The music I listen to

Soundtracks first

Most of what I listen to is film and TV soundtracks. They blend classical instruments, my madeleine de Proust, with epic, driving rhythms that keep me focused. When I code, I put on the docking scene from Interstellar rather than an algorithmic playlist.

Unsurprisingly, the composers I replay are Hans Zimmer (Interstellar, Dune and The Lion King are my favorites), Ramin Djawadi, Alexandre Desplat (The Grand Budapest Hotel), Max Richter and John Williams (Harry Potter, Jurassic Park).

Live in Prague, and in Lille

I’ve listened to Hans Zimmer’s Live in Prague an absurd number of times. The album is great, but mostly, I was at the concert (in Lille, mind you) and it remains by far the best live show I’ve ever attended.

I’ve also been going to film concerts for years, whenever I can. After hundreds of listens through earbuds, I get to hear the score played by a full orchestra. I’ve seen La La Land, Harry Potter, Jurassic Park and E.T., among others.

By season

Outside soundtracks, what I listen to depends on the season. When the days get longer, it’s Metronomy, Air, Sébastien Tellier and French touch. In the fall, it’s Halloween and Christmas movie scores, so John Williams again. His Home Alone score is my favorite of them.

A few stay all year: Feu! Chatterton, Tom McRae, Pink Floyd (Atom Heart Mother Suite and Comfortably Numb above all), and Belgian rock (Girls in Hawaii, Ghinzu, Puggy, dEUS), probably because I lived in Belgium.

The backseat DJs

Sing and Demon Hunters sit between Zimmer and Desplat in my charts because I have kids. I can’t blame it all on them, though. I sing along to “This Is What It Sounds Like”, “Golden” and “Take Down” without shame, and to pretty much any Disney song.

In the car, I quiz them with Harry Potter and Disney blind tests, and they’ve gotten very good at it. When I forget to put music on, they ask for their own favorites: Rosé, BTS, The Weeknd.