OLIVER PATRCE WEDER

Though he hails from a small town in Switzerland, the trajectory of composer Oliver Patrice Weder’s career has been shaped by extensive travels across Africa, Europe, and North and South America. He has concentrated these experiences into a penchant for vibrant, soul-tingling music, and has seized opportunities in the world of music technology, establishing himself as a lead composer at the ever-expanding Spitfire Audio.

His debut record OPW features an array of instrumental textures. It’s been released by SA Recordings, Spitfire’s innovative label, and comes accompanied with a sample pack that allows listeners to incorporate his characterful sounds into their own tracks. Weder is also an accomplished soundtrack composer for film and television, having scored feature films The Haunted and Low Notes, as well as short films and documentaries. He tells us about balancing these disciplines and how he maintains his multi-pronged career in the industry.

MusicTech Let’s start at the beginning. How did your passion for music-making begin?

I’m from Switzerland. And in Switzerland, when you go to primary school, you have to choose an instrument. Everyone suggested the recorder, which was very much the default, but for some reason I went with the piano. I mean, it just sounds way nicer, for one thing. But the real moment for me came a bit later, when I watched the film Forrest Gump, when I was about 12 years old. There was a track by The Doors used during the Vietnam segment, Break On Through (To The Other Side). I loved it. I asked