Twenty years ago, a film about street racing took the world by storm. From its wild cast, to a plot that was made for summer flicks. From the crazy stunts, to special effects that took a look inside a car revving up, then taking off like a rocket. But there was another key component, its soundtrack. What made this film special, is that it was composed by BT, a then growing producer and artist who had been creating unique tunes with collaborations from Tiesto, to Ferry and more. Bringing that energy into something fresh was a different task.
Each track is its own character, part of the narrative connected to key scenes, or emotions. Driven by a character’s drive, or a moment of calm. Unlike most soundtracks that just kick in, FandTF is more compelled by the energy, including races that kick up the tunes a notch, and everything goes nuts. Most of the tunes would be something one would hear at a club, or event. But in this film, every song has its own style, sound, composure, no two tracks were alike.
From orchestral tones, to the sensation of a car starting up, and then it gets moving. Plus it gives the cars personality, they are alive, a central part of the story, connected to their driver. The flow between both driver and vehicle, once on the road, they are connected. To the family, their story, and Brian’s the conflict of keeping his identity secret, till it all falls apart. Including the rivalry between Brian and Dom. To the wild world that these characters live within.
MTV chat with BT on music 2001 An archived article also covering BT’s journey with this film. From taking on collabs with NSYNC, and Britney Spears, plus Driven, and Tomb Raider. Plus how much it took to put this soundtrack together, giving it that diverse sound style.
Even though this film has a stellar soundtrack, it was sadly never released with all of BT’s works for the film.
But it definitely proved that a film could be so much more. Twenty years on, FandTF is still going strong.
Fast and the Furious Original Motion Picture Score collected tracks from Fast and Furious FM youtube channel