Listen to the first two tracks from the PLEASURE Soundtrack
We’re thrilled to share two new tracks from Ninja Thyberg’s highly anticipated film Pleasure – out today ahead of next week’s soundtrack release. “Hard to the Core” features Swedish-American musician and rapper Mapei and the opera stylings of Swedish soprano Caroline Gentele. Featured in the official Pleasure trailer, the second single “Confutatis” was one of the earliest musical sketches Karl made for the score, layering the operatic vocal parts performed by Caroline over a hypnotic trap beat. “Confutatis” served as the initial basis for “Hard to the Core” which was co-written and recorded by Mapei and Karl Frid along with producer Ludvig Klint. An intoxicating mix of trap, opera and hip-hop, both tracks are set to the hypnotic beat of Sofia Kappel’s vocal samples captured on set and behind the scenes.
Of the score, Karl says, “When I first saw a raw cut of Pleasure, I knew I had to do the score. The female gaze on the working conditions from within this huge industry that no one wishes to speak about, let alone even acknowledge the existence of, was as liberatingly upfront and honest as provoking. I aimed to arrive at a musical universe that was not judgmental or too revealing, a process made in close collaboration with director Ninja Thyberg. The mix of sacred opera, vocalized by Caroline Gentele, and the raw and heavy hip hop beats featuring Mapei, created an interesting juxtaposition – that of the main character’s perception of herself in contrast to how men and society see her. The making of the film and the score has been a long journey and I’m very excited to finally share this music with the rest of the world.”
Listen to “Hard to the Core” & “Confutatis” below ahead of next week’s soundtrack release and catch Pleasure in theaters via NEON next Friday, May 13.