BANG Handles Music and Sound Duties for New ‘Dynamite Doug’ Podcast Series

BANG Music + Audio Post in New York City recently completed score, sound design and final mix duties for the new podcast series which debuted on March 1st. Ellen Wong (Scott Pilgrim vs. The World) serves as host.

As told in the series trailer, Dynamite Doug is the story of what has been called the 'greatest art heist in history'. It’s a tale of high society and high intrigue. Of culture and academia. And of the spy-like secrecy needed to move priceless art out of a small Asian nation and into some of the richest rooms in the world.

But it’s not about the theft of a single painting. Douglas Latchford robbed Cambodia of nearly its entire cultural heritage. Worse, he did so as the country was descending into genocide under the Khmer Rouge. And he did it with the aid of Western academics, dealers, and curators… some of whom were fully aware of its illegality. Now, there is growing global pressure for museums and collectors to return the art and artifacts to their rightful place in temples of Cambodia.

To craft the sound of the series, BANG composers Timo Elliston, Paul Vitolins and Brian Jones landed on a score that reflects a unique blend of Cambodian popular music from the era and the intriguing tones of a Bond-like spy thriller.

According to Jones: “Our team loved the idea of recreating that amazing sound with the challenge of adding some modern cinematic underpinnings to work as underscore. Paul really captured mid-century Cambodian pop in the theme - which was essentially the fusion of 60s surf and psychedelic rock with a distinctly Cambodian voice. We immersed ourselves in that overall aesthetic and tried to bring it forward into a somewhat more filmic world to support the storytelling. All together, it’s a crazy fun sandbox to play in.”

Listen to a partial playlist here. Vitolins also handled mix and sound design for the series.

Dynamite Doug was produced by BANG’s frequent production partner, Audiation, for Project Brazen (perhaps best known for their series, Fat Leonard.)