fanfare magazine reviews l.a. ex

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"Beautifully recorded with a high level of immediacy, Craig Safan’s third and newest recording is certainly one to get the blood pumping. The high energy of High on Hope Street sets the bar high as this celebration of life in the City of Angels launches. There’s also a sense of play in the vocals, plus real grit to the violin solos.

There is a real impression of going into some sort of time vortex when listening to this disc; one is never sure which memory of which era will come into focus next. Safan’s imagination is vast, and he is a master painter in the way he creates an individual world for each track. Fantastically inventive; brilliantly realized." Colin Clarke

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"summer dreams" from l.a. ex

 

l.a. ex

Now Available

This one is my love letter to Los Angeles.

I’ve always boomeranged back to LA.  It has a deep hold on me.  My father was born here as was I.  I’ve lived in Boston, New York, London; but LA is home.  “LA-Ex” is my musical impression of growing up in Los Angeles, parts of which no longer exist.  Musical memories and a resonance with the past guided my composition.

1. "High on Hope Street" - Fun, chaotic, intense, and pure L.A. I've always loved Downtown and especially the promise and desire of "Hope Street".

2. "P.O.P.-Davey Jones' Locker" - Back in the early 60's there was an amusement park on the pier called Pacific Ocean Park. It was a non-sleazy Disneyland on the sea. But Davey Jones' Locker was different. Scary and mysterious, like descending into a dark storm.

3. "Hitching a Ride" - When I was in Jr. High I would hitch to the beach all summer. This is my idea of a pimply-faced kid trying to get a ride to the Pacific Coast Hwy and getting picked up by a monster in a hot rod.

THE LAST STARFIGHTER - CORDOBA, SPAIN

NEW FOOTAGE FROM THE INTERNATIONAL FILM MUSIC FESTIVAL, CORDOBA, SPAIN

Sirens: Music Inspired by Homer’s Odyssey
Now Available

With a style consisting of often improvising as a form of composition that allowed him to quickly express himself, trust me when I say that his was the most perfect choice of composer for this highly expressive work of musical art.

Listening to each and every track - twice now, I'll have you know - the complete, new opus of work transports the listener into the world of Odysseus and the Sirens seamlessly; track to track.

Anne Carlini - Annecarlini.com
Calm and stormy seas, birds and bird-like sirens, beautiful nymphs and frightening creatures, gods and demi-gods all seemed to come alive in my imagination. At the same time I felt a kind of continuous motion and the rhythm of a perpetual journey. The latter is conveyed by the frequent use of pulsating ostinatos, appropriate tempi and strong accents. However, Safan uses different musical techniques to express feelings. The blending of classical instruments with new electronic techniques combined in melodious, catchy themes, resulting in an unusual orchestration. One can feel both the old and the new — an alloy of the familiar with innovative ideas — on every track.
Anett Fodor - Music and Vision Daily

Craig Safan recreates a world, or more worlds, even, that me as a listener become part of and I just love taking this journey with him. The way he mixes sounds and different instruments, some electronic, other orchestral, simply works.

The complexity of this work, the multiple layers of music and emotion, the dreamy state, the questions, everything works and lights up my imagination; I want sequels, I want to hear and explore more from this world. If you want to hear something different and discover an artist’s own vision about a legendary story, do not miss this album.

Milhnea Manduteanu - Soundtrackdreams.com
Sirens is a wondrous experience that serves as another example of Safan’s compositional abilities. Instead of strictly adhering to the chronological progression of Odysseus’ arc in The Odyssey, or of creating set pieces that correspond to major story milestones in the poem, the composer uses his music for Sirens to represent the timeless emotions that he and others have felt while reading the dramatic journey.
Chris Hadley - Film Score Monthly
Phantom of the Opera
A New Score for the Classic Silent Film
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