Steven Soderbergh’s take on Stanislaw Lem’s influential sci-fi tomeSolaris was incredibly polarizing at the time. Some didn’t want to see it simply because it starred heart-throb George Clooney in what is essentially a mostly solo role, some didn’t appreciate it in light of legendary Russian director Andrei Tarkovsky’s overtly spiritual take on the same book.
Those that did manage to take it in would have noticed on thing in particular though – composer Cliff Martinez‘s haunting and deeply influential soundtrack. Percussive, but anchored with a slow, deeply affecting synthesized bass line throughout, the soundtrack served as a nudge in the right direction for drone-lovers and ambient types, and still sounds fresh even now. It’s hardly surprising then that Portishead’s Geoff Barrow has had the good sense to make sure it finally gets pressed to wax through his Invada imprint.