FILM

“In 2013 I was approached by award-winning film director Angus McQueen who was working on a documentary about the Mexican drug lord El Chapo Guzman, head of the infamous Sinaloa Cartel.

Guzman had recently become the most wanted man in the world and Angus had travelled to Mexico to personally track him down. Together with his editor Paul Carlin, they hired me to write and record songs in both English and Spanish, which would serve as the soundtrack to the film. They wanted the majority to be in the style of narco corrindos-narrative songs – traditionally sung by gangsters and cartel leaders to boast of their achievements and escapades.

I spent several weeks reading up about Mexico’s drug war and listening to lots of corridos before heading into the studio. I ended up composing around twenty original narco corrindos (some for specific characters), a coheneque lyrical ballad and a Rock‘n’Roll road tune about Chicago (the end of the line on the drug smuggling route).

By the end of the project, my producer and I had clocked up around 400 hours in the studio. As well as the songs, I wrote an instrumental score that was edited down to fit the film. We brought in Latin American soloists, to give the music its authentic flavour, including a Bolivian accordionist who did not wish for his name to be mentioned alongside that of El Chapo.

I often get asked to work on commission for adverts and short films. To be asked to collaborate on a feature film is an honour in itself but to be so heavily involved in the musical process was crazy – and a lot of fun!”