Django Unchained (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)

Various Artists
Django Unchained (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)

Anyone familiar with Quentin Tarantino’s films knows that his soundtracks show him to be equally enthusiastic about music. Though his score to 2012’s Django Unchained is no exception, one noticeable change here is how Tarantino contrasts plenty of obscure record-collection gems with contemporary recordings from less obscure artists. In pure Tarantino form, he opens with Luis Bacalov’s “Django” from the 1966 exploitation film of the same name. It plays like an Elvis impersonator singing over a spaghetti western song. But more importantly, it lets fans know exactly where the inspiration for Django Unchained came from. Following this with a tense Ennio Morricone instrumental (“The Braying Mule”) makes perfect sense, and if you listen closely to the song's beginning you can hear the needle dropping on the record. Since the plot deals with a slave trying to rescue his wife from a Southern plantation owner, the gritty hip-hop of Rick Ross’ “100 Black Coffins” sounds right at home among the retro vinyl gems and sampled film dialogue, as does RZA’s “Ode to Django.”

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