henri scars struck
music composer producer consultant
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music industry
Inspired by all music, Henri Scars Struck has over the years created and developed a formidable body of work encompassing various styles and origins. This includes Jazz, Hip Hop, R'n'B, Pop, Dance, Electronica, Classical and World Music.
Henri is a Grammy winner and has worked with visionaries and artists such as Malcolm McLaren (partner), Yves Saint Laurent Laurent (YSL 40th year final retrospective), Thierry Dreyfus, Madonna, The Police, Pierre Cardin, De La Soul, KRS One, Rakim, Lenny Kravitz, Barry White, Charles Aznavour, Alicia Keys and Sizzla.During the wake of the Acid Jazz revolution, which began in London in the late 80's, Henri collaborated with noteworthy greats including the late Andy Hughes (The Orb) and Galliano. At this time, he was noticed by producer Daniel Lazerus (Diana Ross, Donald Fagen, Joe Cocker) who invited him to co-produce on several projects. Soon, his talents were directed to the runways of Giorgio Armani, Jean-Charles De Castelbajac, to name a few. It was at a Castelbajac show where Henri was first introduced to (and subsequently worked with) Malcolm McLaren, a music, fashion and cultural iconoclast.
In 1996, Henri brought Paris to New York and the legacy of music trends from Europe and its culture. Inevitably, he drew massive attention from the local Hip-Hop, Dance and World music communities. Then partnered with Malcolm McLaren, Henri produced the Buffalo Gals: Back to Skool (Virgin Records) album with artists like KRS-1, Rakim and De La Soul. He then executive produced other projects with McLaren including Jungk and several commercials.
Henri later co-composed and did additional production with DJ/Producer Roger Sanchez on his first solo album (First Contact) featuring Sharleen Spiteri (Texas), Armand Van Helden and N’Dea Davenport. “Another Chance”, the first single, led all European charts for 17 weeks.
Further collaborations include remixes for artists such as No Doubt “Hella Good”, which won them a Grammy Award for best remix of the year 2002; Madonna “Get Together” (Confessions On a Dance Floor); Alicia Keys "Butterfly"; The Police “Walking On The Moon”; Lenny Kravitz “Black Velveteen”; Chic “I Want Your Love”; Prince “1999”; Ricky Martin “Jaleo”; Brand New Heavies “Apparently Nothin” featuring Carleen Anderson; Cirque Du Soleil “Kumbalawe”; Alejandro Sanz & Shakira “Te Lo Agradezco Pero No”; and Simply Red “Perfect Love”.
Most of these records have appeared in Billboard’s Top Ten dance charts. In addition, Henri worked on Roger’s second album Turn On The Music that was released in 2006. Prior to this in 2004, Henri composed and produced tracks on Charles Schillings’ 2nd solo album, released by Pschent Records (Hotel Costes).
Another notable project was The Mango Room, an urban poetic soul collaborative featuring New York’s premier Spoken Word artists, composed, produced and arranged by Henri. This album was a labor of love celebrating the language of love through music.For VP Records (the largest Reggae label worldwide) Henri mixed several DVDs, the first of which being the label’s 25th Anniversary concert with artists like Sean Paul, Shaggy, Elephant Man and Sizzla. While in Jamaica, Henri worked on the Sizzla and Elephant Man DVDs.
As well as producing new artists, Henri was probably the first (1996) and only producer to remix French music legends such as Charles Aznavour and Serge Gainsbourg from the original multi-tracks, before this became a trend. His latest production can be heard on the album of singer songwriter Sinem Saniye, the twice winner of the John Lennon songwriter’s competition, also winning a Billboard award for songwriting.
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fashion
- Throughout his career, Henri has produced original music for a great number of fashion houses, creating a unique dimension to their runway collections. He takes the vocabulary of the designer and transforms it into music and sounds, giving birth to the soundtrack of their fashion show.
Henri was honored to be responsible for the music soundtrack of the penultimate show – the final haute couture show of Yves Saint Laurent on January 22nd, 2002 at Le Centre Pompidou, Paris. This event was a defining moment for the legendary designer and is considered to be one of the most important statements in fashion.
Apart from working with Pierre Bergé, Henri had the privilege of collaborating with Catherine Deneuve and Laetitia Casta as they sang their homage to the master. The widely acclaimed show, orchestrated by artistic director Thierry Dreyfus, ran for 90 minutes and incorporated in excess of 380 unparalleled signature dresses/suits.
Other work for fashion includes clients such as Jean Charles De Castelbajac, BCBG Max Azria, Rag & Bone, John Galliano, Pierre Balmain, Alber Elbaz, Krizia Top (Milan), Rochas, Richard Tyler, Franck Sorbier, Serkan Sarier, J. Mendel, Adam Kimmel, Catherine Malandrino (first fashion show at the Harlem Apollo Theater where Henri brought a Gospel choir) as well as all shows for the 2009 CFDA Vogue fashion fund award winner, Sophie Theallet, a modern day couturière.
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installations
Henri has been regularly commissioned to write music for art installations, notably for the Paris Nuit Blanche, organized by the city of Paris and the Ministry of Culture. In 2006 he performed on the piano live at the Bibliothèque Nationale De France (French National Library) along with band Placebo.
In 2007, he worked on an installation created by Thierry Dreyfus at the Chateau De Versailles and recently, in October 2010, collaborated with Dreyfus again at Notre Dame De Paris. This last installation broke attendance records at Nuit Blanche with more than 50,000 people visiting within the limited hours, transforming the Cathedral with lights never before seen accompanied by music inspired from a dark place.
Additionally, he worked on the 30th year anniversary celebration of Didier Ludot in the gardens of the Palais Royal in Paris. Monsieur Ludot is the premier collector and seller of designer vintage clothing. The installation incorporated various styles of music and poetry readings played at ten different locations of this expansive garden. This exhibit was attended by a select group of guests including the French Minister of Culture.
Henri’s work in public spaces is known to bring a sense of community and connection with people from all over the world and from all walks of life, bound together by the simple pleasure of sharing music, a rare occurrence in today’s iPod headphone culture.
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films
- Creating music for full feature and short films is a natural progression for Henri and his interests, given his ability to compose and produce music in various music genres and his desire to do the unexpected, always pushing his own boundaries. His work has been described as haunting, powerful, having its rightful place in film.Whether writing a tango, a classical piece, or a hip hop song, Henri believes that music has to be deeply rooted within the essence and DNA of the film, so much so that if the music disappeared or is replaced, the movie will have another identity.Furthermore, he observes that many film scores sound alike, generic, with the same chord progressions, drum programming and/or the same licensed songs. He laments the lack of surprise and simple powerful emotion, the elements that audiences recognize when they are exposed to it, evoking an everlasting memory of the film and of a time and place.For his first foray into feature films, Henri composed and produced the score for “A Big Road”, directed by Alec Tok and produced by Damon Chua (Wong Kar Wai). The film premiered at the Singapore International Film Festival. While thinking of John Barry, Henri composed a piece as a tribute to this legendary composer. A few days later, after Barry’s passing, he renamed the piece “Mr John Barry”, which was subsequently broadcast on Nowness.com.
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corporate
Music is a critical element of the customer experience and a powerful mechanism for companies to achieve differentiation. Through his consultancy, The Other Side Of The Brain (OSB) that was specifically formed to work with corporate clients, Henri Scars Struck has created programs for companies such as Estee Lauder, Lufthansa, Pfizer, Starwood Hotels & Resorts, and Unilever Prestige.
Authentic emotion is key for establishing a deep connection between a company and its employees and/or customers. Henri believes that companies have only scratched the surface of what is possible in terms of the use of music to inspire engagement and loyalty.
Henri speaks frequently on the subject of the emotional side of business, and the role of music in particular. He is a regular speaker on MBA and corporate programs, and was the keynote speaker in the series “A New Perspective” hosted by the Le Méridien hotels in multiple cities around the world.
As early as 1994, Henri created an immersive multi-sensory experience for Swatch in conjunction with the designer Jean Charles De Castelbajac. The installation was hosted at the Louvre and the 1994 winter Olympic games. It featured music and sounds under the Louvre pyramid - in the morning music/sounds of Parisian cafés were heard and scents of coffee were sprayed. In the afternoon, sounds of Provence and lavender scents were triggering the senses of many visitors.
In 2007, Henri composed a ground-breaking 24-hour soundtrack exclusively for Le Méridien Hotels (Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide) in support of the launch of their new program ”Unlocked Art.” The auditory experience was implemented in 110 properties throughout the world and involved music for two moments critical to the guest experience – as they enter the hotel; and as they ride the elevator to their room. The soundtrack was divided into four sections of 6 hours: morning (waters), afternoon (forest), evening (markets & cafes) and night (crickets & campfire). This soundtrack incorporates rich natural sounds and original music compositions influenced by different cultures from around the globe.
This program earned many awards such as “Best Innovative Concept in Full Service Hotels” at the 2009 Worldwide Hospitality Awards.
The Other Side Of The Brain’s services include the creation and execution of assignments, negotiation of all aspects of conception, production, recording and/or licensing, and the management of the process to completion. OSB also advises TV/film producers and directors, providing them with original music or serving as the music curator for a project. Henri Scars Struck's work has been featured in publications such as The New York Times, International Herald Tribune, New York Magazine, Art News, Fast Company, The New York Sun, Libération, Le Monde, and Trace Magazine as part of the feature, “New Yorkers on the Verge”. He is currently featured on the series “New Revolutionaries” on the Sundance TV Channel.
