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E.S. Posthumus

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E.S. Posthumus

E.S. Posthumus is an independent music group that produces cinematic style music. It is a form of classical that intertwines popular style drum rhythms with orchestral and electronic sounds. Their music is inspired by the Pythagorean philosophy which states that "music is the harmonization of opposites; the conciliation of warring elements". The E.S. is an acronym for "Experimental Sounds" while Posthumus is a Dog Latin word that is meant to represent "all things past".[1]

The group was formed in 2000 by brothers Helmut and Franz Vonlichten. Helmut and Franz studied piano with their mother. After graduating from high school, Franz worked in recording studios while Helmut attended and graduated from UCLA, with a degree in archaeology. Their music has been licensed by many movie and television production studios, being included in numerous movie trailers and television shows. E.S. Posthumus have so far released three albums.

Albums

Unearthed

Untitled

Unearthed, the first album composed by E.S. Posthumus, was originally made available for purchase online through the CD Baby website in January 2001. It became the third-biggest selling album in CDBaby's history. The success of the album prompted the wide re-release to retail in May 2005 through Wigshop and 33rd Street Records/Bayside Distribution.

A key piece to the distinctive sound of the music comes from working with the Northwest Sinfonia. In an interview with SoundtrackNet, the band said "we wanted the chance to blow an ungodly sum of cash working with a big orchestra".[2] Other musicians performing on this CD include Pedro Eustache, Michael Landau, Matt Laug, Lance Morrison, Davy Spillane and Efrain Toro.

Track listing

In keeping with the theme of "all things past", each of the thirteen tracks on the album is named after an ancient and abandoned or destroyed city. However, Cuzco, Nara, Isfahan, and Estremoz still survive to this day.

  1. "Antissa" - 5:12
  2. "Tikal" - 3:47
  3. "Harappa" - 4:36
  4. "Ulaid" - 5:10
  5. "Ebla" - 6:09
  6. "Nara" - 4:51
  7. "Cuzco" - 4:02
  8. "Nineveh" - 3:42
  9. "Lepcis Magna" - 3:28
  10. "Menouthis" - 3:56
  11. "Estremoz" - 5:06
  12. "Pompeii" - 3:40
  13. "Isfahan" - 4:35

Media usage

Many tracks from Unearthed have been featured in various movie trailers and television shows. It has been used in the trailers for movies such as Unfaithful and Vanity Fair thanks to its escalating structure, which makes it well-suited for the dramatic montages building towards the credits in the aforementioned trailers. It has also been used in the BBC TV series Top Gear.

An excerpt from the track "Nara" is used as the main theme for the CBS television show Cold Case. A vocal rise performed by a female solo singer (Elise Morris) leads into the opening title, where one of the verses of "Nara" is then played for the remainder of the sequence, concluding with a short melody from a woodwind instrument. At the time Executive Producer Jerry Bruckheimer chose the song to be used in the show, he had never actually met the Vonlichten brothers in person. Additionally, Michael A. Levine, a musical composer for television shows and advertisements, created a reworked version of "Nara" that is played during the show's closing credits as provided by the studio (though not as shown on CBS). The track was also featured in the animation for the presentation of the design for the Beijing WaterCube by the firm architectural LAVA.

The track "Elba" was also used as the main menu music for the 2008 racing video game Ferrari Challenge: Trofeo Pirelli.[3]

The song "Pompeii" was featured in the trailer for Sam Raimi's 2002 film Spider-Man.

Cartographer

Untitled

Cartographer, the second album from E.S. Posthumus, was proposed to make its release sometime in 2006, though was later released in early 2007. The delay from the original release date can so far only be attributed to the brothers Vonlichten's ill concern with deadlines, although it is rumored the delay in release was due to the addition of Sans to the group of musicians, an addition much heralded by Helmut Vonlichten[2]

Upon the album's release on the CDBaby website, it came accompanied with the following album description:

"In 1929, the ancient map "Piri Reis" was discovered in Constantinople. The map is extraordinary because it depicts bays and islands on the Antarctic coast which have been concealed under ice for at least 6,000 years. What civilization was capable of such exploration that long ago?

On "Cartographer", we imagine that these explorers were from the tiny island of Numa in the Southern Indian Ocean. As advanced seafarers, they navigated every corner of the Earth. We have created a language unique to them and tell stories through song that describe their creation, discoveries and ultimate demise.

This is a 2 CD collection with Vocal and Remix versions of every song. The Remix CD also contains 2 bonus tracks."

The vocal tracks are sung by Luna Sans, while the remix versions replace her vocals with instrumental solos and choir melodies, much in the style of Posthumus's first album, "Unearthed".

As of 17 January 2008, a new section was added to the official website of E.S. Posthumus with the focus being on the new album.

Track listing

Disc 1 - Luna Sans (Vocal)

  1. "Nolitus" - 4:30
  2. "Isunova" - 5:29
  3. "Vorrina" - 6:12
  4. "Selisona" - 5:05
  5. "Marunae" - 4:53
  6. "Mosane" - 4:14
  7. "Decifin" - 4:37
  8. "Sollente" - 5:11
  9. "Caarano" - 3:35
  10. "Raptamei" - 5:20
  11. "Oraanu" - 3:57
  12. "Nivaos" - 5:12
  13. "Nasivern" - 5:35

Disc 2 - Piri Reis Remixes (Remix)

  1. "Ashielf Pi" - 1:32
  2. "Oraanu Pi" - 3:38
  3. "Marunae Pi" - 4:52
  4. "Mosane Pi" - 4:16
  5. "Isunova Pi" - 5:41
  6. "Nasivern Pi" - 5:29
  7. "Selisona Pi" - 4:31
  8. "Raptamei Pi" - 5:54
  9. "Caarano Pi" - 3:35
  10. "Nivaos Pi" - 5:13
  11. "Sollente Pi" - 5:12
  12. "Decifin Pi" - 4:36
  13. "Vorrina Pi" - 6:14
  14. "Nolitus Pi" - 4:26
  15. "Odenall Pi" - 5:06

Makara

Untitled

According to CD Baby, with the release of E.S. Posthumus' new single Arise (Theme to the AFC Championship on CBS), the description of the song hinted that the new album would be called "Deciphered." But in an interview with the group posted on Original Sound Version in December 2009, the new album will no longer be called "Deciphered."[4] The new album, renamed Makara, consists of 15 tracks and was released on February 2, 2010 for download on iTunes, Amazon MP3, and several other popular download services. The album is available on both CD and for digital download at CD Baby. The album was made available on eMusic on January 26, 2010.[5]. There may also be a vinyl release of the album in the future.[6]

Track listing

  1. "Kalki" - 3:05
  2. "Varuna" - 4:17
  3. "Unstoppable" - 3:04
  4. "Durga" - 3:41
  5. "Manju" - 4:18
  6. "Kuvera" - 4:05
  7. "Ushas" - 3:55
  8. "Lavanya" - 3:57
  9. "Vishnu" - 3:38
  10. "Indra" - 4:18
  11. "Arise" - 4:12
  12. "Saint Matthew Passion" - 3:38
  13. "Krosah" - 4:50
  14. "Anumati" - 3:19
  15. "Moonlight Sonata" - 5:30

Media usage

"Unstoppable" was used for the theme to the 2007 AFC Championship on CBS, and was later used on trailers for the 2009 film Sherlock Holmes. It was also used as the entrance music for the Miami University men's ice hockey team throughout the 2009-2010 season.

"Arise" was written as the theme to the 2008 AFC Championship on CBS.

Singles

Rise to Glory

File:ES Glory-Cover.jpg
Rise to Glory Single Cover

Rise to Glory is a single released in September 2005 featuring the vocals of rappers DJ Quik and Bizarre (from D12). The song Rise to Glory is recognized as a sung remix and an extended version of Posthumus Zone. It is most commonly recognized as the theme song to the NFL on CBS since the 2005-2006 season.

Run This Town/Posthumus Zone

E.S. Posthumus collaborated with hip hop artist Jay-Z to create a remix of Run This Town and Posthumus Zone for the CBS broadcast of the 44th Super Bowl.

References

  1. ^ eMediaWire - E.S. Posthumus Unearthed press release 5 May 2005. Dog Latin terminology: in reality the words posterus and post(h)umus refer to things that follow after, not to things past or things that came before; cf. post(h)umus and posterus.
  2. ^ a b SoundtrackNet - "Unearthing Pythagoras" Franz Vonlichten interview 26 May 2005
  3. ^ Ferrari Challenge Trofeo Pirelli (2008, Game, PS3) – 8/10 review
  4. ^ Original Sound Version - The Definition of “Ruling”: E.S. Posthumus Interview
  5. ^ eMusic new releases Europe January 25
  6. ^ Original Sound Version - The Definition of “Ruling”: E.S. Posthumus Interview
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