Benjamin Wynn

Benjamin Wynn
Benjamin Wynn, on a panel at the San Diego Comic Con 2011.
Background information
Also known as Deru
Born 1979
Chicago, Illinois, United States of America
Origin Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Genres Electronic, Hip Hop, Classical, World Music
Occupation(s) Composer, Music Producer, Sound Designer, DJ
Years active 2004–present
Labels Friends of Friends, Mush Records, Merck Records, Neo Ouija
Website www.deru.la

Benjamin Wynn, known also as Deru, is an American composer, sound designer and music producer mostly known for creating the sound design for the TV series Avatar: The Last Airbender.[1] He has collaborated with composers such as Joby Talbot. He is the co-owner of The Track Team, a music and sound production company based in Los Angeles, and also produces electronic music under the name "Deru". He is the grandson of neurosurgeon Joseph Ransohoff.

Background

Wynn studied electronic music at the California Institute of the Arts, where he focused on synthesis, signal processing, acoustics, music theory and composition, and earned a Bachelor's degree in music technology.[2]

Collaboration

In 2007, Wynn (as Deru) collaborated with British composer Joby Talbot on the score to Wayne McGregor's ballet, "Genus", based on Charles Darwin's book, On the Origin of Species, commissioned by the Paris Opera Ballet.[3] The ballet premiered at the Palais Garnier in October 2007 and was commissioned for a second round of performances in November 2009.[4] The eight-part score combines electronics with a 10-part choir and string instruments.[3] The score is available on Ant-Zen and Dear Oh Dear Records and was featured in the 2009 documentary, "La Danse: The Paris Opera Ballet".[5] Genus had its North American premiere at the Four Seasons Centre in March 2017 in Toronto, Canada by the National Ballet of Canada.[6]

The Track Team

Wynn is co-owner of a music and sound design company in Los Angeles called The Track Team.[7] He was the force behind the sound design for all three seasons of Nickelodeon's hit television show, Avatar: The Last Airbender, which won a prestigious 2008 Peabody Award.[8] Wynn was nominated for a Motion Picture Sound Editor's Golden Reel award in 2009 for his sound design work on Avatar: The Last Airbender.[9]

He started The Track Team with co-founder Jeremy Zuckerman in 2004.[10] Together they have created music for the Nickelodeon TV series, Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness, the score for the feature films Just Peck and A Leading Man[11] and music and sound design for DC Comics shorts.[12] Wynn also worked on the sound design for the sequel to Avatar: The Last Airbender, Avatar: The Legend of Korra.[12] Ben and Jeremy won a 2012 Emmy Award for music editing for Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness.[13] In 2013, they were nominated for another Emmy Award for music editing for Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness.[14] in 2014 as well, their third Emmy Award nomination.[15] and in 2015 they won again in 2015 Emmy Award for music editing for Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness.[16] In 2016, Wynn and Zuckerman were nominated for their fifth Emmy Award nomination, for music editing for Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness.[17]

The Echo Society

Wynn is a founding member and Creative Director of The Echo Society, a Los Angeles-based composer collective and non-profit organization that premieres new orchestral works in singular, one-night only events throughout Los Angeles.[18] The Echo Society’s shows bring orchestral and electronic music to new audiences through uniquely immersive experiences. The collective consists of composers Joseph Trapanese, Rob Simonsen, Jeremy Zuckerman, Nathan Johnson (musician), Eskmo, and Judson Crane, as well as sound engineer Satoshi Noguchi and visual artist Effixx.[19]

Deru

Wynn is also an electronic music producer under the name "Deru". He is signed to the label Friends of Friends and has released three albums on Mush Records, Merck Records, and Neo Ouija and many remixes and tracks for compilations for labels like Hometapes, Ghostly International, Hymen Records, 1320 Records, Unseen, and Mille Plateaux.[20] His album, 1979, was released on June 17, 2014,[21] as a limited-edition sculptural object, featuring nine songs by Wynn and accompanied by nine short films by video artist Anthony Ciannamea, that are housed in a custom handheld video projector.[20]

In 2010, Deru and fellow electronic music producer Free the Robots joined the electronic music group The Glitch Mob on their nationwide "Drink the Sea" tour.[22]

Deru scored the music and curated the soundtrack for the feature-length film, Outliers, Vol. I: Iceland. The score is based on his field recordings from a trip to Iceland in October 2011.[23] The film premiered in Chicago in July 2012.[23]

He also composed the music for a digital arts installation by Julie Weitz that was entitled Touch Museum and inspired by the phenomenon known as Autonomous sensory meridian response.[24]

References

  1. ↑ Brennan, Mike. "Interview With The Track Team". Retrieved 2012-04-27.
  2. ↑ The Track Team. "Benjamin Wynn Biography". Retrieved 2012-04-27.
  3. 1 2 Ant-zen Records. "Talbot & Deru: Genus". Retrieved 2012-04-27.
  4. ↑ The Track Team. "Genus – Paris Ballet Score". Retrieved 2012-04-28.
  5. ↑ Sulcas, Roslyn (2009-11-22). "Au Revoir to the Old, Bonjour to the New". New York Times. Retrieved 2012-04-28.
  6. ↑ Sulcas, Roslyn (2017-03-29). "Genus".
  7. ↑ Izotope. "The Track Team". Retrieved 2012-04-27.
  8. ↑ ASN Staff. "Avatar Wins a Prestigious Peabody Award". Retrieved 2012-04-27.
  9. ↑ Motion Picture Sound Editors. "2009 Golden Reel Award Nominees: Television". Missing or empty |url= (help)
  10. ↑ AvatarSpirit.net. "Music Interview With The Track Team". Retrieved 2012-04-27.
  11. ↑ IMDb. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2417834/fullcredits?ref_=tt_cl_sm#cast
  12. 1 2 Lee, Marissa. "Interview With The Track Team: The Musicians Behind The Legend of Korra". Retrieved 2012-04-27.
  13. ↑ National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. http://www.emmyonline.org/mediacenter/daytime_39th_creative_winners.html
  14. ↑ Hollywood Life. http://www.hollywoodlife.com/2013/05/01/daytime-emmy-nominations-2013/
  15. ↑ National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. http://cdn.emmyonline.org/day_41st_nominations_v03.8.pdf
  16. ↑ National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.http://emmyonline.com/download/42nd_Creative_Arts_winners_9_20_FINAL(2).pdf
  17. ↑ THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF TELEVISION ARTS & SCIENCES ANNOUNCES NOMINATIONS FOR THE 44TH ANNUAL DAYTIME EMMY® AWARDS. http://emmyonline.com/day_44th_nominations
  18. ↑ Izotope. "The Echo Society Mission". Retrieved 2017-04-03.
  19. ↑ Izotope. "The Echo Society Bios". Retrieved 2017-04-03.
  20. 1 2 Friends of Friends. "Deru". Retrieved 2014-05-09.
  21. ↑ 1979. "1979". Retrieved 2014-05-09.
  22. ↑ The Glitch Mob. "Drink the Sea Tour". Retrieved 2012-04-28.
  23. 1 2 OVI. "Outliers, Vol. I: Iceland – Soundtrack". Archived from the original on 2012-08-25. Retrieved 2012-07-28.
  24. ↑ Picon, Jose (2015). 'Cutting the web: an art show for the digital age' 'Touch Museum' Reviewed in LA Canvas. Retrieved 31 December 2015.
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