Brian Eno Announces Soundtrack to New Documentary

The career-spanning companion to Gary Hustwit’s visionary film out on April 19th

February 19, 2024February 19, 2024 Ron Hart 0 Comments 2024, Brian Eno, Cluster, David Byrne, documentary, Eno, Fred again.., Gary Hustwit, John Cale, Soundtrack, Universal Music Enterprises

Eno: The Official Soundtrack promo poster (Image: UMR)

Brian Eno is never one to walk the straight line, oftentimes he’s sprinting in a zigzag strides beyond the rest of us.

So it shouldn’t be surprising to learn that the upcoming documentary film on his life and career follows the same unexpected trajectory.

Eno, directed by Gary Hustwit (Plexifilm, Helvetica), premiered at Sundance in January to rave acclaim, namely due to the director’s use of Generative AI to pick out and sequence the film in a way that’s individual upon each screening. No two viewings are alike, as it is compiled from hundreds of hours of video footage, music and interviews that explore the artistry of Eno in all of its facets.

“Much of Brian’s career has been about enabling creativity in himself and others, through his role as a producer but also through his collaborations on projects like the Oblique Strategies cards or the music app Bloom,” says Hustwit, who first began working with Eno in 2017 on the score for Hustwit’s film Rams, about the German designer Dieter Rams. I think of Eno as an art film about creativity, with the output of Brian’s 50-year career as its raw material. What I’m trying to do is to create a cinematic experience that’s as innovative as Brian’s approach to music and art.”

Cover art for the Eno soundtrack (Image: UMR)

One instance of permanence from the project, however, is the official soundtrack for Eno, which will be released by Universal on April 19th globally, while the LP/CD release date will be on June 7th.

Indeed, it would take a multi-disc box set to properly anthologize Brian Eno’s contributions to both commercial and creative music these past 50 years. But this 17-track collection makes for fine shorthand, featuring key tracks from such acclaimed 70s solo albums as Taking Tiger Mountain (By Strategy) and Another Green World, collaborations with friends like David Byrne, John Cale, Cluster and Fred again.., right on through to his latest album, 2022’s FOREVERANDEVERNOMORE.

In all, 14 Eno albums are represented on this soundtrack. Yet within it are three previously unreleased recordings, and the first, “Lighthouse #429,” is released today.

This instrumental track is taken from Eno’s Sonos radio station, The Lighthouse, whose programming dives into the seemingly bottomless output of Eno’s archives from across his entire career. “Lighthouse #429” is the first track to have had a public release from the station. Listen below.

“Picasso once said: ‘Inspiration exists, but it has to find you working,’” Eno once said of his creative process. “I don’t wait to be inspired: I start working and (if I’m lucky) I become ‘inspired.’ And if I’m not lucky I keep at it until my luck changes. I’m obstinate and confident that I will get somewhere in the end if I keep at it.”

For more information on the film and its soundtrack, visit the Eno site.