First if you read this I assume you have seen one if not all three of The Matrix movies. I will not attempt to discuss all the philosophical metaphors strewn throughout the movies. What I am discussing is three very similar, yet very different scenes in the trilogy, one in each film and the music used in those scenes. I will start at the beginning. Recall the scene in The Matrix where Neo meets Trinity. . .
Next recall the scene in Reloaded where Zion celebrates it’s survival. Lastly, in Revolutions there is a scene where Trinity and Morpheus confront The Meravingian. The most obvious observation is that these are three club scenes. True to form in most clubs people dance and try to get lucky. Now I will assume that the people still reading this are Matrix Fans and either Musicians or Music Fans.
So I will dig a little deeper. The song from the Club Scene in the Matrix is for lack of a better term Electro-Metal. The track from Reloaded would be best described (by me) as Jungle-Techno. Lastly Revolutions features an EBM-Industrial selection. No I am not trying to spoil the movie for those of you who have not scene it.
So a Trilogy set about one thousand years into our future features cutting edge music that is popular today; Hard Rock, Techno and Industrial. Now we could go on and on about if this is all intentional or chance, but we would be missing the point of this post, article or whatever you chose to call what you are reading.
The point I am trying to make is that each of this scenes are there to pump us up, put us on edge, and make our pulses race. Each happens fairly early in the movies, and each involves Trinity’s character and some attraction or connection to Neo. Trinity and The One; three different styles of music, played in clubs, to make us dance, and believe we have a chance to get a little action.
The first level of understanding where I am coming from involves actually seeing the movies if not the scenes. Some of you already have and only have to think for a minute. Many or most of you will probably go no further than this if you have not already stopped reading. For those of us that are left, the next challenge is to hear what I am trying to point out. If you have The Matrix and Reloaded on Video, cue up those scenes and listen to them, side by side. Then attempt to pay attention if and when you see Revolutions. You have three forms of Dance Music that are Edgy in their own right. All of them have a Rock and Roll Vibe to me, but they are Club Tracks with strong visuals of people dancing. So the next level of discovery for me is my belief there are three types of people out there. First the people who could care less about the Matrix and may not like any of the tracks in question. Second, there are people who are cool with the Matrix and would like one, maybe two of the Tracks, but not all three. Third, there are the people who are into the Matrix Trilogy, have or will see all three movies, and like all three tracks. Guess where I fit in?
I am not trying to say anything good, bad or indifferent about who likes Metal, who likes Techno, who likes EBM or who likes them all, and even those who shy away from all of them. The Matrix is all about choice, right. I am just sharing an observation.
Since you are still reading, I will throw this out there. Each club scene alludes to three different types of characters in the Matrix Trilogy; Humans plugged into The Matrix, Humans Liberated from the Matrix, and Programs running in The Matrix. I am not saying the songs also follow this guideline, no the songs make people dance, or choose to sit this one out.
Now I am not trying to say to buy into The Matrix hook, line and sinker. But I am trying to challenge everyone who is left to look deeper into the styles of the aforementioned music you may not like all that much, and find the gems. I am also trying to challenge the artists out there, (including myself) to make music that you can dance to and feel, but also has the ability to transcend genres and appeal to more than the hard core fans of your musical style of choice.
Feel free to drop me a line at sonicdisturbance@hotmail.com and tell me what you think; or to tell me to buzz off. It’s all about choice.