the sounds in the film were electronic, and it helps throughout to keep your hair raised and your skin prickling. That is to say, EDM wasn’t necessary for John Wick, but it’s damned effective.
Dredd
Judge Dredd is a character that’s lived many lives in pop culture. He’s a comic book hero, but not one tied to DC or Marvel. He’s been the subject of films in 1995 (played by Sylvester Stallone) and 2012 (Karl Urban). He inspired an online game included among the 10 best arcade slots based on movies – despite the fact that it wasn’t based on either film. And now – or more accurately for a few years – there have been pushes for a sequel to the 2012 effort, perhaps on a streaming platform. All things considered, he’s a hard cat to keep up with. But the 2012 movie is the subject here, and if anything it’s underrated. It’s a dystopian freak show of a movie, but one with a delightfully gritty aesthetic helped along by pulsing, pounding electronic music throughout.
The Fast & The Furious: Tokyo Drift
There’s a debate to be had over whether this is actually the most noteworthy Fast & Furious movie from an electronic music standpoint. That’s mostly because of Furious 7, which got a song onto at least one list of memorable electronic songs in film, and deserved it. Dillon Francis & DJ Snake’s “Get Low” made for a memorable if somewhat ridiculous introduction to Abu Dhabi in the film. That said, Tokyo Drift made more frequent use of the genre. It might be the worst movie in the franchise, but the music at least helps you to keep paying attention. From Teriyaki Boyz’s “Tokyo Drift” theme, to Evil Nine’s “Restless,” to the Pharrell-driven DFA remix of N.E.R.D.’s “She Wants To Move,” there’s a lot going on musically.
Blade
And then there’s Blade – the Marvel movie before Marvel was Marvel. This late-‘90s vampire/superhero/martial arts movie is made to be a perfect popcorn vehicle, which is to say forget your complaints that it’s not the most polished or sophisticated action movie. But it’s fun, and that’s thanks largely to how it looks and sounds. There’s some hip-hop and even some alternative music on the soundtrack, but it also touched on some electronic music before its time. Most notably, “Strictly Business” by Mantronik vs EPMD has a memorable place in the movie.
Do you have any such movies to share with us? Don’t forget to mention it in the comments’ below.
