Armstrong has long been a leading light in adapting and creating music with a distinctive dance vibe. But he has also become familiar to moviegoers for his now substantial body of film music work. This compilation picks out highlights from a film music career spanning fifteen years, from 1990-2005. Like several major film music composers, Armstrong’s repertoire covers a wide generic range of films including comedy, musicals, dramas and advertising. However, one common theme running through his music is a sense of heavy foreboding and dense ambience, aspects that I find compelling and highly enjoyable.

In all, there are eighteen tracks from films including Romeo and Juliet, Plunkett and Macleane, The Quiet American, Moulin Rouge, The Negotiator, Cruel Intentions, Ray, The Clearing, Orphans, The Bone Collector and Chanel advertising. Much of the music showcased here are Armstrong’s original compositions, however, as One Day I’ll Fly Away and Nature Boy (both from Moulin Rouge) show, he exhibits both respect and skill in re-interpreting great music for film. In a more classical vein, his interpretation of Clair de Lune, for Chanel, adds poignancy and drama. Throughout you’ll hear a tide of orchestral choruses tinged with darkness, while a cavernous bass vibe simmers threateningly just below the surface. These are the characteristic and distinctive trade marks of a musical talent in much demand by the film world.

This is a fabulous collection of film music from one of the UK’s increasingly rare international musical heroes, and essential listening.

4.5/5