October 15, 2019
Omega Announces the Eurociné Collection Vol. 1 with Two Scores by Daniel White for Jess Franco Horrorotica Thrillers
France’s Omega Productions Records has announced, for the first time on physical media, the soundtracks to Jess Franco’s erotic horror films LA COMTESSE NOIRE (1975; known as FEMALE VAMPIRE) in a double program with DES FRISSONS SUR LA PEAU (1973, known in the US under its original title, TENDER AND PERVERSE EMANUELLE), both composed by frequent Franco composer, Daniel J. White.
Released in Paris on May 7, 1975, LA COMTESSE NOIRE is one of the iconic films in Franco’s extensive filmography. Born in France of Scottish ancestry, prolific composer Daniel J. White (1912-1997) began scoring films there in 1950; he became especially popular in 1965 by scoring the Alpine adventure TV series, BELLE ET SÉBASTIEN series. White’s first collaboration with Franco came with 1962’s THE SADISTIC BARON VON KLAUS and continued through the composer’s death in 1997, and even beyond, as Franco inserted White’s music into several of his films in the 2000s. White was also an actor, playing small roles in films for Franco and others, beginning in 1954 and continuing into the 1980s.
LA COMTESSE NOIRE/DES FRISSONS SUR LA PEAU is the first volume in Omega’s new series the Eurociné collection, dedicated to soundtracks of the famous Parisian production company of the same name. “Unlocking an incomparable French charm making it a pure product of our heritage, Eurociné is for any music lover of an incredible richness of sound, with composers like Daniel J. White and Bruno Nicolai,” writes the label.
With these scores, White blends a classic compositional style with many atonal and jazzy influences. For LA COMTESSE NOIRE he composed one of his most famous themes, which was subsequently re-used in other productions from the Eurociné company, including (Franco’s L’ABÎME DES MORTS VIVANTS (OASIS OF THE ZOMBIES) and Jean Rollin’s LE LAC DES MORTS VIVANTS (ZOMBIE LAKE). White’s music for DES FRISSONS SUR LA PEAU follows in the straightforward melancholic lyricism of the first score.
Omega Productions offers these two scores in digital, CD digipak (limited edition of 200 copies) and vinyl (limited edition of 500) editions. All are available now available for pre-order exclusively from omegaproductionsrecords
Sample a segment from White’s main theme for LA COMTESSE NOIRE:
