David Kristian
Encyclopedia
David Kristian is a Canadian
musician and film score
composer and sound designer.
David Kristian has been involved in audio for media since the early 1980s, when he first started work as an animation and experimental filmmaker at a New-Brunswick, Canada TV station. Upon relocating to Montreal, Kristian decided to abandon film-making in order to focus on a music career, first as a solo artist, then as the keyboardist and synthesist for the group Psyche
, with whom he recorded "The Influence" in Germany.
David Kristian left Psyche
in late 1989 and he returned to Montreal to concentrate on more Ambient and instrumental music, citing Tangerine Dream
, Robert Fripp
and the film scores of Director John Carpenter
as longtime influences. Based on his past experience as a filmmaker, it was clear that David Kristian's path would lead to more soundtrack work.
During the 1990s and 2000s, he released several albums on labels as diverse as Crème Organization, Ninja Tune
, Lo Recordings, Schematic Records
, Alien8 Recordings
and Apegenine recordings
. Kristian has produced music under aliases, including Gentle Bakemono, Francesco Clemente, and Malamutant.
Kristian has also performed at several events, including Mutek
, Le Festival International de Musique Actuelle de Victoriaville, SONAR, FCMM, The Fantasia Festival
, SHARE, and ISEA
.
David Kristian's return to sound design
and film scoring was on Karim Hussain's Subconscious Cruelty, for which he contributed eerie ambient music, surreal room tones, and special sound design.
Kristian's music and sound design work can be heard on a variety of projects, including Anime
and web commercials by Macromedia Flash animation innovator Ryosuke Aoike. He has composed the scores for the short films of Mitch Davis, Matthew Garrett's Beating Hearts, D.J. Matrundola's "One Love"
, and several feature films, such as Karim Hussain's Ascension, La Belle Bête, Francois Miron
's The 4th Life, and Matthew Garrett's Morris County.
Other recent film score
work includes most of the underscoring
and end titles music for Nacho Cerdà
's The Abandoned, and Douglas Buck's remake of Brian De Palma
's Sisters. For the latter film, he collaborated with Emmy Award
-winning composer Edward Dzubak (As the World Turns
); the two had also previously collaborated on Buck's film Prologue.
David Kristian is currently working as a video game sound designer, with credits on such titles as Army of Two: The 40th Day
, The Exiled Realm of Arborea
, and Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Conviction
.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
musician and film score
Film score
A film score is original music written specifically to accompany a film, forming part of the film's soundtrack, which also usually includes dialogue and sound effects...
composer and sound designer.
David Kristian has been involved in audio for media since the early 1980s, when he first started work as an animation and experimental filmmaker at a New-Brunswick, Canada TV station. Upon relocating to Montreal, Kristian decided to abandon film-making in order to focus on a music career, first as a solo artist, then as the keyboardist and synthesist for the group Psyche
Psyche (band)
Psyche are a Canadian dark synthpop band, now based in Germany. They are centered on singer Darrin Huss, who has been the only constant member, with various line-ups including his brother Stephen Huss, later followed by David Kristian, Per-Anders Kurenbach, and Remi Szyszka, all recording albums...
, with whom he recorded "The Influence" in Germany.
David Kristian left Psyche
Psyche (band)
Psyche are a Canadian dark synthpop band, now based in Germany. They are centered on singer Darrin Huss, who has been the only constant member, with various line-ups including his brother Stephen Huss, later followed by David Kristian, Per-Anders Kurenbach, and Remi Szyszka, all recording albums...
in late 1989 and he returned to Montreal to concentrate on more Ambient and instrumental music, citing Tangerine Dream
Tangerine Dream
Tangerine Dream is a German electronic music group founded in 1967 by Edgar Froese. The band has undergone many personnel changes over the years, with Froese being the only continuous member...
, Robert Fripp
Robert Fripp
Robert Fripp is an English guitarist, composer and record producer. He was ranked 42nd on Rolling Stone magazine's 2003 list of the "100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time" and #47 on Gibson.com’s "Top 50 Guitarists of All Time". Among rock guitarists, Fripp is a master of crosspicking, a technique...
and the film scores of Director John Carpenter
John Carpenter
John Howard Carpenter is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, editor, composer, and occasional actor. Although Carpenter has worked in numerous film genres in his four-decade career, his name is most commonly associated with horror and science fiction.- Early life :Carpenter was born...
as longtime influences. Based on his past experience as a filmmaker, it was clear that David Kristian's path would lead to more soundtrack work.
During the 1990s and 2000s, he released several albums on labels as diverse as Crème Organization, Ninja Tune
Ninja Tune
Ninja Tune is a London-based independent record label started by DJs Matt Black and Jonathan More, better known as Coldcut and managed by Peter Quicke. The label has a strong leaning towards mostly Electronic Music...
, Lo Recordings, Schematic Records
Schematic Records
In 1995 Josh Kay & Romulo Del Castillo released a series of records for the US major label Astralwerks under the name Soul Oddity. In 1997 after a dispute with Astralwerks & a successful release as Phoenecia on Warp , the duo founded Schematic Music Company, an electronic music label which would go...
, Alien8 Recordings
Alien8 Recordings
Alien8 Recordings is an independent record label founded in 1996 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The music label was founded by Sean O'Hara and Gary Worsley...
and Apegenine recordings
Apegenine recordings
Apegenine recordings is a Canadian independent record label. It was established as a subdivision in 2003 by Vincent Fugere and has released music by Montreal's most prominent electronic artist David Kristian, Emanuele Errante, Khonnor, Klaus Lunde , Julien Neto among others.The music it releases...
. Kristian has produced music under aliases, including Gentle Bakemono, Francesco Clemente, and Malamutant.
Kristian has also performed at several events, including Mutek
Mutek
Founded in 2000, MUTEK is an international festival organization dedicated to the promotion of electronic music and the digital arts. Its central platform is an annual five-day event in Montreal that takes place in late May and early June...
, Le Festival International de Musique Actuelle de Victoriaville, SONAR, FCMM, The Fantasia Festival
Fantasia Festival
Fantasia International Film Festival is a genre film festival that has been based mainly in Montreal since its founding in 1996...
, SHARE, and ISEA
ISEA
ISEA, or Inter-Society for the Electronic Arts is "an international non-profit organization fostering interdisciplinary academic discourse and exchange among culturally diverse organizations and individuals working with art, science and emerging technologies." ISEA was founded in the Netherlands...
.
David Kristian's return to sound design
Sound design
Sound design is the process of specifying, acquiring, manipulating or generating audio elements. It is employed in a variety of disciplines including filmmaking, television production, theatre, sound recording and reproduction, live performance, sound art, post-production and video game software...
and film scoring was on Karim Hussain's Subconscious Cruelty, for which he contributed eerie ambient music, surreal room tones, and special sound design.
Kristian's music and sound design work can be heard on a variety of projects, including Anime
Anime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
and web commercials by Macromedia Flash animation innovator Ryosuke Aoike. He has composed the scores for the short films of Mitch Davis, Matthew Garrett's Beating Hearts, D.J. Matrundola's "One Love"
One Love (short film)
One Love is a 2009 short film directed by D.J. Matrundola and produced by Josh Kimmel and Benz Antoine. The film presents seven different people in the process of starting a family, and the various problems and heartaches they face.- Cast :...
, and several feature films, such as Karim Hussain's Ascension, La Belle Bête, Francois Miron
François Miron
François Miron is a French-Canadian experimental filmmaker.Miron was born in Montreal in 1962. He obtained a BFA from Concordia University in 1987 and an MFA from The School of The Art Institute Of Chicago in 1990....
's The 4th Life, and Matthew Garrett's Morris County.
Other recent film score
Film score
A film score is original music written specifically to accompany a film, forming part of the film's soundtrack, which also usually includes dialogue and sound effects...
work includes most of the underscoring
Underscoring
In film production, underscoring is the playing of music quietly under dialogue or a visual scene. It is usually done to establish a mood or theme. In a play, sometimes incidental music is used for this purpose....
and end titles music for Nacho Cerdà
Nacho Cerdà
Nacho Cerdà is a Spanish film director best known for his controversial 1994 film, 'Aftermath'. One year after producing that movie, he was accused of being the person behind the infamous alien autopsy footage...
's The Abandoned, and Douglas Buck's remake of Brian De Palma
Brian De Palma
Brian Russell De Palma is an American film director and writer. In a career spanning over 40 years, he is probably best known for his suspense and crime thriller films, including such box office successes as the horror film Carrie, Dressed to Kill, Scarface, The Untouchables, and Mission:...
's Sisters. For the latter film, he collaborated with Emmy Award
Emmy Award
An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
-winning composer Edward Dzubak (As the World Turns
As the World Turns
As the World Turns is an American television soap opera that aired on CBS from April 2, 1956 to September 17, 2010. Irna Phillips created As the World Turns as a sister show to her other soap opera Guiding Light...
); the two had also previously collaborated on Buck's film Prologue.
David Kristian is currently working as a video game sound designer, with credits on such titles as Army of Two: The 40th Day
Army of Two: The 40th Day
Army of Two: The 40th Day is a third-person shooter video game that is developed by EA Montreal and published by Electronic Arts for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PlayStation Portable. It is the sequel to Army of Two...
, The Exiled Realm of Arborea
The Exiled Realm of Arborea
The Exiled Realm of Arborea is a Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game by Bluehole Studio. It was released in South Korea on January 25, 2011. The date for release of North America and Europe is Spring of 2012, beta testing starts early 2012...
, and Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Conviction
Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Conviction
Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Conviction is an action-adventure stealth game, developed by Ubisoft Montreal. Key members of the Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Vegas team, such as creative director Maxime Béland, also worked on the game...
.