Miami Vice: Music from the Motion Picture

Music is nothing if it can't help you bring your dreams to life, and here DJ Cam makes one of his biggest dreams come true: composing a soundtrack to Miami Vice. Cam's Miami Vice is 14 visual tracks, an imaginary score that positions itself as the "official" soundtrack just as Hollywood is preparing to film a reboot, following the first movie adaptation in 2005 by the series' original producer - and now cult director - Michael Mann. "My album is definitely a proposition for them! When I was living in Los Angeles, I met a guy who worked with Michael Mann and he encouraged me to do the project. He understood that it was homage from a real fan." Although strictly unofficial and a pure product of his cinematic mind, this original soundtrack is intrinsically linked to the legendary series, as a feature-length album and a collection of cinematic sequences. Inspired by the seemingly idyllic combination of sun, palm trees, and gleaming automobiles, the cinematic atmosphere of the Miami Vice TV series put stars in the eyes of DJ Cam when he was young. "It was easily my favorite TV series. I loved the long-distance shots of the city, the dynamic car chases... Introspection and psychology were very much a part of it too, unlike most American series of the era, and even back then I realized that a lot of care had been taken with the music." The beatmaker has sequenced his tracks like scenes from a script, alternating the dark atmosphere of trap music with more jazzy vibes ("Love Theme," "Tubbs Theme"). Electronic tracks are also very much present, as they were on his previous album Seven (2011). "The Chase" evokes a breathless action scene, while the footwork beats of "Move That Dope" and "Welcome to Little Haiti" reflect the intense nocturnal energy of the city. Special guest star MC Eiht (who played A-Wax in the Hughes brothers' cult movie Menace II Society (1993)) raps on "Music to Drive By" and "Street Life." He also couldn't miss paying homage (with a track featuring Earl Davis) to what is practically the Miami theme song: "In the Air Tonight" by Phil Collins. Here, he respectfully revisits it in deep, cerebral fashion. "You hear it everywhere, floating out of open windows... I wanted to recapture it's essence without doing just a simple cover version."