Randall Kaplan is a long established LA-based filmmaker and visual artist, originally from New York City. For years he has composed and recorded music in support of his film projects. However, the multidisciplinary artist had yet to make music for its own sake, until now. While composing music for an animated horror film he began to get ideas for other musical pieces. “Born” is the first product of his new endeavor.
“Born” is the debut single from Randall Kaplan, released to Bandcamp on March 26, 2021. The experimental electronic piece is a cinematic journey. Over the course of 8:50 the song moves through the imagined auditory and emotional phases of the dawn of life. From the soothing pulse of a maternal heartbeat, through trauma we are thrown into chaos until ultimately finding a peaceful acceptance of our new reality. The song serves not only as a metaphor for birth but also for the cycle of life itself.
Ambient synths slowly build in intensity through the first 1/3 of the song. By the 3:00 mark the violent birthing process has begun, represented by the harsh chaos of industrial machine music. With the simple and haunting question, “where did it go?” we realize that reality has changed forever. Through the final act we slowly find peace in this new world.
‘Born’ is something that has been gestating for a long time. I look at it as a journey from the womb to birth and chaos to regret and eventually back again. It is a cycle in time.
Randall Kaplan
Listen out “Born” below. And go to Bandcamp to download your own copy. We had the opportunity to chat with Randall about his new project and his plans for the future. Check out his answers to our 7 questions. And follow the links at the end of this article to connect with Randall Kaplan. Get on his socials and get in the loop on all of the current and future projects from this multi-talented artist.
7 Questions with Randall Kaplan
Where are you from?
Brooklyn, New York.
How long have you been making music?
For about fifteen years on and off. I started composing scores for my short films with whatever was around, at the beginning I only had my voice and manipulated it to sound kind of like instruments.
Who are the musicians involved in your project?
Just me.
Who are your biggest musical influences?
Coil, Nine Inch Nails, Leonard Cohen and Brian Wilson.
What is your greatest non-musical influence?
That’s probably a toss up between Clive Barker and David Lynch.
What inspired you to create this project?
I had a feeling and some sounds in my head relating to being in the womb. Something beginning soft and tranquil and innocent and slowly building tension and getting darker and corrupted as it progressed.
It soon became a concept that was pretty clear to me, but the more I worked on it the more I discovered. It’s very personal to me but I hope listeners can tell their own story along with the sounds.
What are your plans for the future (musically)?
Born is the first piece of a larger concept album I’m putting together. Aside from that, at the moment I’m still working on a film I’ve been making for a long time and piecing its score together.
I hope to find like minded people and connect emotionally through the music. Even though I’m currently primarily a visual artist and animator, I just can’t help but make music. I opened that box and it doesn’t seem to be closing any time soon.