The Haxan Cloak
Bobby Krlic (born 20 December 1985),[1] known by his stage name The Haxan Cloak, is a British composer, artist, music producer and musician.
The Haxan Cloak | |
|---|---|
The Haxan Cloak performing at the 2014 Pitchfork Music Festival | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Bobby Krlic |
| Born | 20 December 1985 Wakefield, England, United Kingdom |
| Genres | |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, composer, record producer |
| Years active | 2009–present |
| Labels | Aurora Borealis Tri Angle |
| Website | thehaxancloak |
The Haxan Cloak has released two full-length albums (2011's The Haxan Cloak and 2013's Excavation). As a producer, Krlic has worked with artists including Björk, Father John Misty, Khalid,[2] Troye Sivan,[3] Goldfrapp,[4] serpentwithfeet[5] and The Body.[6] He has also composed several soundtracks, credited under his real name, including Ari Aster's 2019 horror film Midsommar,[7] and television series Snowpiercer, Angel of Darkness[8] and Reprisal.[9]
Early life and education
Krlic was born and raised in Wakefield, West Yorkshire, England.[10] He is of Serbian descent.[11] He studied music and visual arts at the University of Brighton.[12]
Music career
The Haxan Cloak releases
Krlic's first release as The Haxan Cloak was the Observatory E.P., landing as a cassette via Aurora Borealis on Halloween 2010.[13] A year later, Krlic recorded his first album, The Haxan Cloak, in his parents' shed using strings, mics and a laptop, playing every instrument himself.[14] The second LP, Excavation, was released in 2013, and has a more electronic feel, using samples and heavy bass, along with distorted field recordings made by Krlic.[14][15][16]
In 2012, The Haxan Cloak released a limited edition, one track, 27-minute live recording, The Men Parted the Sea to Devour the Water, as a part of Southern Records' Latitudes series.[17]
Krlic has also released remixes of songs by other artists under The Haxan Cloak, including Father John Misty[18] Foals[19] and Björk.[20]
Production credits
In 2014, Krlic teamed up with American sludge metal band The Body to produce their 2014 album I Shall Die Here.[21] In the same year he produced Victim by noise rock band HEALTH.[22]
Krlic also collaborated with Björk as a co-producer on her album Vulnicura, released in January 2015.[23][24] Since then, he produced serpentwithfeet's E.P. Blisters,[25] Goldfrapp's 2017 album Silver Eye,[26] Heaven by Khalid from 2019's Free Spirit,[27] and by Troye Sivan's 2018 single Animal.[28] He also produced Father John Misty's cover of Fallin' Rain.[29] and co-produced his 2020 singles To S. / To R.[30]
Scoring work
Krlic was invited by Oscar-winning score composer Atticus Ross to work with him on Michael Mann's film Blackhat released in 2015.[31] In 2016, Krlic continued his work with Ross, co-scoring Triple 9, directed by John Hillcoat, and the soundtrack to Almost Holy, a documentary directed by Steve Hoover.[32]
In 2019, Krlic scored Ari Aster's second feature horror film Midsommar,[2][33] for which Krlic won Best Original Score at the 2020 Ivor Novello Awards.[34]
Within television, Krlic has scored a number of major network shows including TNT's Snowpiercer[35] and Angel of Darkness,[8] Hulu's Reprisal[36] and Netflix's Seven Seconds.[37]
In 2020 he collaborated with Swans on a Halloween Pass of Red Dead Redemption 2 by Rockstar Games.[38][39]
Touring
In 2014, The Haxan Cloak toured the United States visiting Washington, DC, New York City, Chicago and Los Angeles.[40] He performed at the Brooklyn Masonic Temple along with Robert Henke and his music and light show, Lumière,[41] and in Los Angeles with Pharmakon.[42] The New York Times called The Haxan Cloak's set "amorphous, ominous and immersive, a transcendent plunge into darkness and overwhelming pressure". The Haxan Cloak performed a solo show at Manchester International Festival in 2017.[43] Bobby Krlic also joined Björk on her Vulnicura tour in the U.S (including The Governor's Ball in New York) and Europe.
Musical style
Krlic's music is almost entirely instrumental, and is often described as dark, carefully constructed, textured and atmospheric, with heavy bass and elements of drone metal.[44][14] Of his albums, Krlic has said, "The first record was about a person's decline towards death, so this one's about the journey he takes afterwards." The name Haxan Cloak derives from the Swedish "häxan", meaning "the witch".[44]
Excavation was rated a 9 out of 10 by Spin,[15] and an 8.7 out of 10 by Pitchfork,[14] who also named it the 29th-best album of 2013.[14] Rolling Stone named it the 16th-best dance album of 2013.[21]
Midsommar received wide critical praise including a 9/10 from The Line of Best Fit, ranked 2 in Insider's Top 20 Best Movie and TV Soundtracks of The Decade,[45][46] and critic Glenn Kenny of The New York Times stating that “The remarkable music score by Bobby Krlic aka The Haxan Cloak is also a major contributor to the uncanny feeling the movie creates. Top Stuff."[47]
Awards
- 2019: Midsommar – Nominee, Breakthrough Composer of the Year – International Film Music Critics Association[48]
- 2020: Midsommar — Winner, Best Original Soundtrack – Ivor Novello Awards[34]
- 2022: Returnal – Winner, Outstanding Achievement In Original Music Composition - DICE Awards[49]
- 2022: Returnal – Winner, Best Music – BAFTA Games Awards[50]
Personal life
Krlic moved from London to Los Angeles in 2015.[51] As of 2016, he resides in the Silver Lake area.[52]
Discography
Albums
| Year | Title |
|---|---|
| 2011 | The Haxan Cloak
|
| 2013 | Excavation
|
Extended plays
| Year | Title |
|---|---|
| 2009 | The Haxan Cloak
|
| 2011 | Observatory
|
| 2012 | The Men Parted the Sea to Devour the Water
|
Film soundtracks
| Year | Film | Artist | Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Blackhat | Atticus Ross | Programmer |
| 2016 | Triple 9 | Atticus Ross, Leopold Ross, Claudia Sarne | Composer, engineer, mixer, performer, producer, programmer |
| Almost Holy | Atticus Ross, Leopold Ross, Bobby Krlic | Performer, composer | |
| 2019 | Midsommar | Bobby Krlic | Composer[33] |
TV & video game soundtracks
| Year | Project | Artist | Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Seven Seconds | Bobby Krlic | Composer, Producer |
| 2019 | The Alienist: Angel of Darkness | Bobby Krlic | Composer, Producer |
| 2019 | Red Dead Redemption 2 | Bobby Krlic | Composer, Producer |
| 2019 | Reprisal | Bobby Krlic | Composer, Producer |
| 2021 | Snowpiercer | Bobby Krlic | Composer, Producer |
| 2021 | Returnal | Bobby Krlic | Composer |
Songwriting and production credits
| Title | Year | Artist | Album | Songwriter | Producer | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Primary | Secondary | Additional | Vocal | |||||
| "To Carry the Seeds of Death Within In" | 2014 | The Body | I Shall Die Here | |||||
| "Alone All the Way" | ||||||||
| "The Night Knows No Dawn" | ||||||||
| "Hail to Thee, Everlasting Pain" | ||||||||
| "Our Souls Were Clean" | ||||||||
| "Darkness Surrounds Us" | ||||||||
| "Like Chrome" | Wife | What's Between | ||||||
| "Tongue" | ||||||||
| "Heart is a Far Light" | ||||||||
| "Salvage" | ||||||||
| "Dans Ce" | ||||||||
| "A Nature (Shards)" | ||||||||
| "Living Joy" | ||||||||
| "Fruit Tree" | ||||||||
| "Further Not Better" | ||||||||
| "Unites" | Lost Under Heaven | Spiritual Songs for Lovers to Sing | ||||||
| "Family" | 2015 | Björk | Vulnicura | |||||
| "Victim" | Health | Death Magic | ||||||
| "I&I" | 2016 | Lost Under Heaven | Spiritual Songs for Lovers to Sing | |||||
| "Beneath the Concrete" | ||||||||
| "Future Blues" | ||||||||
| "Someday Come" | ||||||||
| "$oro" | ||||||||
| "Here Our Moment Ends" | ||||||||
| "Loyalty" | ||||||||
| "Lost Under Heaven" | ||||||||
| "First Eye to the New Sky" | ||||||||
| "Lament" | ||||||||
| "The Great Longing" | ||||||||
| "Flickering" | Serpentwithfeet | Blisters EP | ||||||
| "Blisters" | ||||||||
| "Four Ethers" | ||||||||
| "Penance" (featuring Andre Goldenhuys) | ||||||||
| "Redemption" | ||||||||
| "Anymore" | 2017 | Goldfrapp | Silver Eye | |||||
| "Tigerman" | ||||||||
| "Become the One" | ||||||||
| "Faux Suede Drifter" | ||||||||
| "Zodiac Black" | ||||||||
| "Moon in Your Mouth" | ||||||||
| "Ocean" | ||||||||
| "Animal" | 2018 | Troye Sivan | Bloom | |||||
| "Fallin' Rain" | Father John Misty | Non-album single | ||||||
| "Heaven" | 2019 | Khalid | Free Spirit | |||||
References
- ^ “New Talent: The Haxan Cloak,” Fact, 29 July 2011.
- ^ a b "How the Haxan Cloak's Bobby Krlic brought unnerving beauty to Midsommar". The FADER.
- ^ "Troye Sivan Shares New Song 'Animal'". PAPER. 9 August 2018.
- ^ "Beggars Music". beggarsmusic.com.
- ^ "serpentwithfeet: blisters". Pitchfork.
- ^ "The Body: I Shall Die Here". Pitchfork.
- ^ "The Quietus | Features | A Quietus Interview | The Haxan Cloak Talks His 'Midsommar' Score". The Quietus.
- ^ a b "Bobby Krlic (The Haxan Cloak) Scoring TNT's 'The Alienist: Angel of Darkness' | Film Music Reporter".
- ^ says, Gary Jr. "Bobby Krlic (The Haxan Cloak) Scoring Hulu's 'Reprisal' | Film Music Reporter".
- ^ Larry Fitzmaurice, “Rising: The Haxan Cloak,” Pitchfork, 21 February 2013.
- ^ Gibb, Rory (30 November 2011). "The Quietus | Features | In Extremis | Hubble, Bubble, Toil & Trouble: The Haxan Cloak Interviewed". The Quietus. Retrieved 20 December 2020.
- ^ Nick Johnstone, “Interview: The Haxan Cloak,” 27 February 2014 at the Wayback Machine The Stool Pigeon, 8 January 2013.
- ^ "'Observatory' E.P., by HAXAN CLOAK". Aurora Borealis Recordings.
- ^ a b c d e "The Haxan Cloak, 'Excavation' (Tri Angle)". Spin. 16 April 2013.
- ^ a b "The Haxan Cloak: Excavation". Pitchfork.
- ^ "'The Haxan Cloak', by HAXAN CLOAK". Aurora Borealis Recordings.
- ^ Shepherd, Sam. . Archived from the original on 27 May 2013.
- ^ Strauss, Matthew (31 August 2017). "Father John Misty Enlists the Haxan Cloak for New Remix: Listen". Pitchfork.
- ^ "Foals single 'What Went Down' remixed by The Haxan Cloak - listen". NME. 6 August 2015. Retrieved 2 September 2021.
- ^ "The Haxan Cloak Remixes Björk's "Mouth Mantra"". Pitchfork. 23 June 2015. Retrieved 2 September 2021.
- ^ a b Minsker, Evan (4 February 2014). "The Body Team With the Haxan Cloak for I Shall Die Here, Share "Hail to Thee, Everlasting Pain"". Pitchfork.
- ^ "HEALTH's 'Death Magic': How a Noise Band, Haxan Cloak & Kanye's Engineer Made 2015's Coolest Heavy Album". Billboard.
- ^ Camp, Zoe (6 January 2015). "Björk Collaborating with the Haxan Cloak on New Album". Pitchfork.
- ^ "Inside Track: Björk's Vulnicura". www.soundonsound.com.
- ^ "serpentwithfeet - blisters - LP". Rough Trade.
- ^ Johnston, Maura (29 March 2017). "Goldfrapp: How Instagram, Nature's Mysteries Influenced 'Tougher' New LP".
- ^ "Heaven" – via www.kkbox.com.
- ^ "Troye Sivan: Bloom". Pitchfork.
- ^ Roberts, Christopher. "Father John Misty Covers Link Wray's "Fallin' Rain" in New "Castle Rock" Trailer". undertheradarmag.com.
- ^ Shaffer, Claire (17 August 2020). "Father John Misty Shares 'To S.'/'To R.' on Sub Pop Singles Club".
- ^ "Interview with Midsommar composer, The Haxan Cloak". The HotCorn. 9 July 2019.
- ^ "Atticus Ross / Leopold Ross / Bobby Krlic: Almost Holy OST". Pitchfork.
- ^ a b Strauss, Matthew (19 June 2019). "The Haxan Cloak Releasing Score for New Film Midsommar". Pitchfork. Retrieved 19 June 2019.
- ^ a b "The Ivors 2020 Winners Announced". The Ivors Academy. 2 September 2020.
- ^ "Snowpiercer Season 2 Netflix Series". Snowpiercer Season 2 Netflix Series.
- ^ "Bobby Krlic: "That pushed me in a direction I had not gone before in scoring"". 23 December 2019.
- ^ "Bobby Krlic Scoring Netflix's 'Seven Seconds' | Film Music Reporter".
- ^ Minsker, Evan (31 October 2020). "The Haxan Cloak and Swans Share New Song for Red Dead Online". Pitchfork.
- ^ "Swans and The Haxan Cloak team up on new 'Red Dead Online' tracks". 1 November 2020.
- ^ Studarus, Laura. "The Haxan Cloak Announces U.S. Tour Dates". undertheradarmag.com.
- ^ Pareles, Jon (12 May 2014). "An Electronic Double Bill to Shiver the Timbers (Published 2014)". The New York Times.
- ^ "Line Up - The Haxan Cloak + Pharmakon (ATP at Netil House)". All Tomorrow's Parties.
- ^ "The Haxan Cloak".
- ^ a b "The Haxan Cloak". Pitchfork.
- ^ Ge, Linda. "20 best movie and TV soundtracks of the decade, according to critics". Insider.
- ^ "Bobby Krlic's Midsommar OST matches the dreadful power of a truly masterful genre film". The Line of Best Fit.
- ^ "A thread written by @Glenn__Kenny". threader.app.
- ^ "IFMCA Award Nominations 2019". 6 February 2020.
- ^ "D.I.C.E. Awards By Video Game Details". www.interactive.org. Retrieved 7 March 2022.
- ^ Purslow, Matt (3 March 2022). "BAFTA Games Awards 2022 Nominations Announced". IGN. Retrieved 7 March 2022.
- ^ "The Haxan Cloak on His Electronic Drone Metal: "I Want to Be the Most Intense Thing on the Bill Wherever I Play"". Thump. Retrieved 9 August 2017.
- ^ "New studio coming along slowly... @ Silverlake, La". Twitter. 23 September 2016. Retrieved 9 August 2017.
External links
- Official website