Burn: Cycle

Originally released in 1994 Burn:Cycle was the first ever video game to have an orchestral soundtrack. Philips were the first company to employ a film music composer to score a game soundtrack : Simon Boswell.

Burn Cycle is a Philips CDi adventure video game from 1994 that incorporates full motion video. The game's star, Sol Cutter, is a computer hacker and small-time data thief whose latest steal at the beginning of the game comes with a nasty sting. The Burn Cycle virus has been implanted in his head and has given him a two-hour realtime deadline to find a cure before his brain deteriorates completely. The player must guide Sol out of Softech and into the Televerse in order to find his cure. Various obstacles and games stand in his way, and there is the overarching realisation that Burn Cycle has been planted by someone with malicious intent. Finding this within the time limit completes the game.

Time Out Magazine -
'If you’re a movie fan you’ll certainly know his music: Simon Boswell is one of the UK’s finest living soundtrack composers.'

Simon's work has graced films by some of independent cinema’s incredible mavericks such as Alejandro Jodorowsky (Santa Sangre), Dario Argento (Phenomena), Michael Hoffman (A Midsummer Night's Dream), Danny Boyle (Shallow Grave) and Richard Stanley (Hardware, Dust Devil).

After spending several young years in bands (Advertising, Live Wire) Simon became a highly successful record producer and remixer. In 1982, his production of Italian superstar, Renato Zero, became one of the biggest selling Italian albums of all time, selling a staggering 6 million copies. Later on his work with 23 Skidoo on 'Coup' evolved into the Chemical Brothers 'Block Rockin Beats'. He has also produced, amongst many others including Elton John, Dolly Parton, Marriane Faithful and Orbital.

As a composer he is well known for combining electronic elements with orchestral instruments and his music has ranged vastly in style and tone since the mid 1980s. His work for horror and fantasy cinema is key, especially the Italian giallo films, and flicks like Clive Barker’s detective horror Lord Of Illusions. Then there's the hybrid cyberpunk riffings of Hackers and Hardware, where he unusually combined acoustic, slide guitar with resonant, doomy synths to create a hugely popular, apocalyptic score for which he was nominated for BAFTA's prestigious Anthony Asquith Award.

But that only tells one side of the story. Simon has also composed countless orchestral scores both melodic and experimental: A Midsummer Nights Dream, Photographing Fairies, War Zone, Tin Man, Jason And The Argonauts.

Along the way he has garnered many international awards and nominations including 2 BAFTAS and 1 Classical Brit Award.

In the last 12 months he has scored three films and toured extensively worldwide with his band, 'the AND', performing his music live with an immersive, video backdrop.

Chris Whitten made a name for himself providing drums for the classic 80’s hits ‘What I Am’ by Edie Brickell and the New Bohemians and ‘The Whole Of The Moon’ by the Waterboys. He went on to appear on Paul McCartney’s critically acclaimed ‘Flowers In The Dirt’ album and the 1989/90 record-breaking world tour. Two years later Chris embarked on the mammoth, 18 month long ‘On Every Street’ world tour with Dire Straits.

Seeking some time away from touring, Chris revealed a talent for composing. He has created soundtracks for award winning TV and film documentaries for the BBC, Channel 4 and the Discovery Channel. This work led him into the fast-moving world of music technology. Working with record producer Peter Henderson (Supertramp, Rush and Paul McCartney) he has now released three expansion packs for leading virtual instrument producers, Toontrack. Their drum sample pack, ‘Custom & Vintage’ has proved to be extremely popular with both users and technology commentators.

Chris has just returned to the UK after ten years living in Australia. While in Australia, he joined an all star Australian band to perform the entire Dire Straits album ‘Brothers In Arms’ for ‘Classic Albums Live’. In 2006 Chris toured North America with World Party, and with them again the following year supporting Steely Dan around Australia.

His extensive studio credits include a trio of albums with Swing Out Sister, a James Bond soundtrack (The Living Daylights) with The Pretenders, sessions with ABC, Holly Johnson, Tom Jones and Johnny Cash, plus more recently, two well-regarded albums by soulful newcomers, The Beauty Room.
credits
released October 20, 2017

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