Transformers: Rise of the Beasts (soundtrack)

Transformers: Rise of the Beasts (Music from the Motion Picture) is the soundtrack to the 2023 film of the same name. The score was written by Jongnic Bontemps, who became the third composer in the series after Steve Jablonsky and Dario Marianelli. Bontemps recorded the film score for nearly two years, beginning from late November 2021 to few weeks prior to the release, in May 2023. The soundtrack was released by Milan Records and Paramount Music on June 9, 2023, alongside the film.

The score references Jablonsky's themes from the Transformers (2007) and Vince DiCola's theme from The Transformers: The Movie (1986). He felt that the main goal was to influence Jablonsky's score for the first five films directed by Michael Bay, but he also needed to provide fresh music from the film. The story is set in 1990s at Brooklyn and Peru, with Bontemps handling the elements for the Brooklyn-based setting, while employed several prominent soloists from Latin America and Africa, for the Peruvian portions. The music received generally positive reviews from critics.

Background
Bontemps had been working with Steven Caple Jr. as both were classmates at the University of Southern California, and he also scored Caple Jr.'s debut film The Land (2016) and provided additional music with Ludwig Göransson for Creed II (2018). In April 2021, he wrote 10 minutes of music which was appropriate for the Transformers franchise and recorded it with a 40-piece orchestra in his own expense of $20,000, but sought no response. According to vice president of Paramount Music, Randy Spendlove, the production team considered several composers as it was a big franchise with long history, but felt "Bontemps' relationships and diverse background played a role, but ultimately it was about finding a composer that understood the material".

Since the film was delayed from the June 2022 release by a year, providing an extended time for post-production, Bontemps was offered to provide music for the film, but he was insisted to record it on the Paramount lot, with a state-of-the-art recording studio being built. Since February 2022, he started recording in the same building as the director, editors and post-production supervisor, unlike where composers remotely meet with the directors and editors, and either through virtual communication due to COVID-19 pandemic restrictions. The production executives said that the team wanted the score to influence Jablonsky's work for Bay's first five Transformers films, and near the end brought Jablonsky on to consult and produce. Bontemps being associated with the Transformers franchise since his young age, through toys, comics and animated films, had acknowledged the musical world of Transformers, after listening to Jablonsky's works from the first five films.

Recording and production
Bontemps said that the musicians experimented with different musical styles, with they went heavy on electronics, and "a more sound-design path" which did not serve the film. He admitted that "Even though we have this amazing CGI and the robots feel so real, that human element, the emotional element, can really be supported by the music". Hence, he needed for an "organic, orchestral and emotional score, that sound we are all familiar with, and has such a deep history, goes a long way for we as the audience to connect with these robots". Strings, brass, percussion combined with electronics formed the base of the score.

The film was set in 1994 period of Brooklyn, and Bontemps who was born in Brooklyn, felt the particular beats which was "the sound of hip-hop, the 808 drum machine, having those syncopated rhythms and grooves". For Peru, he went into the Afro-Peruvian traditions and recruited prominent soloists, including Peruvian percussionist Alex Acuña, Mexican bassist Abraham Laboriel playing guitarron and charango, Venezuelan musician Pedro Eustache playing Latin woodwinds, and composer Erick Del Agula served as music consultant. Having worked with several composers Danny Elfman, Alan Silvestri and Alexandre Desplat where he was asked to build technology in their studios, so that they could write sufficient music before recording the orchestra, Bontemps felt that he could simulate the orchestra and synths, where he could build the piece of music pretty close to the final product he anticipated. After writing the music and playing it for the studio music department and producers, who provide their insights on the score before they could approve, he started creating the sheet music for all the musicians to play, and created the Pro Tools recording sessions, which were used as a part of the recording.

The sessions happened for ten days at the Newman Scoring Stage in 20th Century Studios lot in Burbank, California and Eastwood Scoring Stage at Warner Bros. with a 74-piece orchestra performing the score. It consisted of six percussions, 25-piece brass section, twelve horns, six trombones, three brass trombones, three cimbasso and tuba, and a rare brass tubax, a modified contrabass saxophone, along with a drum set built almost entirely out of rubber tires, being used to create a unique sound. He first recorded the string elements and layered it with the pre-recorded synths and drum machines. Later John Chapman, was brought in to mix the score. While, the recording was nearing completion, the producers hired Jablonsky serving as the score consultant and producer, while also scoring three of the cues in the score. Bontemps felt that "he was really wonderful in helping me craft some of this music and really think about how it should play in the entire soundscape of the film".

Reception
Frank Scheck of The Hollywood Reporter commented the film's story and setting provided "plenty of opportunity for the soundtrack inclusion of classic ‘90s-era hip-hop cuts to complement the thundering score by Jongnic “JB” Bontemps". Calling the music as one of the important aspects, Melissa Thompson of We Are Movie Geeks commented "The score from film composer Jongnic “JB” Bontemps is fantastic, but what really connects is the early 90's hip hop tracks that are used to pump up the action sequences. They fit nicely into the time frame and has the audience moving in their seats. This fun film will delight fans of the classic ’90s animated television series Beast Wars: Transformers." Jeremy Mathai of /Film commented that the score by Bontemps "largely recedes into the background".

Curated soundtrack
Rise of the Beasts, also featured hip hop and electronic music from popular artists. Caple Jr. announced the inclusion of rap groups Wu-Tang Clan and A Tribe Called Quest, being brought in to be authentic to the film's setting. In an interview to The Hollywood Reporter, he mentioned an unreleased song that comes along with the film, and a legacy artist from the 1990s would contribute to the track. The aforementioned track was titled as "On My Soul"; composed and performed by Tobe Nwigwe and Nas and featuring Jacob Banks, the track was released by Mass Appeal Records on May 19, 2023. Similar to Age of Extinction (2014) and The Last Knight (2017), no official soundtrack album for the songs featured in the film has been released. A separate playlist was released by Paramount Pictures to music streaming platforms.

Album credits
Credits adapted from Paramount Music.


 * Music composer: Jongnic Bontemps
 * Music producer: Steve Jablonsky, Jongnic Bontemps
 * Executive soundtrack album producer: Michael Bay, Lorenzo di Bonaventura
 * Additional music: DeAndre James Allen-Toole, Nathan Matthew David, Anthony Baldino
 * Recorded at: Newman Scoring Stage, 20th Century Studios, Eastwood Scoring Stage, Warner Bros., Larrabee Studios
 * Newman Scoring Stage recordist: Tim Lauber
 * Newman Scoring Stage managers: Damon Tedesco, Hoss Yekband, Greg Dennen, Jesse Johnstone
 * Newman Scoring Stage engineers: Jim Wright, Marc Gebauer
 * Newman executive sound staff: Stacey Robinson, VP Post Sound Operations
 * WB Scoring Stage crew: Tom Hardisty, Richard Wheeler Jr., Peter Nelson, David Clark, Jamie Olvera
 * Mixed at: Chappy Studios, Burbank, California
 * Recording and mixing engineer: John Witt Chapman
 * Music assistance: DeAndre James Allen-Toole
 * Score coordinators:  Elisa Alloway, Sophia Blake
 * Score manager: Sam Zeines
 * Music consultants: Seth Waldmann, Ira Becker, Ananda Dhar-James, Erick Del Aguila (Peruvian music)
 * Music contractors: Peter Rotter and Laura Jackman for Encompass Music Partners
 * Pro Tools engineer: David Lukacs
 * Pro Tools operator: Larry Mah
 * Synth design and programming: Anthony Baldino, Nathan Matthew David, Chris Lane
 * Choir contractor: Miklos Lukacs
 * Score publisher: Paramount Bella Music (BMI)
 * Executive in charge of music for Paramount Pictures: Randy Spendlove
 * Soundtrack co-ordinator for Paramount Pictures: Michael Murphy


 * Orchestra
 * Orchestra conductor: Anthony Parnther
 * Lead orchestrator: Susie Benchasil Seiter
 * Orchestrators: Chad Seiter, Jeff Tinsley, M.R. Miller, Tim Davies
 * Assistant orchestrator: Grigor Abgaryan, Ryan Humphrey, Lorenzo Carrano
 * Supervising copyist: Booker White
 * Music preparation: Chris Anderson-Bazzoli, Brandon Bailo, Marshall Bowen, Joshua Britt, Leslie Buttars, Nicholas Cazares, Matt Franko, David Giuli, Jennifer Hammond, Lisa Janacua, Samantha Keefer, Valarie King, Martin McClellan, Aaron Meyer, Melissa Orquiza, James Sale, Karen Smith


 * Choir
 * Budapest Art Choir recorded at East Connection Music Recording, Studio 22
 * Choir conductor: Peter Pejtsik
 * Choir recording: Gabor Buczko


 * Musicians
 * Violins: Alyssa Park, Luanne Homzy, Stephanie Matthews, Kyle Gilner, Wynton Grant, Chris Woods, Nadira Kimberly, Charlie Bisharat, Tereza Stanislav, Ben Jacobson, Josefina Vergara, Maya Magub, Grace Oh, Max Karmazyn, Dennis Kim, Jordan Martone, Phillip Levy, Molly Rogers, Roberto Cani, Ana Landauer, Helen Nightengale, Eun Mee Ahn, Tamara Hatwan, Jessica Guideri, Shalini Vijayan, Natalie Leggett, Songa Lee, Neil Samples, Joel Pargman, Irina Voloshina
 * Violas: Andrew Duckles, Stefan Smith, Drew Forde, Nikki Shorts, Zach Dellinger, Meredith Crawford, Matt Funes, Jerome Gordon, Luke Maurer, Lynne Richberg, Alma Fernandez
 * Celli: Evgeny Tonkha, Jacob Braun, Tim Loo, Seth Parker Woods, Caleb Jones, Adrienne Woods, Marza Wilks, Vanessa Freebairn-smith, Ross Gasworth, Ben Lash, Jean Paul Barjon, Hillary Smith
 * Basses: Mike Valerio, Timothy Eckert, William “BJ” Johnson, Karl Vincent, Thomas Harte, Geoff Osika, Steve Dress, Stephanie Payne
 * French Horns, Dylan Hart, Malik Taylor, Ben Jaber, Laura Brenes, Kaylet Torres, Teag Reaves, Amy Jo Rhine, Katie Faraudo, Mike McCoy, Steve Becknell, Allen Fogle, Adam Wolf, Emily Pesavento, Amy Sanchez, Paul Klintworth, Adedeji Ogunfolu, Dave Everson, Jacklyn Rainey, Jennifer Kummer, Stephanie Thomas
 * Trombones: Alan Kaplan, Alex Iles, Steve Holtman, Lemar Guillery, David Rejano, Todd Eames, Ido Meshulam, Ryan Dragon, John Lofton, Byron Sleugh, Craig Gosnell, Nick Daley, Steve Trapani
 * Cimbasso: Doug Tornquist, Devon Taylor
 * Tuba: Joseph Jackson, Blake Cooper
 * Tubax: Pat Posey
 * Latin percussion: Alex Acuña, Luis Conte, Walter Rodriguez, Richard “Tiki” Pasillas
 * Peruvian woodwinds: Pedro Eustache
 * Percussion: MB Gordy, Hal Rosenfeld, Wesley Sumpter, Sidney Hopson, Raynor Carroll, Wade Culbreath
 * Guitarron: Abe Laboriel Sr.