E.S. Posthumus

E.S. Posthumus is an independent music group that produces cinematic style music. It is a form of epic classical that fuses intertwined drum beats with orchestral and electronic sounds. Their music is inspired by the Pythagorean Philosophy which states that "music is the harmonization of opposites; the conciliation of warring elements". The E.S. is an acronym for "Experimental Sounds" while Posthumus is a word that represents "all things past".----------------------------



According to the group, E.S. Posthumus was formed in 2000 by brothers Helmut and Franz Vonlichten. Helmut and Franz studied piano with their mother. After graduating from high school, Franz worked in recording studios while Helmut attended and graduated from UCLA, with a degree in archaeology. --------------------------------------



E.S. Posthumus' music has been licensed by many movie and television production studios; being included in numerous movie trailers and television shows. For instance, the song Posthumus Zone was composed for the CBS Sports TV programs The NFL Today and The NFL on CBS. Despite their increasing popularity however, the Vonlichten brothers remain a mystery to many people. E.S. Posthumus have so far released one album, with a second album planned for release sometime in the near future.-----------------------------------------------



Currently, E.S. Posthumus is the only group produced by the record company Wigshop Records.



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UNEARTHED, the first album composed by E.S. Posthumus, was originally made available for purchase online through the CDBaby website in January 2001 due to its limited release. It eventually went on to become the third biggest selling album in CDBaby's history. The success of the album prompted the wide re-release to retail in May 2005 through Wigshop and 33rd Street Records/Bayside Distribution.--------------------------------------------------



A key piece to the distinctive sound of the music comes from working with the Seattle Symphony. In an interview with SountrackNet, the band said "we wanted the chance to blow an ungodly sum of cash working with a big orchestra" [4]. Other musicians performing on this CD include Pedro Eustache, Michael Landau, Matt Laug, Lance Morrison, Davy Spillane and Efrain Toro.



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Many tracks from Unearthed have been featured in various movie trailers and television shows. It has been used in the trailers for movies such as Unfaithful and Vanity Fair thanks to its escalating structure, which makes it well-suited for the dramatic montages of those particular films. Since Unearthed contains tracks that vary greatly in mood and style, it remains as a popular choice for production companies to utilise in trailers; although the album has been available for a number of years. However, tracks such as Antissa, Ulaid, Estremoz, and Isfahan have hardly been used, if at all, in movie trailers or television shows.--------------------------------------------------



An excerpt from the track Nara is used as the main theme for the CBS television show Cold Case, which is played during the opening title/credit sequence of every episode. A vocal rise performed by a female solo singer leads into the opening title, where one of the verses of Nara is then played for the remainder of the sequence, concluding with a short melody from a woodwind instrument. At the time Executive Producer Jerry Bruckheimer chose the song to be used in the show, he had never actually met the Vonlichten brothers in person. Additionally, Michael A. Levine, a musical composer for television shows and advertisements, created a reworked version of Nara that is played during the show's closing credits (the closing credits are seen in a promo/credits screen on CBS, not the original studio credits with the music).



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CARTOGRAPHER, the second album from E.S. Posthumus, was proposed to make its release sometime in 2006, though was later released in early 2008. The delay from the original release date can so far only be attributed to the brothers Vonlichten's ill concern with deadlines, as revealed in a May 2005 interview with Franz Vonlichten by SoundtrackNet.---------------------------------------------------------



Upon the album's release on the CDBaby website, it came accompanied with the following album description:



"In 1929, the ancient map "Piri Reis" was discovered in Constantinople. The map is extraordinary because it depicts bays and islands on the Antarctic coast which have been concealed under ice for at least 6,000 years. What civilization was capable of such exploration that long ago? On "Cartographer", we imagine that these explorers were from the tiny island of Numa in the Southern Indian Ocean. As advanced seafarers, they navigated every corner of the Earth. We have created a language unique to them and tell stories through song that describe their creation, discoveries and ultimate demise. This is a 2 CD collection with Vocal and Remix versions of every song. The Remix CD also contains 2 bonus tracks."----------------------------------



The vocal tracks are sung by Luna Sans, ( feel free to visit her myspace account, you can find her in my friends.)while the remix versions replace her vocals with instrumental solos and choir melodies, much in the style of Posthumus's first album, "Unearthed".-------------------------------------------------------------



Currently, the album can be purchased through CDBaby ( http://cdbaby.com/cd/esposthumus3 )

and iTunes.-------------------------------------------------------------------



As of 17 January 2008, a new section was added to the official website of E.S. Posthumus with the focus being on the new album.