How The Chemical Brothers’ Tom Rowlands Ended Up Scoring a Series About Benito Mussolini

The Chemical Brothers’ music has been loved by the cinema and video games since the beginning, when in 1995 “Chemical Beats” ended up in the soundtrack of the PlayStation game Wipeout. The latest such appearance is in the film Sonic the Hedgehog 3, where “Galvanize” sounds perfect in a scene with Jim Carrey dancing among laser beams. Tom Rowlands has already worked on commission for some directors such as Darren Aronofsky for Black Swan and Joe Wright for a theatrical production and for the film Hanna, in the latter case paired with Ed Simons (the other half of the Chemical Brothers).

But this new adventure was really a challenge. With the usual English irony Tom defined “an act of intimidation” the request of director Joe Wright to score the new Sky Original series Mussolini: Son of the Century, based on the novel M. Son of the Century by Antonio Scurati, which was recently released in Italy. The series tells the story of the birth of fascism in Italy and the rise to power of Benito Mussolini. The challenge was won, because the Chemical Brothers-style tracks perfectly amplify the emotional and sometimes tragic scenes.

Working with Joe Wright seems to have become a regular occurrence.

True! Ed and I worked together on his film Hanna and then I composed the background music for Joe’s adaptation of Bertolt Brecht’s famous play Life of Galileo, an experience I really enjoyed. I like working with Joe: I still remember him when he followed us on our first important tours, all three of us were kids… Suddenly one day he sent me M., Antonio Scurati’s book. I was hooked from the first pages, it’s a fantastic book! I studied history at university and I immediately realized that Joe’s gesture of offering me this reading was a real challenge, because M. is not only a long book but above all dense and profound. Plus, I’ve always been attracted by the history of that period.

So was it easier for you to feel involved in the project?

Yes, but I could also say that making me read M. was also a sort of intimidating act. First of all because I have never worked on a text that deals with a specific historical event, then because the rise of fascism and the figure of Mussolini are certainly not easy historical topics to deal with. Composing this soundtrack was a serious task. I was very excited at the idea of taking on a challenge so different from my previous ones, and for a project that started from such a powerful book.

The compositions you created for the series are very precise in commenting on the scenes in which they are inserted. Did you start working on the sound even before shooting?

That’s right: Joe Wright and I started talking about ideas and musical themes with just the script in hand. It was a long process of ideas, plus I was interacting with a person who is also a true friend in addition to being a great talent. I tried to give shape to his ideas, because this series is the fruit of his vision.

The soundtrack has very rhythmic sound comments – Chemical Brothers style – and not many melodies.

There are melodies! But they are a bit convoluted, they are never obvious. The main theme is all based on a precise and constant rhythm.

The theme is close to the sound of fascist marches but also takes up the ideas of futurism.

Of course, Joe and I discussed the difference and the relationship between noise and music, which was a theme dear to the futurists. I certainly would never have associated a “floral” sound movement with the advent of fascism!

You stated that part of the soundtrack was made by making old acoustic instruments interact with modern electronics.

Right. I developed a system in my studio where I can have total control of all the information I receive by making my technology interact with traditional instruments such as strings and piano. What we were describing musically was a certain past that really happened. When I met Antonio Scurati he was absolutely in agreement with this creative process, as well as the fact that for (this series) all modern electronics were used to tell not an imaginary world but historical facts, the songs often comment on words taken from real speeches by Mussolini.

The tracks are sometimes very short sound comments. Was it difficult to work on them?

Yes, that was also a real challenge. But that’s why I like working on soundtracks: it’s a very different process. I’m also intrigued by being able to comment on the change of emotions during a scene: you can easily go from a sense of calm to one of terror in a few moments, whereas in a song you often try to create only one type of emotion or feeling.

The impression is that in the second part of the series the music becomes increasingly dramatic, as the historical events do.

I tried to musically describe a very complex historical period where a leader conquers the people – part of the population also found Mussolini a funny man – and then comes to total control of the Italian state after the killing of the MP Giacomo Matteotti. I also tried to convey the director’s and writer’s vision: I hope I did it coherently with that.

What do you think of the Oasis reunion?

I’ll be honest: it’s crazy! My kids and their friends are really desperate to get a ticket because that’s a generation that has never seen the Gallagher brothers on stage together. I’ve known Liam and Noel for years, I’ve been to their concerts many times and it’s always been great to be there, but this time the level of hysteria reached to get a ticket here in Great Britain is truly incredible. Speaking of people from Manchester, my kids would love to see The Smiths reunite too!

Which Oasis albums do you like the most?

Whatever age you are, even just 17, Definitely Maybe is still an incredible album: listening to it is as if the songs were speaking directly to you. I’m sure that this effect is triggered also in the new generations. But the second album is not bad either. They are their two masterpieces.

Will we hear new Chemical Brothers music anytime soon?

It’s too early. Ed and I have to take our time, as always. When we release music, we want to make sure it’s music we really love! We’ve never limited ourselves to putting out productions just for the sake of it. And that’s still true today.