Donnie Darko + live soundtrack BL!NDMAN

The renowned Belgian saxophone quartet BL!NDMAN performs its live soundtrack to one of the most important cult films of the 2000s: Donnie Darko.

Richard Kelly, | USA, 2001 | 116 min | English spoken | Starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Jena Malona, Drew Barrymore

Donnie Darko is best described as a surreal odyssey filled with bizarre visions, complex time travel, and a standout performance by a young Jake Gyllenhaal. In an unforgettable portrayal, he plays a troubled teenager who uses antidepressants to keep his hallucinations and paranoid thoughts under control. This becomes increasingly difficult when he is haunted by a sinister man in a rabbit costume who offers cryptic hints about the future. Spoiler alert: that future is far from reassuring.

The film became a cult classic almost entirely through word of mouth. Director Richard Kelly’s debut made little impact during its original theatrical run. Released just two months after 9/11 and marketed with a promo centring on a plane crash, the film seemed doomed from the outset. Despite this difficult start, Donnie Darko became a genuine underground hit on DVD and gradually earned a reputation as essential viewing for film lovers. And rightly so: the film seamlessly combines mystery and darkness with pitch black humour and a remarkable visual inventiveness.

BL!NDMAN is a saxophone quartet founded by saxophonist and composer Eric Sleichim. Named after Marcel Duchamp’s magazine The Blind Man, the ensemble guides audiences through challenging and unconventional sonic landscapes.

With open ears and a rebellious mastery of his craft, Sleichim explores the limits of what a saxophone can sound like. Unconventional techniques – such as breath and mouth sounds, key-click effects, and other extended playing methods – combined with the instrument’s tonal qualities and the use of electronics, form part of BL!NDMAN’s artistic DNA. In his search for new possibilities for the saxophone, Sleichim also draws inspiration from early music and frequently creates his own arrangements for saxophone quartet and electronics.
BL!NDMAN thrives on adventure through collaborations across artistic disciplines. From its earliest days, the quartet received commissions from the worlds of theatre and dance, and its multidisciplinary approach has earned international recognition. An important part of its work is the performance of live music for (silent) films.

Speaking about their soundtrack for Donnie Darko, Sleichim says: ’With BL!NDMAN, I want to emphasize the film’s different narrative threads without falling into the clichés of a traditional horror-movie accompaniment. The iconic eighties songs (Duran Duran, Echo & the Bunnymen, Joy Division, etc.) will of course remain intact. A whole arsenal of instruments – saxophones, percussion, turntables, electronics, and more – will give the film’s sound a physical presence. The musicians on stage belong to another parallel world, a tribe existing elsewhere in time and space.’

Donnie Darko + live soundtrack BL!NDMAN

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