Peter Hobbs (composer)

Peter Hobbs (born 17 June 1970) is a New Zealand screen composer and musician. He has scored soundtracks for films, television, commercials, art installations, and contemporary dance works. He also fronts the band Lost Demos.

Professional life

Peter Hobbs has been awarded internationally as a film composer,[1] and sound designer.[2] He currently operates Harmonic Studio,[3] a music and sound studio in Auckland, New Zealand. Hobbs describes himself as a "diehard advocate for the spaces between the notes".[4] Hobbs plays guitar and vocals for alternative country band Lost Demos along with Andrea Holmes on drums and backing vocals, Jon Baxter on trumpet, Puck Murphy on banjo and accordion, Kieran Scott on electric and slide guitar and Rua Sargent on bass. Their first song in three years was Watching the World Go Down in 2020, which is about the new Covid-19 era.[5]

Composing work

Hobbs has composed soundtracks for a number of New Zealand films, including Jean, (the story of Jean Batten) for which he won a Gold for Best Original Music at New York Festivals Awards[6] and Best Original Score at the 2017 NZ Television Awards.[7] He scored James Napier Robertson's 2009 feature film, I'm Not Harry Jenson and has written music for a number of long-running television series, most notably the hit Australian show[8] Highway Patrol, now in its eighth season. Hobbs is a frequent collaborator on artistic projects, creating soundscapes for virtual reality and other visual mediums, such as with photographer Chris Sisarich. He created music alongside and visual effects artist Jon Baxter, the video experience for the New Zealand pavilion at the Frankfurt Book Fair in 2012[9] for Inside Out Productions a collaboration with Patterson Architects.[10][11]

He regularly works with the leading Māori dance company[12] Atamira for which his soundtracks have been described as "quietly rhythmic, smoky"[13] and "dramatic".[14] In 2016 he collaborated with famed NZ musician Shayne Carter and master Taonga pūoro player James Webster on the soundtrack for Pango, a new contemporary dance piece for Atamira that toured China. The team of Hobbs, Carter, Webster and Artistic Director Moss Patterson was described as "the marriage of...four stunning talents".[15] Hobbs has mentioned his admiration of film composer Cliff Martinez.[16]

Film soundtrack credits

  • Mana Wahine (2019) (short film)
  • Jean (2016)
  • Abandoned (2015)
  • King of Caravans (2013)
  • Tangiwai, A Love Story (2012)
  • Last Flight (2011)
  • I'm Not Harry Jenson (2010)

Television soundtrack credits

Contemporary dance soundtrack credits

  • Tomo, Atamira Dance Company (2019)
  • Pango, Atamira Dance Company (2016–17)
  • Manaia, Atamira Dance Company (2016)
  • Moko, Atamira Dance Company (2015)

Screen sound design and audio post credits

Music editing credits

References

  1. ^ "Jean soars at NY Festivals". Screenz. Retrieved 8 November 2017.
  2. ^ "2017 Winners and Finalists". LIA Entries. Retrieved 8 November 2017.
  3. ^ "Peter Hobbs". Harmonic Studio. Retrieved 8 November 2017.
  4. ^ "PETER HOBBS". Songbroker. Retrieved 8 October 2016.
  5. ^ "Lost Demos present a song for our times: 'Watching the World Go Down'". www.muzic.net.nz. Retrieved 2021-01-23.
  6. ^ "New York Festivals Worlds Best TV and Films 2017". Retrieved 26 April 2017.
  7. ^ "NZTV Awards". nztvawards.co.nz. Retrieved 8 November 2017.
  8. ^ "Highway Patrol shows Aussies how to clock up a ratings winner". www.screennz.co.nz. Retrieved 1 November 2016.
  9. ^ "harmonic - Personal network". cargocollective.com. Retrieved 2021-01-23.
  10. ^ "Home - Inside Out Productions - Mike Mizrahi and Marie Adams". Inside Out Productions. Retrieved 2021-01-23.
  11. ^ "Award-winning consortium wins prestigious Frankfurt Book Fair pavilion contract | Ministry for Culture and Heritage". mch.govt.nz. Retrieved 2021-01-23.
  12. ^ Day, Wikitoria (20 July 2015). "Atamira Dance Company first to represent NZ at prestigious Beijing Dance Festival". Maori Television. Retrieved 1 November 2016.
  13. ^ Whyte, Raewyn. "Review: Manaia, Atamira Dance Company, Q Theatre Loft". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 1 November 2016.
  14. ^ Hunt, Ann (10 December 2016). "Dance review: Pango/Black will stay in the memory a very long time". Stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 30 December 2016.
  15. ^ Hunt, Ann (10 December 2016). "Dance review: Pango/Black will stay in the memory a very long time". Stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 30 December 2016.
  16. ^ "Peter Hobbs - Music composer for television and film". NZ Herald. May 12, 2008. Retrieved 1 November 2016.