EMIPM presents The Music Library (07/07/2021)
Heralded by the few, heard by the many the music subculture called library music is a rich, expansive and largely untapped source of music history, chronicling the vast range of musical styles through the lens of television. Library music (or Production Music) was born before TV but boomed as TV became household items, creating opportunity for composers and session musicians to experiment without the pressures of writing a ‘hit’.
Today, TV’s need for music has never been greater and those catalogues which have been around since the 1950s hold a treasure trove of musical gems that generations have grown up listening to. Whether its sports themes, news beds, music for cartoons or the soundtrack to iconic porn films, you can bet your bottom dollar that you have heard a lot of library music!
It’s something not lost on the sampling community – emipm samples can be heard on Drake, Jay Z, Fatboy Slim and many more (as featured by WhoSampled in 2017). The great and the good are not only interested in digging the archive, talented artists and producers can see the chance to experiment stylistically in an environment where you are not judged by record sales but rather how the music works with picture.
As one of the market leaders in this art form for over 70 years, EMI Production Music is perfectly positioned to take listeners on a journey into this world by thumbing through their library. With the iconic KPM 1000 Series (the green sleeves), Themes International and German Library Coloursound, emipm have some house-hold favourites alongside the rarest of create digger LPs. The show will feature newly digitised ‘lost’ content from the archives played alongside ‘hits’ like the Grandstand, Grange Hill and Wimbledon theme tunes (to name a few).
This show will also feature newly released Library tracks from some of the best composers in the industry. Hosted by EMI’s own Paul Sandell and Will Clark; they will have guest composers coming into the studio. Episodes with feature key Library music composers (see Alan Hawkshaw, Alan Parker, Keith Mansfield, Brian Bennett etc) as well as significant modern composers and Library music enthusiasts.
