Soundbreaking
The first two one-hour episodes of the new docuseries SOUND- BREAKING premiered at South by Southwest® (SXSW) in Austin, Texas last spring. SOUNDBREAKING: STORIES FROM THE CUTTING EDGE OF RECORDED MUSIC, an upcoming eight-episode PBS series that explores the extraordinary impact of recorded music on the modern world, will make its U.S. broadcast debut on PBS this fall. SOUNDBREAKING was the last project produced by legendary music producer Sir George Martin, who passed away on March 8. The series combines unprecedented access to some of the most celebrated artists, producers and innovators from across the music spectrum, with rare archival studio footage and an extensive soundtrack, to deliver one of the most wide-ranging series on the art of music recording. SOUNDBREAKING will air on PBS weekdays, November 14 – 23 at 10:00 P.M. EST.
“Music is the only common thread and universal language that binds us together regardless of race, nationality, age or income. And recorded music is how we experience it and what makes it accessible,” Sir George Martin said of the project prior to his passing. The six-time GRAMMY® Award-winner, recipient of the Recording Academy Trustees Award and producer of more than 50 number-one hit records added, “SOUNDBREAKING afforded me the opportunity to tell the story of the creative process of so many of the artists I have worked with throughout my life.”
Dr. Dre
The series features more than 150 exclusive and original inter- views with such luminaries as Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, Joni Mitchell, Roger Waters, Roger Daltrey, Linda Perry, Barry Gibb, Elton John, Debbie Harry, Quincy Jones, B.B. King, Annie Lennox, Dave Stewart, Mark Knop er, Tom Petty, Willie Nelson, Bonnie Raitt, Lindsey Buckingham, Rosanne Cash, Don Was, Steven Van Zandt, Sheila E, Questlove, Ben Harper, Billy Idol, Beck, Imo- gen Heap, Darryl McDaniels, RZA, Bon Iver, Nile Rodgers, Nigel Godrich, Q-Tip, Brian Eno, Mark Ronson, Rick Rubin, Tony Visconti and more.
Queen
We sat down with one of the producers of Show of Force, Jeff Dupre to talk about the room where music happened.
MAN OF METROPOLIS: What made you want to do this docuseries?
JEFF DUPRE: Recorded music has touched all of our lives so deeply. If you think about it, so many of the peak experiences in our lives has a song attached to it. Memories from childhood, the rst time you fell in love, your first kiss. Songs by The Rolling Stones, Prince or Radiohead (in my case) that blew the doors off the way I saw the world and what I felt was possible. So when the opportunity came along to create a series that really explores the art of music record- ing, of how these songs were created in the studio, of course, I was thrilled to take it on.
MM: Best moment in the process of making it?
JD: We spent a day at Abbey Road with Giles Martin dissecting the original recordings of a number of Beatles songs. That was amazing––to hear all the individual tracks of a song like “Tomorrow Never Knows.” You begin to see just how brilliant they were.
MM: Tell us who surprised you the most in SOUNDBREAKING, engineer, artist, exec, etc. and why?
JD: We interviewed so many iconic artists. I loved interviewing Annie Lennox. She was so brilliant, so animated and such a great storyteller. The best interviews are always more like conversations than question and answer. I could have chatted with her all day.
MM: Do you have a mission in making documentaries, or did you have a mission for the viewer for SOUNDBREAKING?
JD: At my company, Show of Force, our mission is always to tell great stories. Over the course of eight hours, the series really will deepen your experience of listening to recorded music. We want our audience to hear the songs they love in a whole new way and to love them more than ever!
MM: You showed at SXSW®; that is where we caught you. Where else have you shown it?
JD: The series also screened at the San Francisco International Film Festival in April.
SOUNDBREAKING will air on PBS beginning November 14. You can check local listings and screenings at http://soundbreaking.com/events.
Make sure to follow us on social media as well!
Jeff: Twitter @jeffdupre Instagram @jeffdupre14
Soundbreaking: Twitter and Instagram @soundbreaking
