“The power of the human spirit and what it can achieve is amazing,” reflects James Lavelle of UNKLE on Relentless Energy’s latest cinematic venture Lives of the Artists: Follow Me Down.
“It’s incredible how far people can push themselves.”
Many would heap similar praise on the UNKLE founder and his genre-bending, sonic collective, alongside songwriting partner Pablo Clements. But, it’s the band’s latest work on the second full length documentary from Relentless Energy which pushes the group to new boundaries: creating the otherworldly official soundtrack for a virgin voyage to Antarctica by freeride snowboard legends Xavier de le Rue and Jeremy Jones - interweaved with an indepth examination of the UNKLE themselves, while on an intense tour of Moscow, London and Tokyo.
From near vertical first descents in the South Pole’s white wilderness, to UNKLE’s own passionate pursuit for creating the perfect multi-sensory show, the Lives of the Artists: Follow Me Down soundtrack combines both journey’s equally exhilarating exploration of Relentless' ‘No Half Measures’ approach, physically and mentally.
“It’s much more simple; ethereal, beautiful and dreamy - not in your face or pushing in front,” Lavelle explains about his ideas around UNKLE’s soundtrack. “We tried something grand and it didn’t fit, so it became driven by the interviews and pace of the film, very reflective – trying to find a way to make a connection between all those different things that you’re drawn too.”
“Our ideas started with images from the film, building a narrative and mood around that,” adds Clements. “The difficulty was keeping things flowing from darker moments with James to uplifting interviews with Jeremy or Xavier, but also matching the action of the snowboard scenes.
With UNKLE being an evolving musical identity, Lives of the Artists: Follow Me Down focuses on interviews with Lavelle, but also live performances from the entire current collective – James Griffith, Gavin Clark, ELLE J, Joel Cadbury, Mike Lowry and Clements, recorded on their global tour. In addition, the soundtrack also features orchestral arrangements by long time collaborator and composer Philip Sheppard.
“Sonically, we looked to experimental electronica and sixties soundtracks, plus Brian Eno,” explains Clements, “We tried to create something sparse and subtle, slowly building tension via layers of strings and synths, rather than songs.”
“The film talks about my journey through various periods with the band,” adds Lavelle, “and, with the performances, shows there’s a very human element to UNKLE – it destroys the myth of what people perceive us to be.”
But, away from their own travelling musical circus, it was the alien landscapes of Antarctica that was an overwhelming muse for the soundtrack - in sharp contrast to UNKLE’s usually urban environment.
Says Lavelle: “I wanted it to be organic: nature and its volatile balance definitely dictated the mood. There’s an element of permanent menace in the sound design. I was in awe at the Antarctica scenes and the power of human drive: it makes you feel quite small actually.”
