Kris Lawrence scores trippy, ambient sound for new theme park
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Kris Lawrence was commissioned to create instrumental soundscapes for the newly opened theme park in Batangas.
Kris Lawrence adds another feather to his cap.
This time, the Prince of RnB channels his musical genius to create a backdrop of trippy, ambient soundscapes for J Castles, the recently opened immersive theme park in Tanauan, Batangas co-owned by Daniel Padilla.
Since the amusement park's soft opening last May 1, curious denizens have surely been mesmerized by the futuristic, awe-inspiring and Instagram-worthy visual effects adorning every room.
These themes--ranging from tropical, cosmic, crystal, and even disco--seem even larger-than-life when experienced simultaneously with a thunderous 3D soundtrack, literally creating a multi-sensory overload.
Kris Lawrence with J Castles co-owner and actor Daniel Padilla.
But just how exactly did Kris get involved in the project?
He recounts, “My participation came about when Jay Durias asked me to sing the theme song of J Castles [“Let There Be Lights”], and when I was also asked to sing another song [“Sky Full of Colors”], which was played during the soft opening's fireworks display.”
“After, I've been holding regular songwriting camps there, where I would go and set up my studio, bring a producer and a team of writers with us, and I think it was during our second or third visit when we were asked to do the music for the rest of the rooms.”
Being commissioned for such a project was something new to Kris and his co-producer, Cursebox. Despite their previous songwriting experiences, creating new instrumental soundscapes for the theme park seemed like a novel challenge that was just too good to pass up.
No stranger to the local music scene, Cursebox [Michael Negapatan] has written his share of hits, including “Chambe” by Alex Gonzaga, “Dagundong” by Pinoy pop group Alamat, “Geng Geng” by Boss Toyo, and “Sige Lang” (Andrea Brillantes).
Kris Lawrence with songwriter Michael Negapatan a.k.a. Cursebox.
Kris reminisces, “It was an honor to be part of the first 'Disneyland' of Tanauan, and it was a challenge to haul our equipment from room to room, soaking up the vibe and creating the music on the spot.”
On paper, the task seemed pretty simple: create the ambient music that would set the vibe for the theme goers to appreciate each room. Although most of his compositions for this project are instrumental surrealistic soundscapes, Kris clarifies that they also wrote some songs.
Kris elaborates, “For instance, they have this one crystal room, and it's just a room full of mirrors, crystal and LED, and we had to create this vibe that was like magical, meditative - just a serene vibe. So, I brought my handpan and played live handpan music. Cursebox played flute. It was a whole magical vibe.”
All the hard work paid off during the soft opening when they all walked through the park and heard the music blaring through the speakers.
Kris recalls, “It was a proud 'goosebumps' moment when we heard the music for the very first time, together with all the futuristic visuals, especially seeing that people were enjoying the immersive experience.”
“We're still not done with all the music. There's bound to be revisions and changes here and there, but overall, we're happy with the outcome.”
In hindsight, Kris cites the J Castles project as the perfect case of being at the right place at the right time. He muses, “Me and Cursebox were at the Vineyard (just across J Castles) making music, and we were asked to take a stab at making music for the whole park. It was an opportunity we couldn't turn down.”
After hurdling such an out-of-the-box musical challenge, is Kris ready to take on musical scoring chores for movies, music videos, and others?
“Yes, I would be open to scoring on a more regular basis as long as Cursebox is my partner. We make a good team," he said in conclusion.
