The iconic director and pioneer of American independent cinema presents a new arrangement of his score to his 2013 classic, “Only Lovers Left Alive,” on the 360-degree sound system of the Reethaus.
In “Only Lovers Left Alive,” two vampires, both centuries old, drift through the romantically desolate cities of Tangier and Detroit keeping Weltschmerz and boredom at arm’s length only by piles of books, rare guitars and each other. This sentiment echoes that of Jarmusch himself, who once said: “When I get depressed I think of all the music I haven’t even heard yet!’ So, it’s the one thing. Imagine the world without music.”
Largely a collaboration between Jarmusch’s “marginal rock band” SQÜRL and the Dutch minimalist musician Josef van Wissem, the score also features Zola Jesus, Yasmin Hamdan and Madeline Follin (of Cults), combining psychedelic fuzz, feedback rock and neo-classic lute for a dark, slow soundscape, at once modern and ancient, that bridges the distinct textures of Detroit and Tangier.
“Our music isn’t always formulaically structured. Structures are not what we’re interested in; we’re interested in a feeling,” says Jarmusch of SQÜRL whose sound incorporates big drums, distorted and treated guitars, molten stoner music, cassette recorders and electronics.
Part of the “Transmissions” series curated by Soundwalk Collective, the 45-minute listening experience will feature the original score of “Only Lovers Left Alive” sessions, arranged for the 360-degree sound system at the Reethaus. After the listening experience, Jim Jarmusch will sit in conversation with Stephan Crasneanscki of Soundwalk Collective for a conversation about the creation of “Only Lovers Left Alive,” the link between sound and cinema and the practice of scoring his own films.
Portrait by: Sara Driver
