Hans Zimmer and Benjamin Wallfisch on the score for Blade Runner 2049

Alcon Sleeping Giant (ASG) Records, under exclusive distribution through Epic Records, just released the Blade Runner 2049 Original Motion Picture Soundtrack at all digital retailers. A special D2C pre-order of the physical album is live now. The collector’s item and piece of Blade Runner 2049 history, the 2-disc set is numbered and limited to only 2,049 copies. You can get it HERE while supplies last. All physical copies additionally unlock a digital download.

The soundtrack highlights the entrancing, ethereal, and enigmatic original score composed by Academy Award winner Hans Zimmer [Inception, The Dark Knight, Gladiator, The Lion King] and Golden Globe & Emmy nominee Benjamin Wallfisch [It, Hidden Figures, Annabelle: Creation]. Original and classic compositions round out this sci-fi noir masterpiece. Finally, the album concludes with an original song by Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter Lauren Daigle. Over a backdrop of cyber-infused soul production, it delivers a hypnotic and haunting performance.

Stream the Blade Runner 2049 soundtrack below:

Together, Zimmer and Wallfisch sought to continue the incredible musical legacy of the original 1982 Blade Runner by Vangelis, while imparting a piece of themselves upon the score. In order to do so, they implemented vintage synths such as “the star of the score” a Yamaha CS80 from the late seventies as well as modern technological innovations, yielding a rich sonic palette wholly cognizant of this world and the vision of director Denis Villeneuve. Last week, Villeneuve had stated that the reason for replacing his long-time collaborator Jóhann Jóhannsson [Prisoners, Sicario, Arrival] was that he “needed to go back to something closer to Vangelis“.

About the soundtrack for Blade Runner 2049

“First of all, I realized that Denis is a director who has a vision; he has a voice,” says Zimmer. “Remember, I’ve done a lot of movies with Ridley Scott. So, it was important that this was an autonomous piece of work. Let’s just be honest. Ridley is a hard act to follow—as is Vangelis. While Ben was four-years-old, I had actually experienced all of this,” he laughs. “We watched and literally, as we stopped watching, we decided on the palette. We decided this wasn’t going to be an orchestral thing. The story spoke to us.”

“We all know what Blade Runner feels like and what that experience is to watch this incredible masterpiece,” adds Wallfisch. “The first question we asked ourselves was, ‘How can we reinvent and make it fresh and new, but still be in that world?’ The mission from the beginning was this idea of finding the heart of the film—what is its soul? When you discover the simplest possible theme, it sums up humanity almost. I feel like that’s what we were all striving for towards the beginning of the process.”

In a feature detailing the film’s Oscar potential, Variety highlighted the aural balance that Zimmer and Wallfisch achieve writing, “Zimmer and Wallfisch’s score maintains proper reverence for and distance from Vangelis’ iconic original work.”

Watch a mini-documentary about Vangelis’ score for Blade Runner below via FACTmagazine:

Blade Runner 2049 soundtrack Tracklist

Hans Zimmer’s and Benjamin Wallfisch’s soundtrack for Blade Runner 2049 is out now.

1. 2049
2. Sapper’s Tree
3. Flight to LAPD
4. Summer Wind – Frank Sinatra
5. Rain
6. Wallace
7. Memory
8. Mesa
9. Orphanage
10. Furnace
11. Someone Lived This
12. Joi
13. Pilot
14. Suspicious Minds – Elvis Presley
15. Can’t Help Falling In Love – Elvis Presley
16. One For My Baby (And One More For The Road) – Frank Sinatra
17. Hijack
18. That’s Why We Believe
19. Here Eyes Were Green
20. Sea Wall
21. All The Best Memories Are Hers
22. Tears In The Rain
23. Blade Runner
24. Almost Human – Lauren Daigle

Watch the official tracklisting reveal and an extensive interview with Zimmer and Wallfisch below:

About Balde Runner 2049

Blade Runner 2049 is directed by Denis Villeneuve and stars Ryan Gosling, Harrison Ford, Ana de Armas, Sylvia Hoeks, Robin Wright, Mackenzie Davis, Carla Juri and Lennie James, Dave Bautista and Jared Leto.
Alcon Entertainment acquired the film, television and ancillary franchise rights to Blade Runner in 2011 from the late producer Bud Yorkin and Cynthia Sikes Yorkin to produce prequels and sequels to the iconic science-fiction thriller. Cynthia Sikes Yorkin is producing along with Johnson and Kosove. Bud Yorkin will receive producer credit. Additionally, Frank Giustra and Tim Gamble, CEO’s of Thunderbird Films, serve as executive producers along with Ridley Scott and Bill Carraro.