ScoreNotes: Personally speaking, I was moved more by your music and the way the trailer was arranged than the actual film itself. Overall, were you pleased as well with how your music was represented in the trailers for the film?

Johann: Yes, I was very pleased with it. The trailer is a very effective piece of filmmaking and I was happy with the way the used the song. The song is from the album IBM 1401, a User´s Manual, which has a theme of technology versus nature, so the cyborg attack theme of the film kind of fits in a strange way.

ScoreNotes: For those of us out there (like me) who are just now discovering your work through this cinematic exposure, can you tell us about your background and the type of music you tend to write?

Johann: I started out writing music for theatre, my first solo album, Englabörn, was based on music written for a play. I’ve released 4 solo albums of my own work and two soundtrack albums. I tend to use classical instruments in an electronic setting. I´m influenced by a wide variety of composers, spanning the centuries; Haendel, Purcell, Beethoven, Brahms, Morricone, Ligeti, Reich, Nyman and Gorecki to name a few, as well minimalistic electronic artists like Pan Sonic and Hafler Trio. I also have side projects that are a lot less classical, like Apparat Organ Quartet which is a bit like Kraftwerk with a drummer and old analog synths and organs. I love writing for strings and my albums are mostly scored for string orchestra or smaller string ensembles, mixed with a lot of keyboards and electronics. Having said that, my next CD will be almost entirely brass-based.

ScoreNotes: Do you feel that the prominent use of your music in a film's trailer like Battle LA can help pave the way for some unique opportunities for you?

Johann: It’s certainly increased my visibility and revived the sales of a 5 year old album as well, which is great. If the trailer finds a new audience for my music, then that’s a good thing and if it opens up some film scoring opportunities then that’s great as well.

ScoreNotes: In discussing the piece itself (“The Sun’s Gone Dim and the Sky’s Turned Black”) -- I found to be supremely original yet emotionally impacting at the same time, especially after having heard the track in full. Can you talk about the creativity that went into composing this style of music and what inspirations led you to go down this path with it?

Johann: The piece was written as an ending for the IBM 1401 album, I wanted to write a vocal track that would have some resonance with the themes of the album and sum up the whole thing. The voice is my own, fed through a vocoder and a variety of other plug-ins. The piece is a kind of like a simple passacaglia or a cannon in form. It was the last piece written for the record. The lyrics are based on a short poem from the 30's by Dorothy Parker.

ScoreNotes: Where does film composing rank for you as far as a future goal? Is this something you would like to pursue more actively?

Johann: Film scoring is one of my main ambitions. I wrote a few scores for local films when I lived in Iceland and in the last few years I’ve written film scores for several European films. I´d like to continue doing my own records, but writing for films will always be a strong priority for me. My latest piece, The Miners’ Hymns, which will come out on CD in May, is a film collaboration with the director Bill Morrison, a documentary with no narration, dialogue or sound effects, only music. It premieres at the Tribeca festival in Manhattan in April.

ScoreNotes: In a general sense, what type of films do you personally connect with and do you think that mainstream Hollywood cinema should embrace more of a creative edge when it comes to its film scoring?

Johann: I have very eclectic tastes in film but genereally I like filmmakers that take risks and I like films that use music in an interesting and effective way. I’m a big fan of directors that are visually and emotionally strong, Tarkovsky, Jodorowski, Lynch, Kubrick, Von Trier. Also people like Werner Herzog, Terrence Malick, David Cronenberg, Dario Argento, Carl Dreyer, Michael Haneke, Philippe Grandrieux, Jesper Ganslandt.

ScoreNotes: And on the topic of soundtracks -- who are some of your favorite film composers and in what ways might they have inspired your work?

Johann: I love Morricone, he has such depth and such a wide scope as a composer. His best work was done at a time in the 70’s where film composing was more adventurous, I would love to see that kind of creativity come back. I love Italian film music in general from that time, stuff like Goblin for example.

Bernard Herrmann is a big influence. Also East European composers like Woytech Kilar and Zbigniew Preisner. Hilmar Orn Hilmarsson, an Icelandic composer, also influenced me a lot when I started out. I like Michael Nyman, Angelo Badalamenti, and Cliff Martinez’ work is great as well. I’ve been listening to a lo of Tangerine Dream film scores from the 70’s and 80’s as well, lately.

ScoreNotes: For those of us who became immersed with “The Sun’s Gone Dim and the Sky’s Turned Black,” please tell us what other pieces of your work that you can recommend to your newest fans.

Johann: IBM 1401, a User’s Manual, Fordlandia and Englabörn are probably good introductions to my work. IBM and especially Fordlandia are scored for full orchestra, with choir organ etc. while Englabörn is scored for string quartet and electronics.

ScoreNotes: As we wrap up, can you share any current or upcoming news items that you'd like to let us know about?

Johann: My new project, The Miners’ Hymns is out on CD in May on FatCat and on DVD from the British Film Institute. The movie premieres at the Tribeca Film Festival in late April and we’re doing a screening with a live performance of the music in Queen Elizabeth Hall in London in July.

ScoreNotes: Many thanks for your time and for the creative tunes!