NAMM 2012: a few highlights and images from Justin Lassen

Here I am with long time friends and world renowned DJ Shortee and DJ Faust! I love these talented producers/turntablists a LOT. So many awesome memories. Their label got “Label of the Year” award, which is so cool! They deserve it, super hard working, with 100 artists!

"Justin’s taking the remix world by storm, his stellar music vision and creative genius electrify anything he touches, don’t sleep on this guy!!" - Faust & Shortee

Here I am with BT again! Really cool guy! We first met in-person at the Stutter-Edit Launch last year. One of my childhood inspirations! Perhaps something is possibly in the works?!. :)

This is my good friend and fellow epic orchestral composer; Doyle S Donehoo. Not only is he incredibly talented and skilled, but he’s a gigantic source of fantastical knowledge about composing techniques and technologies, and I’m proud to know him.

This is Sean Murray, brilliant video game composer of such things as Call of Duty: Black-Ops. We talked about doing some remix projects things.

This is Alex Strong, from OurStage.com. A very cool company that has put on many industry-wide competitions (like Intel Superstars whom I’ve helped on), as well as being a strong platform for musicians. Alex is a lot of fun, super amazing and inspiring to talk to. In the background walking up is the one-and-only Tyler Barth, VP at Blue Microphones. :)

Ed Diaz needs no introduction, but if you YouTube his stuff, you will be blown away. He is a mad scientist of keyboard wizardry, over at Roland U.S. He takes care of me over there and I feel blessed and honored to know this musician (and all of the amazing people at Roland US and Roland Japan whom take care of me!)!

Here’s the one-and-only Cori Yarckin. She did some demos of her X1 tracks on the Roland stage, along with TC (whom chatted with me about doing some stuff with Oakenfold), Jimmy Landry (AR at Cakewalk) and Brandon Ryan (Sonar MASTER). We met being fellow Cakewalk artists.

Nick Dika is the man. Look at that awesome beard! He’s one of the masterminds over at iZotope, and PM of Ozone 5 Mastering Suite! He’s the one who got me involved in iZotope in the past and doing factory presets for their plugins in the past.

Here I am with the Intel Superstar 2011 winner (Yep, he got 10 G’s on a giant golf check from Intel.) Austin Renfroe (left) and Intel and photography extraordinaire Mike G. This has become a tradition that I meet and have dinner with the Intel Supestar winners (like Sara Lindsey last year!)

This is Mike Rivet and his son and wonderful Jazz/Classical pianist/musician Mitch Rivet. Watch out for this guy, he’s an amazing talent and I see a bright future for him. I’ve been working with him and helping him get his foothold in the industry, as I’ve done for many young talented people over they ears. I believe in this guy.

Here is Austin Renfroe performing at the Orange booth in Hall C. He’s a super multi-instrumentalist performer/songwriter, and he did some performances at the Blue Microphones and Orange Amps booths.

And here is Mitch Rivet, just killing it on this super expensive piano. :)

Here’s Norman Mathew from Murder FM, imitating his poster (behind us). Reminds me of when I imitated my poster in the same booth in a previous year. :) Fun times.

This is a little dark, but so are the 3 demons in it. This is the best Artist Relations team in the business, me with Nate Lane and Rich Curtis. We rock, a lot! We have the best artists and we take care of them like family. They (Numark/Alesis/Akai) brought me on as one of their first artists and a consultant/advisor/artist-relations mid-2011 to further build their Artist roster and bring in cool musicians and known creatives to represent and show off the gear/brands they hold in exciting ways. It’s been an interesting process.

You can see Drew Hollis (sitting) and Nate Lane (with his hands up) at this final farewell, celebratory dinner for Akai! It was an honor to be the only artist invited to this dinner of 31 people. :) For those that want to take a look, I was also the first artist to be featured in 2 newsletters for Akai (in a row!!) December 2011 and January 2012!

Here’s Jordan Roe (Austin Renfroe’s Manager, from Atlanta) I brought him around and made some introductions for him, to get Austin some sponsors and such, like I did for Sara last year.

Me and Mitch. Bad Ass. I can say I knew him when!

Brian Desmond from Cakewalk. Super cool guy to talk to, and brainstorm with! I met a bunch of the CW guys, but didn’t take pics. but lots of neat brainstorming happened. :)

JUSTIN wine. :) So basically it was a pretty rocking show, LOTS of celebrities I ran into and met up with, lots of cool meetings, was totally back-to-back-to-back-to-back one-after-the-other for 4 days in a row. I signed a bunch of autographs on the showroom floor as well as being asked to take pics with lots of random cool amazing people. I’m humbled by you all for the support and love! Signed a few new deals too with some companies and such. Someone is even going to name a Cupcake after me at their cupcake shop/company! More on all of this later… Stay tuned! :) (honestly, I wish I took more pictures!! and for everyone who took pics, feel free to send my way.) Thank you everyone for the new introductions to new people as well. Back to work now!

Justin Lassen on ‘Underworld: Awakening’ Score and Soundtrack Releases!

 

I’ve got killer new dark/industrial/electronic tracks on BOTH the Soundtrack and Score to Underworld: Awakening (Coming to Theaters January 20th!)!! You can check out the full album on AmazonMP3 (Soundtrack) and iTunes (Soundtrack) as well as the full score on AmazonMP3 (Score) and iTunes (Score). Make them part of your collection today! Lots of good bands, music and score, for a very cool dark action movie! It was an honor to be asked to be included. Much respect to the label and other artists involved!

Physical CD orders on Amazon:
(Underworld: Awakening Original Motion Picture Score).
[01/24/12]
(Underworld: Awakening Original Motion Picture Soundtrack).
[01/17/12]

Thank You and Enjoy!

UPDATE #1 (JAN. 17th): “Underworld Awakening Soundtrack Album Debuts #10 iTunes #Soundtrack“

Justin Lassen featured on the ‘Underworld: Awakening’ Original Motion Picture Score

Over the holiday break in 2011 I worked on a cinematic, darkly-inclined Lassen remix/re-interpretation of a track called “Corners” (original version here) from Underground rock/industrial artist Bret Blue Stahli. The label asked me to do an Awakening inspired remix, so I kept it true to the storyline and vibe of the films but still respectfully kept the soul of the original artist intact. My remix is track 23 on the Score! It was a pleasure to work on, and again, really great to be apart of the Soundtrack AND Score releases! Many thanks to everyone! Thanks for checking it all out! Much respect to Bret Blue Stahli for such solid material to start from!

“Lakeshore Records has revealed the details of the score release for the action horror sequel Underworld Awakening. The album features the original score from the movie by Paul Haslinger who previously scored the original film in the series, as well as the 2009 prequel Rise of the Lycans. Also included are three tracks by Blue Stahli, Aesthetic Perfection and Angelspit. The soundtrack will be released digitally on January 24, 2012 and the CD will be out on February 14. To pre-order the CD version, visit Amazon and check back on this site for audio clips. A separate soundtrack featuring the movie’s songs has previously been announced here. Underworld Awakening directed by Mans Marlin & Bjorn Stein and starring Kate Beckinsale, Sandrine Holt, Michael Ealy and India Eisley will be released in theaters on January 20. For more information about the film, visit the official movie website.”

Official Trailer–Sony Pictures (01.20.12)

Here’s the score album track list:

01. The Purge
02. Underworld Awakening Main Titles
03. Raiding the Army Surplus Store
04. Non-Human Aggressor
05. I Was Subject 2
06. Arriving at the Coven
07. I’ve Never Seen a Child Like This
08. This Is Not One of Us
09. I Know Exactly What You Are
10. If You Knew Him As I Did
11. Prepare the Armory
12. The Uber-Lycan
13. Reanimation
14. Then Came the Purge
15. Selene Returns to Antigen
16. Find Her and Destroy Her
17. The Lycan Van Escape
18. I Heal Instantly
19. You Came Back
20. Reclaiming the World
21. The Melancholy of Resistance
22. A New Dawn
23. Corner (Justin Lassen Remix) – Blue Stahli
24. Under Your Skin – Aesthetic Perfection
25. Sunrise – Angelspit

Justin Lassen on the ‘Underworld: Awakening’ Motion Picture Soundtrack

Towards the end of 2011, I was working on new gothic/electronic/rock remix/music for the official Underworld: Awakening Motion Picture Soundtrack, and it was announced last week finally to the world. There are trailers, tv teasers and videos of this movie and soundtrack on YouTube.

I mixed in vocals from Silent Fury’s “Exit Wounds” to the final remix composition for the soundtrack. My reinterpretation is the final closing track on the release!! We all hope you dig the full soundtrack and movie! A lot of work and time went into the making of it. Thank you everyone, and it’s a complete honor to be a part of this awesome project with all these cool bands and artists!

“Linkin Park and Evanescence are among the artists featured on the upcoming Underworld: Awakening soundtrack. The Cure and Lacuna Coil will also appear on the album for the fourth movie in the Underworld series starring Kate Beckinsale. Many of the tracks receive a remix from Renholder (Danny Lohner), who had also produced remixes for the previous Underworld film, as well as being a member of Nine Inch Nails, A Perfect Circle and Puscifer.”

Teaser Clips from songs from the official soundtrack.

Underworld: Awakening is released at cinemas on January 20, with the soundtrack released three days earlier.

The tracklisting in full:

1. Evanescence - 'Made of Stone' (Renholder Remix)
2. Lacey Sturm - 'Heavy Prey'
3. Linkin Park - 'Blackout' (Renholder Remix)
4. The Cure - 'Apart' (Renholder Remix)
5. Stella Katsoudas - 'Killer & a Queen'
6. Ministry - 'Watch Yourself' (Renholder Remix)
7. Lacuna Coil - 'Trip The Darkness' (Ben Weinman Remix)
8. The Naked and Famous - 'Young Blood' (Renholder Remix)
9. Black Light Burns - 'It Rapes All In Its Path'
10. William Control - 'The Posthumous Letter'
11. Civil Twilights - 'How I'm I Supposed To Die'
12. & Sons - 'Consolation Prize'
13. 8MM - 'Liar'
14. Ryan T. Hope - 'You Won't See the Light'
15. Combichrist - 'Bottle of Pain'
16. Collide - 'Intruder'
17. Justin Lassen feat. Silent Fury - 'Exit Wounds' (Justin Lassen Remix)

Justin Lassen remixes LowHero.DLL on ‘Worse Than Digital’ New Album Release!

The 4th official release from LowHero.DLL, Worse Than Digital is a cold exploration of uncertain relationships in the digital age as the objects of our affections and intrigue become less tangible.

Loaded with ominous electro bass lines, strong rhythms, and edgy, noisy synths, LowHero.DLL continues to find some gray area between catchy pop song and the proverbial head-thumper. Lyrically, Worse Than Digital uses scientific and technological themes as a metaphorical means of tapping into the more organic and ethereal human condition as can be felt in the enigmatic line, "electron meets a positron and they do the dance of annihilation", which alludes to a volatile and tenuous relationship between man and woman in this fast and frenzied "always on" society.

Worse Than Digital, with over 60 minutes of play, is comprised of 6 original tracks, one cover (The Ballad - originally by Snog), and 5 remixes by some excellent indie-electronica acts: Testube, Type001, Polluted, Digital Dirt Heads, and R010R.

1. Annihilation Dance 05:22
2. Worse Than Digital 04:37
3. Chartreuse 05:58
4. The Ballad 04:08
5. Roman Holiday 05:37
6. Annihilation Dance (Remixed by Type001) 04:37
7. Unique Perspective ("Pristine" remix by Polluted) 06:56
8. Worse Than Digital (Testube Treatment) 06:17
9. Roman Holiday (Wreckstep Remix by R010R) 05:25
10. Chartreuse (Remixed by Digital Dirt Heads) 05:26
11. Unique Perspective 04:14
12. Much Worse (Outro) (free) 01:39

Available for sale at Bandcamp 1/8/2012
Available for sale at Google Music Store for Android on 1/9/2012
credits
released 08 January 2012
Written, produced and recorded by Jonathan Chalker as LowHero.DLL. Original music and lyrics on The Ballad by David Thrussell as Snog. Remixes by Testube (Jeff Danos), Type001 (Matt Ossen), Polluted (Cameron R), Digital Dirt Heads (Justin Lassen), and R010R (Michael Renfield).

Justin Lassen Presents “Grimm: Quest for the Gatherer’s Key” Game Soundtrack & Demo! (Merry Xmas!)

So what is Grimm Quest for the Gatherer's Key?
It's a fantasy hack&slash game with a lot of platforming elements that you might find in games like the Prince of Persia or Tomb Raider (albeit more gothic) series, but from a First Person perspective. The world that players enter is wrought with danger. There are traps and enemies around each corner, coupled with pitfalls and abysses to cross. Cunning is often more important than quick reflexes (but those help too). The world of Grimm offers no remorse! Players will get very basic information and will have to learn how to travel this world by trial and error. Each weapon will require skill and has a learning curve. Most weapons have special attacks that can be used. Download The DEMO HERE!

Make sure to check out the gameplay videos and screenshots in the video and image sections.
You can also take a look at the youtube channel for Grimm.
Did you like what you see? Spread the word!

Features
Based on the award winning Doom3 engine, enhanced with fully customizable features such as Parallax Mapping, HDR, Bloom, SSAO and other high-end features coming from Sikkpin's SikkMod, Grimm looks and plays like a modern game. This mod will move to Doom3 GPL as soon as it is released.

Background
Heaven and Hell are at war and have been closed off to new souls. Human souls now wander in purgatory after death, unable to go up to Heaven or descend down to Hell. The angel, Gabriel, has stolen The Grim Reaper's key of the Gatherer's Keep, the entrance to both Heaven and Hell. He is determined to fight his way through the souls in purgatory and the Demons and Angels in Heaven and in Hell to regain what is rightfully his and restore order.

You are the Grim Reaper.
And Lo those that stand in the way of the Grim Reaper and His Scythe.
For Ever Lasting Death will be their Fate.

Check out an interview with the developer over at PlanetDoom!

Haus of Persian Descent (f. NMERCER) by Justin Lassen

Justin Lassen and Grimm's soundtrack
“Together with the demo release I have another surprise for you guys, in the form of 2 wonderful tracks (that combine classical influences with Persian style instruments, creating a mix I've never heard before but mixes perfectly with the style of the game. Having the music really makes a title come alive and added the depth I needed to set the tone in this title. Justin is one of the most talented musicians I know, check out his work it's simply awe-inspiring) for the game included in this very release! I am just so extremely proud to be working with him and having him work his magic for Grimm!” – Bastian (Developer) [READ INTERVIEW]

Idiom of Sad

NMERCER

“I’d like to thank the talented Idiom of Sad and NMERCER for contributing vocals to the tracks in this demo soundtrack! Amazing artists!”

Justin Lassen Nominated for the Square Enix Music Online Game Music Awards 2011!

SEMO is proud to present the nominees of the Annual Game Music Awards 2011. These panel-voted officially recognized awards provide a thorough and wide-reaching recognition of achievement in game music over the last year.

A panel have determined the nominations of these awards. All panelists are experienced journalists and reviewers with an expert knowledge of the game music industry. The panelists have selected their choices by carefully considering the artistic, entertainment, and functional value of the game music created this year. All game music released between December 1, 2010 and November 30, 2011 was eligible for consideration, irrespective of the commercial success and production region of their associated games.

Herbert Starts His Day by Justin Lassen

The nominations are listed below. The winners will be announced during the final week of 2011!

2.4 “Outstanding Contribution – Newcomer”

Kan R. Gao (To the Moon)
Taku Inoue (Ridge Racer 3D)
Asuka Ito (Pilotwings Resort)
Justin Lassen (Herbert)
Akiyoshi Manabe (Tale of the Last Promise)
Gordon McNeil (Ctulhu Saves the World)
Yasuyuki Nagata (Shining Force Cross Raid)
Tsutomu Narita (UnchainBlades ReXX)
Brian Reitzell (Red Faction: Armageddon)
Brian Tyler (Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3)

“Hey guys! This is a pretty cool honor, so thank you so much for whomever thought me worthy enough for a nomination! I was first informed by friend and composer who is also nominated in the chiptune category (Jimmy Hinson). It’s cool to see several friends of mine in various categories too. Herbert Soundtrack for the win!!!! I couldn’t be more happy that it was recognized! It’s surreal/neat to be in the same category with Brian Tyler (Modern Warfare 3!) Wow! I don’t expect to win or anything, but thankful for everyone who downloaded the soundtrack and the REMIX ALBUM, bought the game and supported me along the way! All of us on the Herbert team love you all very much, that our cute little Herbert game is so well received by you lovely people. YOU ARE THE BEST!” – J.Lassen

UPDATE (JAN.1ST): Brian Tyler wins for Modern Warfare 3.

Tortured Minds (1995-2002) Soundtrack (all 19-tracks!) Available in JL BC Store!

ambiance, horror, storytelling, organic, live vs. synthesis, tortured minds™... 19 classic Justin Lassen tracks for 9.99! 

Remember this? maybe not, but... it's something really really special to me, considering the tools that were used to make it were not the conventional stuff that composers have available to them today. well, we're coming up on the 14th anniversary of it. It is moments like this, when these kinds of anniversaries arrive that I look back and pause for a moment to see all that i've been through. There are a few more anniversaries coming up too... I'm starting to feel old. I must keep chugging along. Tortured Minds™ was a staple project for me, and continues to be a legacy for those in the know. Hard to believe that back then this thing got over 7 million downloads back when downloading music was still very new! Not to mention the album sales!! This new Black Edition cover, has the more updated look, but still has the vibe of the first two pressings of it (including the MP3.com D.A.M. version). Listening through it, I still feel the rawness of it, and yet, tons of memories...

Created from 1995-2002, first released on Mp3.com in 2 volumes in 2000 and 2002, re-released on web in 2007, and finally remastered and released in special edition in 2011 for you to buy in the Justin Lassen Store today!

The Attack of Lord Retro (2011) and The Rise of Lord Retro (2007) Released Together!

Earlier this month; I had a sneak-peak of “The Attack of Lord Retro” on soundcloud. It was received extremely well with high marks from people in academia, video games, government, music, radio and art industries.The anticipated follow-up of the  2007 release “The Rise of Lord Retro”, a retro sci-fi universe, with an otherworldly story to tell. From epic space aria’s to introspective thought provoking electronica, there's something for everyone within these two distinct releases.

“The Attack of Lord Retro” High Resolution release through BC Music Store today!

"The Attack of Lord Retro", 9-Tracks and 30 Minutes of intricate editing, splicing and storytelling gives you some thought provoking introspective electronica to bring you back in time and home again. Featuring analog synthesis, live european chamber strings, custom sampling and familiar yet distant obscure memories from another time. An exploration album from the mind of Justin Lassen was created in The Year of the Rabbit (2011) as a pure artistic expression. The much anticipated follow-up to 2007's "The Rise of Lord Retro" Original Concept Soundtrack which got great reviews and support from it's initial reception in 2003, world-wide release from Intel in 2005 and it's special re-print in 2007, The multimedia project Lord Retro lives on. Enjoy this freshly released and mastered album (2011).

Also… For the first time-ever, the classic, “The Rise of Lord Retro” (2002-2007) is finally being released in full resolution for .99 a track! Or you can grab all 24 tracks for 9.99! The tracks were originally licensed in a few video games from 2002-2004 with an epic world-wide release by Intel in 2005 with the worlds first Dual-Core processors (multi-core). They remained in the vaults until 2007 for a limited edition release and went back into the archives. Today you can grab this classic JL original concept soundtrack release originally priced at 30.00 and make it apart of your collection! 9.99 for 24 tracks!

Grab both releases today at http://music.justinlassen.com/, listen to all the tracks, buy individually or buy the full albums! Thank you so much for all your support over the years! I’m so proud of these two collections of music. Recorded in Europe & USA.

Justin Lassen feature articles at Akai Professional and PreSonus Audio Electronics!

“That Justin Lassen is highly successful with his musical projects is no surprise to those who know him. He has long found ways to succeed in whatever interested him. As a youngster, he dove into scientific research, won gymnastics competitions, learned multiple computer-programming languages, and learned to create quality home videos, all before he was in his mid teens. But around age 16, he dedicated himself to music. He had been playing for years, of course, but from then on, he was a musician first. He put in the endless hours of hard work, and he persisted. The result has been a fascinating career and a range of musical accomplishments. He creates his musical magic beautifully, distinctively, intelligently, and passionately, and he believes in his artistic vision.” – PreSonus (2011) [READ FEATURE]

“The consummate creator, Lassen is credited with a number of full-length recordings under various guises since he began his career at the age of 15. As Omnicron, a brooding electronica project with cinematic undertones, Lassen released 11 albums through a fledgling MP3.com, quickly gaining notoriety as a musical prodigy with a penchant for classical composition. Next to break through was the industrial rock outfit Digital Dirt Heads, which featured Lassen in a multi-instrumentalist, Trent Reznor-like role, writing and producing hard edged material with the occasional collaborative element. But it was 2003 that saw Lassen’s star rise to new heights. And Now We See But Through A Glass Darkly, his dark, symphonic chamber suite, cemented his status as one of the premier players in a budding video game scoring industry thirsty for crossover talent. With over 100 million downloads to date, it also set the tone for what would become a fiercely independent career, unfettered by major label methodology.” – Akai Professional (2011) [READ FEATURE]