The sound design for Electricidad was immense.  The play is a contemporary reimagining of the classic Sophocles play Electra.  There was significant collaboration between the director and the design team and I worked to reinforce the visual design with my sounds.  The play is set in LA and centers around the lives of a Mexican-American family.  The visual design used Aztec symbols and imagery woven throughout the set and costumes, paying homage to the ancient ancestors of the characters.  For the sound design, I used music reminiscent of Aztec drumming to underscore a number of scenes and moments.  Usually, this music was layered with the sounds of electricity, which pulsed throughout the play, reflecting the inner state of the title character.  Here are some examples of the music and drums:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Music from the 1960s and 70s is called for at moments in the script.  It was important to me that some the music selected for the play came from the LA music scene of the 60s and 70s that the older generation of characters would have been involved with.  Other songs of the era were used, but these are some samples of 60s and 70s music from LA:

Chicano Chant by El Chicano opened the play:

Lonely Blue Nights by Rosie and The Originals (Edited):

Viva la Raza by El Chicano, edited to sound as if it was coming from a low fidelity radio speaker:

La Pistola y El Corazon by Los Lobos

Tell Her She’s Lovely by El Chicano

 

There are some reinforcing sound effects, such as the sound of the highway that runs over the neighborhood, the sounds of a restaurant, and a tattoo gun to name a few.  However, my favorite cue from the show arose when the director asked for a scream sound, or something to accentuate the horror as Orestes slits his mothers’ throat.  In my research I had discovered the Aztec death whistle, which has been recreated from artifacts.  This whistle is designed to sound like a scream.  Here it is, layered with some effects for depth: