To better connect you with the brilliant talent behind our music, we're proudly spotlighting various artists, composers & producers on the Megatrax roster. To kick it off, we hear from Kurt Oldman, an award-winning Swiss composer and music producer known for his bold, innovative, commercial voice and fearless approach to film and television. He has contributed over 600 tracks to our labels, and we hope to continue making many more together.

Hi Kurt! Please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?

Everyone in my family was involved in music to a degree. My great-grandfather was a conductor and my grandfather a pianist. I was lucky enough to have my parents’ full support from when I was very little and they allowed me to study at the Conservatory and later on at the Swiss Jazz School. I always knew I would end up in a musical profession, but it was back home in Switzerland right after I finished college, when I got the chance to score my first film. This really was the foundation for where I was heading later. It was a two-hour-long biopic with what I thought at the time was a surprising amount of music. I had no idea how it was done and I had to figure it all out as I went along. It turned out great and was an invaluable experience. After that, it was pretty clear to me that composing was going to be my path.

Has there been a particular challenge that you’ve faced over the years?

I think finding the right score for the film IS without a doubt the most difficult aspect at times. It’s coming up with those initial ideas and musical vocabulary to serve the picture just right that can be a struggle. I believe initially you have to go into it with the mindset “I’m scoring a film – not a scene”. A mentor of mine told me once: “You don’t have to have a great idea to get started, but you have to have an idea”. That’s a simple reminder that has saved me many times over. I need the challenge! It's what drives me.

What are your biggest musical influences?

Although I grew up on Mahler, Tchaikovsky, and the Strauss and Sibelius tone poems, my orchestrator calls me a John Powell/James Newton Howard hybrid… There could be worse things I guess. My introduction to film music was Herrmann’s Vertigo and Goldsmith’s Planet of The Apes along with a lot of wonderfully composed European films from the '50s and '60s that my parents used to watch. I remember dissecting countless Jerry Goldsmith scores. That’s really when I first became aware of the emotional connection between the visuals and its scores and the magic that happens when it's done right. I’m always discovering new music and artists and try to never stop evolving. I’ve always been like that. I remember studying with Bruce Reich and learning a completely different approach to composition in the '90s. He also turned me onto Penderecki, Ligeti, and Arvo Pärt which opened up a whole new dimension for me. And while I’m driving or relaxing these days I’m listening to hard rock exclusively. Go figure.

What can you tell us about your composition and production process?

On Film and TV projects, sometimes I get to read the script but usually every project starts with the spotting session where we go through the reels with the filmmakers and talk about starts and stops, the emotional beats, clarify the intent of a particular scene, talk about point of view, and a lot of times some of the deeper underlying themes of the story. After that, if time allows, I write a ten to fifteen-minute suite before scoring to picture with ideas and initial reactions away from the picture. Most of the time, I start at the piano, which I find more organic than sitting at my sequencer, and figure out ideas, themes, or just simple moods. I know some guys shy away from writing suites separated from picture, but for me, it has really worked well on many projects. It’s sort of liberating too and you don’t deal with the limitations the picture may present. And of course, it’s also a way to experiment and really dig deep on the tonal aspect of the show. Once the musical vocabulary is established, everything else falls into place much easier when scoring to picture. Sometimes, though, the schedule is so tight you just have to dive in immediately and don’t really have time to think about it.

How do you see the music you created being used?

My start in production music actually was my film scores that were sold off to libraries. They were mostly in the Horror/Drama/Thriller genres. They are still being used in countless shows today.

Tell us a bit about the work you’ve done in production music. What are you most proud of?

I’m very proud of the Trailer Music series I have produced since 2019. It was really a turning point in music production for me. Before then, in film and TV, my demos were always pretty much the ‘final’ product. Due to the fact that sometimes you have to push out 5 to 7 minutes of fully orchestrated demos a day, there is really not much time for you as a composer to think much about production, mixing…all that good stuff. Thanks to the freedom I have with my Trailer albums I was really able to focus on all aspects of the production and develop some really unique approaches in the process. I tend to switch over to ‘producer’ mode and ask myself what would Chris Lorde Alge or Chad Blake do?

Any advice for fellow composers out there?

It’s so important to know the business aspects of music. I certainly wish I had understood more about Performing Rights Organizations and the royalty side when I first started out. I had a bunch of music playing on some major programs. Many years later, I realized I could’ve received substantial residual income from those gigs. Also, just be fearless and find your unique voice early on.

Tell us about your upcoming projects! What does the rest of this year have in store for you?

I have two more bucket list albums scheduled, one very grungy but emotional one I’m collaborating with a female songwriter on, the other one a rather dark and weird Nordic vocal album. I also started producing an upcoming project for a super talented emerging young singer/songwriter. 

Credits include Disney’s Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, Thor 4, The Ice Age Adventures of Buck Wild, Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy, and Sony Pictures’ The Machine.

Kurt Oldman has composed tracks for over 25 Megatrax albums spanning more than a decade. Hear all of Kurt's tracks for Megatrax here.

Check out Kurt's latest project with Megatrax, Signature Elements Series. From Pings and Pulses, Textures and Drones, and everything in between, this collection will help you unleash your imagination on the world.