Composer Lionel Fabert Launches “Cooking Noise Music”
After years of working with well-known music agencies such as Evolving Sound, Trailer Rebel and Cezame Trailer, as well as trailer houses including Motive, Rogue Planet, Buddha Jones and AV Squad, award-winning composer Lionel Fabert has launched his own agency, “Cooking House Music,” which focuses on creating a diverse range of music for trailers, advertisements and sports.
“Launching my own music agency represents a significant next step in my career… The idea of establishing the agency came to me in 2021 at the end of the pandemic, as I began receiving an increasing number of projects and client requests. It dawned on me that forming my own music agency would be beneficial, allowing me to collaborate with other composers who share my vision,” explains Lionel Fabert.
“Collaborating with like-minded composers expands our collective creative potential, while mentoring new talent fosters a vibrant community of artists under the agency’s umbrella. This move not only enhances my professional growth but also contributes to the broader music landscape by nurturing innovation and diversity in the music we create for trailers, ads, and sports.”
While Cooking House Music is in its early stages, with Fabert at the helm there’s no question that this ship is destined for musical success. Over the years Fabert, who’s earned numerous awards including the 2022 Bronze Clio Award and 2023 Golden Trailer Award for his work on the trailer for the film “The Gray Man” starring Ryan Gosling, and the Award for Best Hip Hop / Rap Song at the Production Music Awards for the song “Know My Name,” has carved out a prominent position for himself as a sought after multi-instrumentalist and composer for films, advertisements, trailers and more.
“I am deeply passionate about my work,” admits Fabert. “I love crafting emotionally resonant music that enhances the storytelling in films and trailers, and leading a music agency allows me to collaborate with talented artists and bring creative visions to life.”
Fabert has recently channeled his talent and energy into composing trailer scores for numerous hit films including the Oscar Award nominated “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.3,” three-time BAFTA nominee Matthew Vaughn’s comedy thriller “Argylle,” and Disney’s “The Marvels,” as well as major series’ trailers such as Netflix’s “The Gentlemen” from director Guy Ritchie (“Snatch”), the three-time Primetime Emmy nominated series “The Witcher,” Amazon Prime’s “Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan,” NBC’s “The Thing About Pam” starring Oscar Award winner Renee Zellweger, and more.
“The music is vital for a trailer because it grabs the audience’s attention, evokes emotions, and sets the tone, all within a brief timeframe,” explains Fabert. “It creates the first impression and significantly influences the viewer’s anticipation and interest in the film or TV show.”
Fabert’s unique ability to quickly some up the emotion advertisers are trying to get across in a way that can be palpably felt by viewers has also led him to be tapped to create numerous scores for commercials including those for Indycar Detroit Grand Prix, the McDonald’s “YuGiOh!” campaign, Cutty Sark 100 years, the NASCAR Next Gen Mustang commercial for Ford, and many more. One of his songs was also selected to be included in the The Dynasty New England Patriots commercial.
Like many composers, Lionel Fabert’s career began with a love and affinity for playing music. Growing up in Guadeloupe, an island in the French Caribbean, Fabert was encouraged at a young age by his mother to pick up a musical instrument– a choice that would determine the course of his life.
He says, “I began learning guitar at the age of 9. Music has had a transformative effect on my life, teaching me the value of dedication and patience from an early age. Moreover, it has served as an excellent medium for expressing my emotions.”
By the age of 17, after having become well versed on guitar, percussion and bass, Fabert began dabbling with music software, which opened up a world of new possibilities.
He admits, “It shifted my focus from playing instruments to composing music, and ignited a passion for expressing emotions and stories through musical compositions.”
In addition to composing music for artists, he also started to get his feet wet as a score composer for film, beginning his silver screen journey nearly a decade ago with the dramatic mystery film “Alternatum,” which proved to be a hit on the festival circuit taking home the HIMPFF Award of Recognition from the Hollywood International Moving Pictures Film Festival, as well as four more awards from the Los Angeles Film Awards including Best Indie Film. He followed that up with Tony Chaslas’ film “Normal,” which was nominated at the Paris Courts Devant, the drama “Cellule 21” starring award-winning actress Marie-Cécile Gueguen (“Le Dernier Clan”), Kevin Hilem’s “Warren” and “L’air de rien,” and many more.
In a relatively short amount of time Fabert amassed an impressive repertoire of films as a composer; and his work was so well regarded that directors like Tony Chaslas, Kevin Hilem, and others, requested him specifically to compose their future films.
“[Lionel’s] strong point is really his ability to listen and his knack for musically translating the ideas presented to him. It’s not always easy to give shape to something abstract, and he manages to create sounds that linger in your mind long after you’ve listened to them,” explains multi-award winning director Tony Chaslas who, after the success of “Normal,” invited Fabert to score his 2020 dramatic fantasy film “God’s Game.”
“Working with him was easy because he understood my vision and perfectly adapted to the musical atmospheres I was looking for. We discussed the entire project to pinpoint what I wanted and where I wanted it. He truly listened to my vision, which is the most important aspect for me in this type of collaboration.”
Taking home numerous awards including the Gold Award from the Independent Short Awards, the Cult Critic Movie Award, and an Honorable Mention from the Bangalore Shorts Film Festival, as well as several nominations, “God’s Game” follows Lucas, a young man who, after the death of his grandfather, inherits the gift of time traveling through dreams. Though the newly discovered power has its benefits, it also leads him to doubt his own existence and question which of his experiences are actually real.
Starring Edouard Chény from the six-time Primetime Emmy nominated series “Emily in Paris” and Anne-Solenne Hatte from “Ocean’s Twelve,” “God’s Game” gave Fabert an opportunity to showcase his talent for composing layered and intricate scores capable of expressing a variety of emotions.
In one of the film’s pivotal scenes there’s a complex expression of emotion consisting of a surge of excitement mingled with doubt, confusion, and fear as the protagonist begins to grasp his ability to foresee the future. A challenging spectrum of feelings to capture in a single scene, Fabert’s composition proved to be a powerful support. Usinga variety of instruments such as a booming sound that mimics the rhythm of a heartbeat, diverse textures, and shifts in tempo he brilliantly underscored the fluctuating emotions. Throughout the film the tempo and tone of the music effectively heighten what is unfolding on screen.
“With the music [Lionel] composed, he added the urban touch I was looking for and that defines me. It’s a real musical identity given to my project. This sets me apart from projects that use pre-existing music. Lionel brings each sequence to life with his own music every time,” says Chaslas. “And the project received quite a few awards, including Best Soundtrack at the Eden Studios International Film Festival.
While Fabert proved his prowess at composing elaborate scores for narrative films across every genre, after years in the game he realized that for him, trailers are really where it’s at; and he’s made a powerful mark in that arena.
“Scoring a trailer involves creating a concise, impactful piece that captures the essence and tone of a film within a short timeframe, aiming to grab the audience’s attention and interest,” explains Fabert.
“I favor scoring trailers because they challenge me to distill the essence and emotion of a story into a brief, powerful piece of music that captivates and intrigues the audience, setting the tone and anticipation for the film or TV show in just a few moments.”
One of his recent scores, the trailer for “Argylle,” is yet another example of his talent for encapsulating the emotions of a film in a concise and powerful way. For the film, which stars Oscar winner Sam Rockwell (“Seven Psychopaths”), Oscar nominee Brian Cranston (“Breaking Bad”) and Henry Cavill (“Man of Steel”), Fabert created an enticing remix of Elvis Presley’s “Suspicious Minds” that immediately gets viewers intrigued about the film.
Fabert generates a feeling of action and playfulness through his use of a rising rhythm and an increasingly fun beat juxtaposed with well-positioned pauses and vocals from a highly recognizable song that people love to sing along with.
“I aimed to infuse this track with dynamism, complemented by a fresh, modern flair. To achieve this, I incorporated hip-hop drum beats, brass stabs, and funky sound designs, creating a new, groovy feel. I also played a lot with the vocals. This approach nods to the original song while simultaneously reinventing it with vibrant energy suitable for a major action-packed film.”
In addition to being hard at work with Cooking Noise Music and embarking on exciting collaborations with other composers, Fabert is working on two upcoming albums. The first album, “Strong,” which is set to be released through his music agency later this year, is a hip hop driven trailer album catered for a variety of film genres ranging from action films to laugh out loud comedies.
He adds, “Additionally, I am crafting albums that diverge from the cinematic trailer feel, including one focused on hip-hop for investigation documentaries and another one more dynamic featuring exclusively female rappers.”
Never one to stay still for long, Lionel Fabert continues to push the boundaries of trailer music, and audiences can bet on hearing a whole lot more from him through Cooking Noise Music.
