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Kyle Dixon & Michael Stein

From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Artist

Kyle Dixon & Michael Stein · Kyle Dixon and Michael Stein are two American composers and electronic musicians. They began working together in the electronic music scene of Austin, Texas. In 2009, with Adam Jones and Mark Donica, they founded the synthesizer band Survive. That band is known for analogue synthesizers, playing live with hardware and electronic compositions influenced by the music of horror and science fiction films. For film, television and other media Dixon and Stein work under the name Short Hour.

Music and breakthrough

Their breakthrough came with the score for the Netflix series Stranger Things. The series' creators, the Duffer Brothers, discovered Survive's music and used a track by the band in an early promotional film for the series. Only Dixon and Stein then took on the score, because the production could not accommodate the whole band. The music was released on several soundtrack albums, starting in 2016. The main title theme won a Primetime Emmy Award in 2017, and the first two volumes received a Grammy nomination.

Influence

They have also written music outside Stranger Things, including for the virtual reality series Spheres and the film Native Son. Their work shows how the sound of analogue synthesizers from 1980s film music can work again as contemporary television music.

Listening

Listening tip. Listen to Stranger Things and notice the pulsing synthesizer pattern with which the theme begins. Try to hear how the electronic sounds, built up layer by layer, create tension.

Discography

Studio albums

In School of Rock

The chapters, maps and magazine stories of School of Rock are currently available in Dutch only.

See also

Categories: ArtistsSynthwave-revivalPrestige TV and streaming