Blade Runner (soundtrack)

Blade Runner: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
Film score by
Vangelis
ReleasedJune 6, 1994
RecordedDecember 1981 – April 1982
StudioNemo Studios, London
Genre
Length57:39
LabelEast West (Europe) / Atlantic (USA)
ProducerVangelis
Vangelis chronology
1492: Conquest of Paradise
(1992) 		Blade Runner: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
(1994) 		Foros Timis Ston Greco
(1995)

Blade Runner: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack is the soundtrack for Ridley Scott's 1982 science-fiction noir film Blade Runner, composed by Greek electronic musician Vangelis. It has received acclaim as an influential work in the history of electronic music and one of Vangelis's best works.[3] It was nominated in 1983 for a BAFTA and Golden Globe for best original score. The score evokes the film's bleak futurism with an emotive synthesizer-based sound,[4] drawing on the jazz scores of classic film noir[5] as well as Middle Eastern texture and neo-classical elements.[1]

The official release of the soundtrack was delayed for over a decade. The first 1994 release omitted much of the film's score and included compositions not used in the film.[3] A 25th anniversary edition released in 2007 included further unreleased material and a disc of new music inspired by the film. Various bootleg recordings containing more comprehensive versions of the score, as well as superior sound quality to the original 1994 release, have widely circulated.[6]

An orchestral rendition of the soundtrack was released in 1982 by the New American Orchestra, but disowned by both Vangelis and director Scott.[6]

  1. ^ a b Johnson, Zac (2011). "Blade Runner – Vangelis". AllMusic. Retrieved 20 August 2011.
  2. ^ a b Cooke, Mervyn (2008). A History of Film Music. Cambridge University Press.
  3. ^ a b Mike Orme (7 February 2008). "Blade Runner Trilogy: 25th Anniversary". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on 29 October 2013. Retrieved 20 August 2016.
  4. ^ Jones, Chris (2007). "Vangelis Blade Runner Review". BBC. Retrieved 24 May 2022.
  5. ^ Nguyen, Dean Van (4 June 2015). "How The Blade Runner Soundtrack Became A Dark, Dystopian Blueprint For Run The Jewels, Aphex Twin And More". NME. Retrieved 28 December 2019.
  6. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference Allmusic 25th was invoked but never defined (see the help page).