The Playlist

'Contagion' & 'Drive' Composer Talks Working With Soderbergh, Nicolas Winding Refn & Possibly Working On 'Only God Forgives'When we last sat down with composer Cliff Martinez, the Matthew McConaughey-starring "Lincoln Lawyer" was his last work, and the film, and score, were both warmly received. Mr. Martinez, familiar to fans of Steven Soderbergh for scoring several outstanding films in the director's filmography, including his standout score for "Solaris", was generous enough to sit down with us again - with two very well received films now in theaters (Soderbergh's "Contagion" and Nicolas Winding Refn's "Drive"), we talked about his first foray into composing, meeting Soderbergh, and just what is going with Refn's project "Only God Forgives."1. His first composing gig was doing music for "Pee Wee's Playhouse", the TV show.Already fascinated with music technology in the early 80s, former Red Hot Chilli Peppers drummer Martinez's brush with what would become a cornerstone of his composing career was seemingly fated. "I was recording the first Chili Peppers album and the producer, Andy Gill, walked into the room with a Lynn drum machine and he said 'Cliff, why don’t you check this out, maybe you’d like to program a few beats,'" says Martinez. "And I felt like I was holding in my hands the device that was going to replace me and all drummers, and from that moment I was turning into a dinosaur and I had to evolve or die."