How To Have Sex, directed by Molly Manning Walker, is one of the most hotly-anticipated British releases this year.
Winning the 'Un Certain Regard' prize at this year's Cannes Film Festival and earning multiple BIFA nominations, the Film4/MUBI film has drawn widespread acclaim for it's searing interrogation of the concept of consent, it's rich performances — and the pounding soundtrack that evokes the sounds of the Crete clubland in which the film takes place.
We sat down with composer James Jacob (aka Jakwob) to discuss his score and the journey that led him to working on his debut feature film.
Tell us who you are, what you do & where you’re based?
My name is James but some people know me as Jakwob. I’m a music producer, composer and psychotherapist based in East London.
How did you first get into making music?
I started a metal band when I was about 14 and have been writing and recording music ever since.
How did you make the transition to scoring your first feature?
It’s been quite natural. I scored a few short films and adverts but always wanted to work on bigger projects. When Molly asked me to be involved, I didn’t hesitate.
What were the differences for you between working on records and film?
There’s something incredibly satisfying when working to picture. It feels more expressive and accessible – while obviously drawing from your own understanding of the emotions being portrayed, ultimately you’re thinking about the viewer. You know whether the score is working as you get a much more immediate reaction. When you’re making a record, the process is more internal and personal.
Music plays such an integral part of How To Have Sex — how did you approach that?
With lots of planning, mood boards and playlists. In addition to suggesting music to be licensed, I split the music creation into two categories: ‘bangers’ and ‘score’. The bangers are, of course, the almost ever-present dance tracks you hear either pounding in the background or overwhelming the club scenes in the film. The moments of more traditional score were responses to euphoric elements in dance music – a few cues were very clear to me and I recorded them quickly, while others took a while to develop and required gently crafting into place.
What did you and Molly want to achieve most from the sound of this film?
From very early on we talked about wanting the sound to be vivid and experiential. To evoke the feelings of raving all night – ears ringing, conversations from the night before rattling around in your head, exhaustion, anxiety and confusion. We wanted viewers to leave the cinema feeling what Tara had been through.
How did your experience of being a clubland DJ inform this project?
There’s a darker side to DJing that most people would never understand. Walking into a club to DJ at 5am, sober, is a unique experience. You see things you wouldn’t otherwise notice, things that don’t happen anywhere else. Commercial dance music is typically bombastic and fun, but raves can be disorienting and stressful places too. Having lived in this world, I felt well equipped to marry these juxtaposing experiences in the score.
What are some of your favourite film scores?
Under The Skin (Mica Levi), Uncut Gems (Daniel Lopatin), The Social Network (Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross).
If you could re-score a film in your style, which would it be?
Who are some of your favourite contemporary artists?
Björk, Knocked Loose, Stef Mendesidis.
How To Have Sex is playing in UK cinemas now.