Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F (soundtrack) explained

Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F (Soundtrack from the Netflix Film)
Type:film
Cover:Beverly Hills Cop Axel F (soundtrack).png
Artist:Lorne Balfe
Released:July 3, 2024
Recorded:2024
Genre:Film score
Length:41:24
Label:Netflix Music
Producer:Lorne Balfe
Prev Year:2024
Next Title:Slingshot
Next Year:2024

Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F (Soundtrack from the Netflix Film) is the film score album to the 2024 film , directed by Mark Molloy; the fourth installment in the Beverly Hills Cop film series and a sequel to Beverly Hills Cop III (1994), it starred Eddie Murphy who reprises his role as Axel Foley. The film's musical score is composed by Lorne Balfe who incorporated Harold Faltermeyer's theme "Axel F" from the 1984 film. The soundtrack was released through Netflix Music on July 3, 2024.

Development

Lorne Balfe was announced as the film's composer in December 2023, marking his first score he composed for and the third composer to be involved in the Beverly Hills Cop franchise after the original composer Harold Faltermeyer and Nile Rodgers, who scored the third instalment.[1] [2] He wanted to use the orchestra as an underbelly rather than relying more on it as Rodger's orchestral music for the third film was not well received. To replicate the sound of the first two films scored by Faltermeyer, he assembled a synth orchestra consisted of vintage Roland JUPITER-X, Oberheim and Moog synthesizers with synth players recording them at the Sony Scoring Stage. Balfe used most of the synthesizers manufactured in the 1980s to authentically replicate the bygone era; he went to the Vintage Synthesizer Museum in the Highland Park, Los Angeles to source the instruments and find the players who could operate them, so that they could find out the sound, recreate and get back on how it sounded originally.[3]

During production, Molloy used to listen to the soundtrack of the first film to match with the footage he had shot. However, both Balfe and Molloy found it tricky for finding the appropriate soundscape. This resulted him on selecting specific artists and they eventually roped in Sunglasses Kid, an internet personality and musician, after one of Balfe's friends sent him TikTok videos of his performances. Kid eventually performed couple of tracks in the score alongside saxophonist-singer Tim Cappello.[4] Balfe incorporates Faltermeyer's "Axel F" theme throughout the score which was remixed by Phil Harding.[5] [6]

Balfe worked with the representatives from the Musicians at Play whose RISE Diversity Project assisted in producing the score. The executives at Netflix met its co-founder and executive director April Williams (John Williams' sister-in-law) about their involvement in the project, which April added that it would be "a real studio engagement gig for our musicians". Most of the musicians performed the score were high school students, with the youngest being aged 15 and partnered with the mentors in the actual orchestra to guide them in the score production while recording the music at the Sony Scoring Stage.

Release

Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F (Soundtrack from the Netflix Film) was released through Netflix Music on July 3, 2024.[7] The album was preceded by "Axel's Return" as the lead single on June 26, 2024.[8] Lil Nas X wrote and performed the original song "Here We Go!" which was released as a non-album single on June 28.[9]

Reception

Zanobard Reviews rated the album 8/10 calling it as "a fantastic modernization of the original 1984 Faltermeyer classic, reprising the iconic theme to spellbindingly entertaining ’80s effect throughout the album here with an incredible-sounding synthwave and electronic soundscape to boot."[10] Brian Tallerico of RogerEbert.com wrote "Even the score here feels playful as Lorne Balfe incorporates elements of the original Harold Faltermeyer classic into something fresh while also directly using tracks from the massive 1984 soundtrack."[11] Robbie Collin of The Daily Telegraph wrote "Lorne Balfe's synth score is outrageously prominent, with its regular re-workings of Harold Faltermeyer's classic keyboard-prodding theme."[12]

Nate Richard of Collider wrote "Lorne Balfe's synth-heavy score additionally captures those nostalgic vibes without feeling too on the nose."[13] Matt Donato of Paste wrote "Lorne Balfe’s original score masterfully manipulates Harold Faltermeyer’s iconic “Axel F” theme track after track, twisting the bouncy electronic banger into fresh arrangements that are equally as catchy."[14] Chris Bumbray of JoBlo.com wrote "Lorne Balfe’s soundtrack is done in the vein of Harold Faltermeyer, making liberal use of his old themes and plenty of needle drops from the first two movies".[15]

A review from Filmtracks.com however criticized Balfe's work as it lost the spirit of Faltermeyer's scores through the former's "comparatively soulless emulation and modernization".[16]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: December 14, 2023 . Lorne Balfe Scoring Mark Molloy's 'Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F' . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20231214170348/https://filmmusicreporter.com/2023/12/14/lorne-balfe-scoring-mark-molloys-beverly-hills-cop-axel-f/ . December 14, 2023 . December 14, 2023 . Film Music Reporter.
  2. Web site: Rogerson . Ben . July 4, 2024 . “It’s like having your own James Bond theme. They’ll play that at my funeral one day”: Eddie Murphy on Axel F, which has been re-recorded using the original synths for Netflix’s new Beverly Hills Cop movie . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20240709105838/https://www.inkl.com/news/it-s-like-having-your-own-james-bond-theme-they-ll-play-that-at-my-funeral-one-day-eddie-murphy-on-axel-f-which-has-been-re-recorded-using-the-original-synths-for-netflix-s-new-beverly-hills-cop-movie . July 9, 2024 . July 9, 2024 . inkl . en.
  3. Web site: Taylor . Drew . July 3, 2024 . How ‘Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F’ Composer Lorne Balfe Turned the Heat On With a Throwback Score Exclusive Video . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20240705062820/https://www.thewrap.com/beverly-hills-cop-axel-f-music-score-lorne-balfe-composer-interview/ . July 5, 2024 . July 9, 2024 . TheWrap . en-US.
  4. Web site: Taylor . Drew . July 3, 2024 . How ‘Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F’ Composer Lorne Balfe Turned the Heat On With a Throwback Score Exclusive Video . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20240705062820/https://www.thewrap.com/beverly-hills-cop-axel-f-music-score-lorne-balfe-composer-interview/ . July 5, 2024 . July 9, 2024 . TheWrap . en-US.
  5. News: Jurgensen . John . July 5, 2024 . The Legacy of the Unforgettable 'Beverly Hills Cop' Theme Song . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20240706102047/https://www.wsj.com/arts-culture/film/axel-f-beverly-hills-cop-harold-faltermeyer-d7bd926b . July 6, 2024 . July 9, 2024 . The Wall Street Journal.
  6. Web site: King . George . July 3, 2024 . Suffolk producer remixes theme for Netflix's Beverly Hills Cop . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20240707011547/https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/ckdgx8nnj4no . July 7, 2024 . July 9, 2024 . BBC . en-GB.
  7. Web site: July 3, 2024 . Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F (Soundtrack from the Netflix Film) . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20240709113857/https://music.apple.com/in/album/beverly-hills-cop-axel-f-soundtrack-from-the-netflix-film/1751589248 . July 9, 2024 . July 9, 2024 . . Apple Music.
  8. Web site: June 26, 2024 . First Track from Lorne Balfe's 'Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F' Score Released . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20240627172740/https://filmmusicreporter.com/2024/06/26/first-track-from-lorne-balfes-beverly-hills-cop-axel-f-score-released/ . June 27, 2024 . July 9, 2024 . Film Music Reporter . en-US.
  9. Web site: HERE WE GO! (from the Netflix film Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F) — Single by Lil Nas X . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20240628224959/https://music.apple.com/us/album/here-we-go-from-the-netflix-film-beverly-hills-cop/1753742996 . June 28, 2024 . June 30, 2024 . Apple Music.
  10. Web site: Zanobard . July 5, 2024 . Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F – Soundtrack Review . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20240705184905/https://zanobardreviews.com/2024/07/05/beverly-hills-cop-axel-f-soundtrack-review/ . July 5, 2024 . July 9, 2024 . Zanobard Reviews . en.
  11. Web site: Tallerico . Brian . July 3, 2024 . Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F movie review (2024) . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20240706082454/https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/beverly-hills-cop-axel-f-netflix-movie-review-2024 . July 6, 2024 . July 9, 2024 . RogerEbert.com . en.
  12. News: Collin . Robbie . July 3, 2024 . Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F, review: Eddie Murphy’s comedy is stuck in the 80s – and that’s fine . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20240706034406/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/0/beverly-hills-cop-axel-f-review-eddie-murphy/ . July 6, 2024 . July 9, 2024 . The Telegraph . en-GB . 0307-1235.
  13. Web site: Richard . Nate . July 2, 2024 . 'Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F' Review: The Heat Is on in Eddie Murphy’s Netflix Movie . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20240705083431/https://collider.com/beverly-hills-cop-axel-f-review/ . July 5, 2024 . July 9, 2024 . Collider . en.
  14. Web site: Donato . Matt . July 2, 2024 . Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F Stays in Its Lane, but Eddie Murphy Remains Undeniable . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20240703165621/https://www.pastemagazine.com/movies/eddie-murphy/beverly-hills-cop-axel-f-review . July 3, 2024 . July 9, 2024 . Paste.
  15. Web site: Bumbray . Chris . July 2, 2024 . Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F Review . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20240703022459/https://www.joblo.com/beverly-hills-cop-axel-f-review/ . July 3, 2024 . July 9, 2024 . JoBlo . en-US.
  16. Web site: Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F (Lorne Balfe) . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20240709114605/https://www.filmtracks.com/titles/beverly_hills_cop4.html . July 9, 2024 . July 9, 2024 . Filmtracks.com.

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