Luis Almau on Emotion, Experimentation, and Staying True to Your Sound

Luis Almau has always been fascinated not just by music, but by the act of making it.

“Since I was a kid, I’ve loved studios, instruments, sounds,” he says. “I always wondered how things were recorded and why.” That early curiosity evolved into a love of songwriting, which then turned into a calling: scoring, producing, and shaping sound to tell stories.

Today, as head of music production at Soundtree – one of the UK’s most respected music houses – Luis is still fuelled by that same curiosity, now sharpened by years of collaboration with some of the most visionary artists working today.

Building Chemistry in the Studio

A recent standout moment in Luis’ career was his contribution to ‘Wild God’, the newest album by Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds. A longtime collaborator of Cave and Warren Ellis, this project marked a new milestone for Luis: recording the entire Bad Seeds lineup, as well as Radiohead’s Colin Greenwood.

“It’s a very intimate process in the studio with those guys,” Luis says. “I approach it like I would a film score – arranging, performing, engineering, doing whatever it takes to get the job done.”

There’s a creative shorthand that comes from years of trust, but that doesn’t make it formulaic. “It was the first time I recorded the full band,” he adds. “It was a lot of fun.”
In 2024, Luis stepped out from behind the console to release ‘crawlwalkrunfly’, his debut solo EP. The project marked a return to his first love: songwriting.

“These songs had been living in my head for years,” he says. “It’s a little record about getting older, really.”

The EP is delicate, introspective, and raw – clear evidence that for Luis, music is personal, whether it's for global campaigns or late-night headphone listens.

Having worked with the likes of Mica Levi, Anoushka Shankar, and of course 'Cave and Ellis', Luis has absorbed something from every creative collaboration.

“If you’re open to it, you learn something new every time,” he says. “What I’ve found with artists like Mica or Nick is they know exactly who they are. They’re unwavering in their vision – and there’s a lot to be said for that.”

It’s not just artists who shape his process. “I’ve learned from everyone – other composers, directors, creatives, and of course, everyone at Soundtree. There’s always a point of view.”

Music for Picture: Creating Before the Cut

One of Luis’ recent scoring highlights is the Prime Video series ‘En fin’. The show required a balance of humour and emotion – something Luis found exciting rather than daunting.

“David Sainz and Enrique Lojo, the showrunners, believed in what I brought to the table and let me run with it,” he says. “That kind of environment brings out the best in me.”

Luis began composing pre-picture, allowing the music to influence the edit—a rare but powerful creative dynamic. “It means the cut gets influenced by the music as well as the other way round.”

While Luis’ technical chops are undeniable, it’s the human connections that animate his most memorable work. For the acclaimed ‘Viva La Vulva’ campaign, Luis recalls not a sonic detail, but a person: the late Diego Cardoso de Oliveira.

“He was a brilliant talent, the nicest man in the business, and gone too soon,” Luis says. “We worked really closely on that project. Every time I think about it, I see him in Studio 1 at Soundtree – calm, funny, and steering the whole thing with a gentle brilliance.”
As the industry evolves, so too does the toolkit of the modern composer. But Luis remains anchored in intention.

“Modern tools are great as long as we don’t all end up sounding the same,” he says. “It’s about making sure the output still sounds like you. That’s one of the hardest things – figuring out your voice as a composer.”

Leading with Listening

At Soundtree, Luis leads not with ego, but with empathy. “Everyone who gets into composing has a sound in their head they’re trying to get out into the world,” he says.

“My job is to help that happen – to encourage people to have their own voice.”
That philosophy extends to mentorship, too. “We all have different strengths as composers. Embracing that diversity is where the magic happens.”

Luis’ work on PrideLondon’s multi-voice cover of ‘Over the Rainbow’ was a perfect example of that emotion-led craft.

“It was the first time I worked with director Billy Boyd Cape, who I really respect,” Luis says. “The idea was that each vignette was a character’s struggle, so every line in the song had to feel deeply personal. I’m really proud of what we created.”

Ask Luis about his favourite sound, and he doesn’t hesitate: “The snare on David Bowie’s ‘Five Years’,” he says. “It’s the best.”

Currently on repeat? A hyperlocal favourite. “I’ve been listening to Little Barrie and Malcom Catto’s new album, which was recorded just up the road in Dalston. It sounds amazing.”