Composing and the Culinary Arts Converge: “Sounds for a Dinner Party”

When they’re not in the studio, audio engineers have been known to have a friend or three over for dinner. It’s true — even mixers and live sound geeks like to socialize in civilized fashion.

But once you and your guests gather ‘round the table, what music should be playing? For those who make recording, mixing and mastering their business this moment has always provided its own particular quandary. Fortunately, now there’s the perfect album to translate your good taste.

The lip-smacking collection is VOL. 1: Sounds for a Dinner Party, recently released by the busy L.A. composer Silas Hite. Designed specifically as a soundtrack to accompany an evening of fine dining, spirited convos, and relaxing, Hite has this instant classic flowing with violin, mandolin, accordion, cello, bassoon, and more, the perfect set list for a dinner party to remember (provided you don’t get too smashed on the sauvignon blanc).

Somewhat audio-obsessed, Hite shared his Top 10 Studio Tools a few years back with SonicScoop. Since then, he’s been on a roll (dinner pun intended) scoring for TV shows such as as Chef’s Table (more on that in a minute) American Pickers, Shaggy & Scooby-Doo Get A Clue!, and Disney’s Dance-A- Lot Robot. He has hundreds of commercials on his reel for clients such as Apple, McDonalds, and Chevy, earning him an Emmy, Adweek’s Campaign of the Decade, and a Titanium Grand Prix from Cannes. On the video game side, he’s contributed to titles including The Sims 2, Skate 3, and The Simpsons. Plus, he’s scoring and mixing constantly for alt-media types like Google.

Silas Hite in his element. Photo credit: David Broach

VOL. 1: Sounds for a Dinner Party was inspired by ‘60’s era mood records, which were often compiled to match up with real-life events like parties, dances or other gatherings. Hite’s work for Netflix’ popular “Chef’s Table” documentary series reminded him that film and TV aren’t the only things that need soundtracks – good ole-fashioned get-togethers benefit from them too. Hence this ode and aid to what he calls deliberate living. “A dinner party host makes deliberate menu choices and sets intention when planning for a party,” Hite says. “This record is designed to be part of that deliberate choice and intention.”

Hite goes deeper on the very real crossover between tasting and listening in this interview with SonicScoop. The next time you’re cooking, eating, and thinking about the ideal aural accompaniment to these life-affirming activities, chew on this food for thought.

What do you see as being the connection to food and music — what are the ways that they “overlap”, complement and inform each other?

Creating a good piece of music is similar to creating a good dish.

With food, you have to know how to mix and match ingredients in the right proportions to come up with a well-balanced flavor, a desired texture, and an overall enticing aesthetic.  With music, you’re doing the same thing, but the “ingredients” are instrumentation, harmony, arrangement, etc.  You have to balance all of these things to come up with an enticing piece of music that someone wants to experience over and over.

Whether it’s food or music or art, if you are able to balance all the elements correctly, your audience will crave your creation and want it again and again.

What was the creative opportunity that you had scoring for “Chef’s Table”? As you’ve continued to write for the show, what kind of music, instruments and arrangements have you discovered work especially well with content that’s centered on cooking and cuisine?

The way the show is filmed and presented is so elegantly beautiful, the music has to bring that same level of elegance and beauty.

Hite’s 1972 Wurlitzer was a main ingredient in “Dinner Party.”

I seem to return to the core instrumentation of live violin, viola, cello and double bass really carrying a lot of the sound.  I will usually augment that with mandolin, guitar, percussion, piano – any of these things.  For the latest season, Chef’s Table Pastry, I incorporated a new toy, my 1972 200A Wurlitzer electric piano, into the mix quite a bit.  I used big sustaining chords played in the lower register with lots of the built-in vibrato for lush textures.  I often used the higher register to double my celesta melodies, giving them a unique sound.

I found that the low-mid range of this instrument really blended well with the low-mid frequencies of the cello and double bass.  In fact, I liked this sound combination so much the idea bled over into my next project, which was Sounds for a Dinner Party.

Your new album is specifically inspired by the concept of the dinner party. How did that theme inform your pacing and sequencing?

Side A starts out with a short track, Petit Apéritif, that is meant to be fun and enticing, like an appetizer preparing you for the main course.  Following that, the album has an ebb and flow that mirrors a sit-down meal.  The beginning and middle of the album are lively, with instruments trading melodies back and forth like people trading conversation at a dinner party.

Toward the end of Side B, the album begins to slow in pacing as you grow full and start to relax.  The last track, Lightness of Being (Digestif), is a peaceful string quartet, meant to leave you with a sense of calm and well-being.

“VOL. 1: Sounds for a Dinner Party” is out now.

Do you listen to music while you cook? If so, what’s your ideal soundtrack for chopping, slicing and dicing?

Cooking music and dining music are two very different things for me.  When I’m cooking I like something I can sing along to, like Jay Reatard, The Avett Brothers, or Metric.

But when I’m sitting down to a meal with family and friends, I prefer instrumental music like Bob Dylan’s Pat Garret & Billy The Kid soundtrack, or the soundtrack from Amélie.  Much like music for a film, at the dinner table I want music that helps set a good mood, but doesn’t interfere with the dialog!  That’s why Sounds for a Dinner Party is all instrumental music.  It’s the soundtrack for your meal.

• David Weiss

Please note: When you buy products through links on this page, we may earn an affiliate commission.