In Conversation with BMI Composer Ilan Eshkeri

Innovative British composer Ilan Esherki creates emotional narratives through music that defy boundaries. He studied at Leeds University and apprenticed under revered composers like Edward Shearmur and Michael Kamen and music producer Steve McLaughlin. Since starting his career in scoring film, television and visual media in 2000, Eshkeri's eclectic tastes and masterful skills found him working with everyone from Pink Floyd guitarist David Gilmour to fashion photographer David LaChapelle to NASA, and all points in between.

Eshkeri's deft understanding of contemporary classical music, rock n' roll, pop and electronic music has made him a sought-after composer and his music has enriched numerous films including Layer Cake, Stardust, The Young Victoria, The Invisible Woman and the documentary Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story, the latter of which has already earned him a Critic's Choice Documentary Award for Best Score and a nomination for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Music Composition for a Documentary Series or Special (Original Dramatic Score).

Recently, Eshkeri scored the hit Netflix series, House of Guinness, a period-specific series recounting the struggles and secrets of the Guinness family in the wake of their brewer-patriarch's death. Beyond that, Eshkeri's ambitious, multi-discipline concert event, Space Station Earth, which first debuted at the Royal Albert Hall in 2022, is going back on tour.

BMI caught up with Eshkeri to hear his thoughts on his work, creative process and future projects. Here's what he had to say.

You're having a remarkable year with so many of your projects resonating tremendously with audiences. How did you get involved with Netflix's House of Guiness and what was it like working on that project?

I had worked with the show creator Steve Knight and director Tom Shankland on SAS Rogue Heroes, and we'd all enjoyed that collaboration so much we couldn't wait to get started on something new. I was involved at the script stage, which meant I could create really developed work, much of which was played for the actors during the filming of the show. I also created a lot of the in camera music. It was a really fun process. Good people working really hard together in a team.

For the Guinness score, you incorporated use of traditional Irish instrumentation, as it's a period piece, but you filtered it through a more contemporary sound. Can you tell us more about your approach to strike a musical balance ?

It was not so much about balance as extremes! Smashing genres together and seeing what happened. But to keep it authentic I worked with Irish musicians, whether a traditional pub band or punk rock guitars with Tim Wheeler of Ash or vocals from WØLFFE. Only the orchestra which we recorded in London at Angel studios weren't Irish! I also played a lot of violin on it. I haven't played that much in a long time. I'm loving using a lot of extended techniques to make unusual sound worlds, but the violin kept it in the fiddle tradition. I also used a rare instrument form the late 1800s called a stroviol, which gave one of the characters his signature sound. I got to use a lot of my more unusual instruments on this score.

Prior to House of Guinness, another series you were involved in really took off, Paramount+'s MobLand, which found you collaborating again with Matthew Bellamy from the band, Muse. Can you tell us more about how you approached working and your creative process?

Matt and I had in depth conversations with the film makers about our approach and then started sharing ideas whilst working separately in our studios. You would think I would be working more with strings and Matt more with synths but we're both drawn to the thing we do less of. We found some amazing sounds combining industrial electronics and a string quartet of cellos, and also a string orchestra of 30 cellos with electric guitars. It's our second project together and we have a fun and prolific way of working, so looking forward to doing more.

Beyond the screen, you also recently undertook a stage production in Bath with Ralph Fiennes for his directorial debut of Shakespeare's As You Like It. What can you tell us about this experience?

I always love working with Ralph, he sets the bar very high so you absolutely have to be on your A game, but he is also an incredibly generous and inspiring collaborator. We have the best time working together and it was wonderful to MD the play and see the actors grow. Every decision is so in the moment and collaborative. You're in the theatre with 20 actors on stage and the whole tech team, you find something's not working so you stop, problem solve, reset and go again. It's exhilarating. It was also wonderful to see how the actor/musicians brought the songs I wrote to life on stage with their characterful interpretations. I find hearing brilliant musicians doing something I would've never imagined with my music really exciting and inspiring.

You've worked on a wide array of films, television series, video games, stage productions - is there a particular discipline that you consider your comfort zone or your sweet spot? How does your creative approach differ from project to project?

I love moving through different disciplines, I find the changing of situation to be inspiring. If I did the same thing for too long I think my creativity would stagnate. Each medium has its own boundaries to explore and it's in the pushing against the edges that I find the most interesting creative moments. I think we live in a time of emerging mediums from new technology and that is where the most exciting musical invention will take place.

What do you consider the secret to a successful collaboration?

You need trust and faith in the other person and to admire their work before you start. You also need to be open to ideas you may not be comfortable with and ways of working that are outside of your comfort zone.I also think you need to be clear about the business end before you start. I like to agree everything 50/50 no matter what, and that way there's no further discussion needed and you are free to focus on creativity.

As someone who has amassed such a great amount of scoring experience, what advice would you impart to aspirational music creators looking to emulate your path?

When working with visual media, it's all about narrative story telling. Read books about narrative structure about how scripts are written and then when you are given the chance to tell the emotional story of a character alongside a director, you'll know much about how to approach it.

What's next for Ilan Eshkeri?

I'm taking my album Space Station Earth back on tour, can't wait to get back on stage! it's such an inspiring show to perform because of how the audience connect to it. Synth pop with orchestra and choir and three huge screens, showing images filmed by astronauts aboard the international space station gives the audience a profound experience that emulates in some way what the astronaut experience when they travel to the International Space Station. When I speak to people who have seen it, I feel like in my own small way I'm doing my bit to help the planet. The only other thing that makes me feel like that are the works I've done with David Attenborough over the years. I hope I get to do another one with him one day soon.

What role has BMI played in your journey thus far?

BMI has been so much more than a PRO for me. The management team over the years have always listened and found ways to help with issues big or small. I feel very supported and happy to be part of the family.