Nobody thinks Nathan Chan has a split personality but he admits, the two parts of his professional music life are drastically different. While he basks in the applause of crowds during performances at iconic venues like the Venetian in Las Vegas as a rock guitarist backing up some of Asia’s biggest artists, Chan is quiet and contemplative in the studio as he composes the music on productions for companies like Toyota and others. Like Oscar Award–Winner Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails, Oscar Award–Nominee Danny Elfman of Oingo Boingo, and others, Nathan has the ability to channel his musical energy into a rock anthem or the type of ear candy that every major company desires for their commercials and content. Call it duality or call it diversity, this skill is key to success in the modern era where commerce and creativity blend in a manner far different from what it was even ten years ago. Instead of licensing songs familiar to the public, companies these days prefer bespoke music which feels contemporary and energetic while avoiding the cumbersome process of obtaining the legal rights to the aforementioned classic hits. Composer/musicians like Nathan Chen supply this to achieve something rare at the intersect of business and art, mutual satisfaction.
Music steers us into an emotional space; there’s nothing secret about this concept. What is unusual is for the emotional direction to change quickly during the experience of listening to a single song. For their “Three Ways to Ride” advertisement, Toyota USA wanted to present their Toyota Prius, Camry, and bZ series in different emotional contexts. To heighten that impact, they tasked Nathan with creating one single musical bed which felt modern and inviting while also magnifying different “feels” for these auto lines. Nathan affirms that the company allowed him a great deal of creative freedom in the music production process. His compositional and orchestration approach communicates how music taps into the psychology of feelings. Chan describes, “In the first ten seconds of the video, the focus is on highlighting the Toyota Prius and the advanced technology inside the vehicle. I used a variety of synthesizer arpeggios to convey the modern feel of the interior and enhanced the Drum and Bass groove to emphasize the character of the male driver shown on screen. When the scene transitions to the female Camry driver, the low frequencies gradually decrease and the melody becomes softer. I used guitar to bring out a relaxed and casual atmosphere. As the video introduces the final car, the guitar and vocals I recorded highlight the youthfulness and energy of the last driver. The vocals were processed with Auto-Tune to create a sound similar to children singing together in a chorus.” Nathan concedes that he was able to create the musical bed for this ad spot within a single afternoon but stipulates that it was not without challenges stating, “You have to be able to think further than just your musical perspective when creating something like this. You have to be able to manifest an emotional context almost instantly. The first instinct isn’t always what’s ideal for the project. On this project for Toyota USA, I initially wanted to build the piece mainly around strings: cello and double bass representing the male driver, and viola and violins representing the female driver. Although it had a refined and elegant texture, it lacked innovation and energy. In the end, I decided to combine dance/electronic elements with guitar to bring more vitality.”
Supplying the musical score for the film Glodok 98’, about the 1998 Indonesian riots, Nathan took a drastically different approach to both orchestration and emotional intent. To increase the authenticity of the story’s setting in Chinatown (Glodok), Chan incorporated a significant amount of traditional Chinese instrumentation like the guzheng (Chinese zither) and blended it with a full orchestral arrangement to complete the score. The film’s dramatic tone spans from the inspirational to the devastating and its score exacerbates these varied moments. Glodok 98’ was an official selection of numerous film festivals across the globe including the San Francisco International Film Awards, Hong Kong Indie Film Festival, Austin International Art Festival, and many others in addition to being a finalist at the Oscar qualifying Flickers’ Rhode Island International Film Festival.
Writer : Basil Thomson
Punit