Episode #135: Composer Max Aruj

Sorry for the delay on this episode. I got a promotion at work, live shows are returning, and I have been quite overwhelmed. Rest assured, the podcast is still happening. I just needed to catch up on the things which pay money in order to get around to putting together the next few episodes. So, after much delay, here's our episode on composer Max Aruj.

Up and coming Los Angeles based composer Max Aruj had two exciting projects release on June 25: the crime drama Lansky from Vertical Entertainment, profiling legendary gangster Meyer Lansky, and the Liam Neeson-starring action-thriller The Ice Road from Netflix.

The composer got his start in the industry working at the widely known film music hub Remote Control Productions in Santa Monica, CA where he's worked closely with composer Lorne Balfe on numerous projects, including Ad Astra, Black Widow, and HBO's His Dark Materials.

Max first collaborated with Lansky writer-director Eytan Rockaway on the psychological thriller The Abandoned. Their established working relationship allowed them to delve even deeper creatively this time around. The film takes place in two time periods: Lansky in his earlier years and him looking back at his life in the '80s. To reflect this, Max utilized some '80s Vangelis colors as the musical palette, mixed with orchestra. He wanted to create both a sense of darkness and sentimentality to capture both sides of such a complicated figure. The composer also leaned into his Jewish roots by including Jewish colors in the music to reflect Lansky's identity.

For The Ice Road, Max collaborated with director Jonathan Hensleigh and his goal was to really play into the classic action tropes and create a next level, bombastic score. Having an archetypal character (led by the iconic Liam Neeson), allowed Max to really dig into the storyline. Once Max had the thematic tapestry nailed down, the rest of the music flowed out.

I spoke by phone with Max Aruj about these two films, their differences, and his career.

Tracklist

Max Aruj, "Dive" (Crawl OST)

Max Aruj, "The Ice Road" (The Ice Road OST)

Max Aruj, "Lansky" (Lansky OST)

Max Aruj, "Bounteous Fields" (Assassin's Creed Valhalla: Wrath of the Druids OST)