There are moments in each John Wick movie when the bass drops and you recognize somebody’s about to be very, very sorry. These moments derive from the virtuosic arms of Le Citadel Vania, the producer who has spent over a decade crafting the digital music behind cinema’s most fashionable murderer franchise.
The artist, whose actual title is Dylan Eiland, has been the musical architect behind most of the John Wick universe’s most memorable scenes for the reason that authentic film again in 2014. His affect has been so vital that he even appeared as himself in its first sequel, John Wick: Chapter 2, DJing at a rave whereas Keanu Reeves lights up a now-iconic battle sequence because the titular antihero.
What finally emerged was a uncommon and interesting method. Relatively than composing to completed footage, director Chad Stahelski started calling Eiland throughout pre-production, permitting the music to tell the filming course of itself.
“We have constructed a powerful inventive belief,” Eiland tells EDM.com of his inventive relationship with Stahelski, who famously served as a stunt double for Reeves on The Matrix. “Anytime I begin engaged on music for one in all his movies, it begins with a dialog. We speak concerning the tone, the emotion, the story and what he desires the viewers to really feel. These conversations assist me lock into the imaginative and prescient and create one thing authentic that matches this universe we have constructed.”
His newest Wickian masterstroke is an EP of music showing within the franchise’s fifth installment, Ballerina, which compliments a rating from its longtime composers, Tyler Bates and Joel J. Richard. The problem, Eiland explains, was “introducing a extra sleek and haunting dimension” to the bloodthirsty franchise, like completely urgent a go well with concealing a cache of weapons.
Eiland, a embellished DJ who has graced the levels of EDC, Extremely and lots of different main EDM festivals, confronted one other robust activity: the burden of fan expectations. The John Wick fanbase dissects each element with the depth of forensic accountants inspecting the Excessive Desk’s books.
Relatively than shrinking from this scrutiny, he says he embraces it as gas, continuously imagining these essential theater moments when audiences expertise their collective “oh shit” response to the icy Reeves glare meaning somebody’s about to remorse being born. The result’s a composer who has arguably grow to be as integral to the John Wick universe because the actor himself.
Ballerina pirouettes into worldwide theaters right now, June sixth, with a killer solid that includes Ana de Armas and Norman Reedus, amongst others. Previous to its launch, we caught up with Le Citadel Vania to debate his creative work for the movie.
EDM.com: Take us into your studio throughout these 3am classes when inspiration strikes. What’s your secret to capturing these fleeting moments of inventive lightning for such an iconic movie collection?
Le Citadel Vania: Once I sit down to write down music for these movies, my purpose is all the time to convey my musical voice into the world we’re constructing in a means that feels intentional. I would like the music to really feel prefer it lives inside this gritty, underground universe—prefer it belongs there. I by no means need it to really feel like somebody simply dropped an EDM observe into the background of a membership scene.
I believe lots of movies have tried to emulate what we’ve accomplished with John Wick, however that’s one of many marks they all the time miss. They’ll license an present digital observe and simply throw it behind a battle or membership scene. However our course of goes means deeper. Each cue is sculpted particularly for the vitality and timing of every shot within the scene. It’s constructed into the DNA of the world.
An enormous a part of that course of over time has been collaborating with Chad Stahelski, the director of the John Wick collection. We’ve constructed a powerful inventive belief. Anytime I begin engaged on music for one in all his movies, it begins with a dialog. We speak concerning the tone, the emotion, the story and what he desires the viewers to really feel. These conversations assist me lock into the imaginative and prescient and create one thing authentic that matches this universe we’ve constructed.
Despite the fact that Chad didn’t direct Ballerina, he produced it and was deeply concerned creatively. He was truly the one who introduced me in on this venture, and people early conversations helped me get locked into the mindset of this subsequent chapter.
As for these 3am moments—I don’t wait round for inspiration to strike. I’ve constructed a system to generate it. I carve out time, sit down and the rule is straightforward: simply begin. Even when I’ve no particular concepts past the final vibe that I would like for the scene, I’ll construct a primary beat, experiment with sounds or mess around on a synth. That first small spark all the time leads someplace. Earlier than I do know it, I’m deep within the movement—and that’s when the actual magic occurs.
EDM.com: Showing as your self within the concert-shootout scene from Chapter 2 will need to have been a wild expertise. How did it form your understanding of your function within the John Wick universe? Do you see your self as a personality inside this world, and the way does that affect your inventive route when producing initiatives like Ballerina Code?
Le Citadel Vania: Yeah, that was such an unimaginable expertise. Other than filming the scenes I used to be in, I additionally acquired to remain in Rome for a number of further days simply hanging out on set and watching lots of the opposite scenes get filmed. That alone was an enormous supply of inspiration.
Seeing the sheer quantity of labor and creativity that goes into making these movies—the lighting, the choreography, the stunts, the digital camera work—was actually eye-opening. So many inventive folks all coming collectively to construct this huge, stylized world. It’s simply such a cool factor to be a part of, and to see all of it come collectively into one thing that folks join with on such an enormous stage… it is actually an honor.
One of many greatest issues that got here out of filming that scene was Chad’s concept to flip the normal course of. Usually, composers don’t begin writing till the movie is in submit. We get the edited scenes and write to image. However for that concert-shootout scene in Chapter 2, Chad wished the music enjoying reside on set so the vitality can be there within the second. The gang may dance in time, the actors may really feel the heartbeat. So I wrote an early demo of the observe that will grow to be “John Wick Mode,” and we blasted it over the audio system whereas filming. Then later in submit, I refined the observe to match the ultimate lower of the scene.
That second actually shifted how we work. Ever since then, it’s grow to be a part of our course of. For large musical scenes—just like the membership sequence in John Wick: Chapter 4 or the brand new one in Ballerina—Chad will name me throughout pre-production and inform me concerning the scene he is planning. He’ll lay out the vibe, what he desires to realize emotionally or visually, and I’ll write music particularly for him to movie to. Later, we return and dial it in additional throughout submit. It’s this cool back-and-forth that makes the music really feel much more related to the vitality of the scene.
As for whether or not I see myself as a personality within the John Wick universe… perhaps? I might positively be right down to make one other look in a future movie or spin-off and construct on that concept if the chance arises. I believe it is a enjoyable Easter egg for followers who’re actually tapped into the music of the collection. However even when that doesn’t occur, I’m very happy simply getting to assist form the sound of this world. That’s the place I really feel most at residence.
EDM.com: You point out introducing “a extra sleek and haunting dimension” for Ballerina, however how do you forestall that grace from defanging the violence that makes John Wick music so visceral? In different phrases, what is the danger of sanitizing brutality in pursuit of class?
Le Citadel Vania: That steadiness was one thing I thought of continuously whereas engaged on Ballerina. I all the time need to push myself creatively and lift the bar with every new venture, however it was simply as essential to me to verify the music nonetheless carried the identical visceral, highly effective vitality that followers count on from the John Wick universe. There’s a sure uncooked depth that’s grow to be a part of the musical DNA of those movies, and I didn’t need to lose that—I wished to evolve it.
My years of expertise as a DJ and remix artist actually helped with that. That background taught me tips on how to mix contrasting components and create stress between totally different moods—gentle and darkish, magnificence and aggression, class and chaos. So once I set out to usher in a extra sleek and haunting dimension to Ballerina, it was by no means about softening the influence. It was about discovering new methods to convey depth and distinction to the music whereas nonetheless hitting simply as exhausting emotionally and sonically.
Actually, I believe weaving in components of magnificence or class can typically make the brutality really feel much more intense against this. It creates that push-and-pull that pulls the listener deeper into the expertise. The hot button is realizing when to let that class breathe, and when to slam the door with one thing heavy and aggressive. That sort of dynamic vary is what provides the music actual weight.
And if anybody’s questioning whether or not this soundtrack nonetheless goes exhausting: I’d say tracks like “Ballerina Code” and “One Bullet Nicely Positioned” completely ship the sort of intense vitality that Wick followers count on. These tracks are supposed to hit exhausting and depart a mark, whereas nonetheless residing in the identical elevated world because the movie.
EDM.com: Digital music typically will get dismissed as “simpler” than orchestral composition due to its technological instruments, but your work requires split-second timing with on-screen motion. What’s essentially the most technically demanding facet of your craft that folks do not perceive, and the way do you reply to purists who see digital movie scoring as by some means lesser?
Le Citadel Vania: I’ve accomplished each. Over the course of my profession, I’ve written extra conventional movie rating and recorded full orchestral sections—and I’ve additionally created music that’s fully digital and constructed from the bottom up with synths, drum machines and {custom} sound design. I’ve a deep respect for each side of the spectrum, however they every include their very own set of challenges.
One factor lots of people don’t notice is that with conventional movie scoring or orchestral music, it’s a lot simpler to get away with little tips—like including or eradicating a beat right here and there, or shifting the tempo—to assist sync musical moments to image. However once you’re engaged on a extremely featured, rhythm-forward observe like those I create for the John Wick membership scenes, you don’t have that very same flexibility. If you happen to begin warping the groove an excessive amount of, the music can immediately really feel clunky or awkward, particularly if it’s one thing the viewers is basically locked into. It has to hit with surgical precision whereas nonetheless feeling pure and driving.
These scenes current a singular set of challenges that I really feel I’m actually well-suited for, particularly due to my background. I’ve spent years touring the world as a DJ and digital music producer, and now I’ve additionally constructed up lots of expertise composing to image. That mixture permits me to method these scenes in a means that’s each musically compelling and tightly woven into the visible storytelling.
On the finish of the day, the concept that digital scoring is by some means “lesser” as a result of it makes use of totally different instruments is simply outdated. The instruments are solely nearly as good because the concepts behind them. And actually, a lot of the greatest and most revered conventional movie composers right now are all weaving digital components into their scores. It’s grow to be part of the trendy sound of cinema—as a result of when used effectively, these components could be extremely highly effective and emotionally impactful. Whether or not it’s a full orchestra or a gritty modular synth, what issues is the emotion, the timing and the way effectively the music serves the story.
EDM.com: Digital music in movie additionally typically dangers being overshadowed by visuals or narrative, but your work within the John Wick collection has grow to be iconic in its personal proper. How do you go about composing for scenes which might be inherently chaotic to make sure the music not solely helps however elevates the storytelling? Are there particular strategies or philosophies you lean into to make your tracks really feel integral relatively than supplementary?
Le Citadel Vania: For me, all of it comes right down to intention. Once I’m writing music for these sorts of high-energy scenes, I’m all the time interested by how the music can heighten the story, not simply sit beneath it. I’m not simply making a observe and hoping it really works—I’m crafting one thing that’s tailor-made to the rhythm of the scene, the choreography, the vitality, even the emotional undercurrent.
One of many large issues I deal with is timing. I’ll typically write music that’s synced to very particular beats within the motion—a punch, a gunshot, a digital camera transfer—even when it’s refined. That sort of precision helps blur the road between the music and the motion, so all of it appears like one cohesive factor as a substitute of separate layers stacked on high of one another.
I additionally attempt to convey a way of ambiance and stress into the combo. It’s not nearly having a hard-hitting drop or a cool groove. It’s about making a sonic world that pulls you deeper into the scene. That would imply utilizing extra cinematic textures, distorted synths, custom-designed drum hits—no matter helps the music really feel prefer it’s a part of the world on-screen.
Luckily for me, the music is commonly meant to be a significant a part of the identification of the scenes I’m introduced in to work on. It’s there to push the vitality, to assist outline the texture of a second. However on the similar time, I’m all the time working to seek out that steadiness the place the music can elevate the scene with out distracting the viewers or pulling focus from the motion. It has to serve the story first—however when it’s accomplished proper, it turns into one thing folks bear in mind lengthy after the scene is over.
Dylan Eiland Images
EDM.com: The franchise has a rabid fanbase that dissects each element, from choreography to sound design. How do you deal with the burden of fan expectations when crafting music for a venture as high-profile as Ballerina Code? Have you ever ever altered your inventive route primarily based on fan suggestions, or do you protect your self from exterior pressures to protect your creative imaginative and prescient?
Le Citadel Vania: The followers are actually wonderful. I’ve all the time felt lots of help and kindness from them, and I actually respect how deeply they care about each element—together with the music. Through the years, a lot of them have grow to be followers of my different music outdoors the movies, and meaning so much to me.
I positively put lots of stress on myself, however I don’t see it as a foul factor. It’s extra like gas. It pushes me to boost the bar each time and to create one thing that’s actually going to get folks hyped.
Once I’m writing, I’m typically imagining what it’s going to really feel like as a fan sitting within the theater—and asking myself, how do I ship that “oh shit!” second that will get folks bouncing of their seats? That mindset drives me to make the music nearly as good as it could probably be and to assist elevate the scenes in a significant means.
EDM.com: If John Wick ended tomorrow, what can be your greatest remorse about alternatives unexplored inside that sonic universe? What concepts have you ever been holding again?
Le Citadel Vania: Truthfully, if I had one remorse, it might be not having extra alternatives to collaborate immediately with my associates Tyler Bates and Joel J. Richard. The three of us have all contributed music throughout the John Wick movies, and I actually admire their work. What they’ve created for this universe—particularly the thematic threads and sonic character that run by the scores—is unimaginable, and I’ve discovered so much simply from listening to what they’ve accomplished.
Most of my music for the collection has been written individually, normally targeted across the large, stylized membership and motion scenes. However I’ve all the time thought it might be cool to do some deeper inventive collaboration with Tyler and Joel—simply getting in a room collectively and constructing one thing from the bottom up. Tyler and I did co-write and produce a observe for this movie with the band Evanescence, which was a fantastic expertise. I might’ve liked extra possibilities to mix our types in sudden methods. I believe they’re two of the most effective within the enterprise.
So yeah, if the Wick world had been to wrap up tomorrow, that will most likely be the one factor I want we may’ve explored extra.
EDM.com: Past John Wick, what style or sort of story do you assume your specific model of digital composition may revolutionize subsequent? The place do you see the largest hole between what movies want sonically and what they’re getting?
Le Citadel Vania: I positively really feel like I belong within the motion house, particularly in the case of stylized movies, sci-fi or something set in a close to or distant future. Any sort of story that requires a hybrid digital rating, the place the music may help form a heightened, trendy world—that’s the place I thrive.
A few of the first soundtracks that ever made me assume, “Rattling, I need to do music for movie sometime” had been The Matrix and Combat Membership. These had been two of the good films I had ever seen on the time, and each leaned closely into digital music in a means that felt recent and impactful. Attending to work with Chad, who has deep roots in The Matrix, and now having Keanu because the star of the movies I’m most recognized for… that’s been a surreal full-circle second for me.
However I additionally need to present folks I’m not simply “the membership scene man.” I’ve constructed my chops as a composer and I’m hungry to tackle greater challenges. I’ve scored total video video games for studios like PlayStation, the place I’ve recorded reside orchestras, percussion sections, soloists—and fused all of that with my very own digital instrumentation to create daring, hybrid cinematic scores, and I do know I may ship one thing actually particular for the appropriate movie.
I’d like to be often called the man you name when your movie must really feel large and badass—once you want music that brings edge, energy and emotion, however nonetheless feels recent and trendy. That’s the house I need to maintain pushing ahead.
Comply with Le Citadel Vania:
Instagram: instagram.com/lecastlevania
Fb: fb.com/lecastlevania
X: x.com/lecastlevania
Spotify: spoti.fi/3nLUZQj
