The new Brian Eno documentary from filmmaker Gary Hustwit, simply titled Eno, had its World Premiere at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival and will make its UK premiere at London’s Barbican on April 20. The film is unique in that it’s different every time it’s screened:
Gary Hustwit and creative technologist Brendan Dawes have developed bespoke generative software designed to sequence scenes and create transitions out of Hustwit’s original interviews with Eno, and Eno’s rich archive of never- before-seen footage, and unreleased music. Each screening of Eno is unique, presenting different scenes, order, music, and meant to be experienced live. The generative and infinitely iterative quality of Eno poetically resonates with the artist’s own creative practice, his methods of using technology to compose music, and his endless deep dive into the mercurial essence of creativity.
Adds director Hustwit, “Much of Brian’s career has been about enabling creativity in himself and others, through his role as a producer but also through his collaborations on projects like the Oblique Strategies cards or the music app Bloom. I think of Eno as an art film about creativity, with the output of Brian’s 50-year career as its raw material. What I’m trying to do is to create a cinematic experience that’s as innovative as Brian’s approach to music and art.”
While there’s been no US release date announced yet, the film’s soundtrack will be out just ahead of its UK premiere, released April 19. The album’s 17 tracks pull from all over Eno’s career, including his early “rock” albums like 1974’s Taking Tiger Mountain by Strategy and 1975’s Another Green World, his influential ambient work, collaborations David Byrne, John Cale, Cluster and Fred again.., up through his most recent album, FOREVERANDEVERNOMORE, and his 2021 performance at Athens’ The Acropolis with brother, Roger Eno.
For people who live in the UK and Ireland, preordering the soundtrack gives you access to watch the Barbican premiere of the film. Details are here.
There are three previously commercially unreleased recordings, including “Lighthouse #429,” which they’ve shared today. The song, which has a bit of an Aphex Twin vibe, was previously available exclusively on Eno’s SONOS station. You can listen to that, and check out the album art and tracklist, below.
ENO: ORIGINAL MOTION PICTURE SOUNDTRACK
1. Brian Eno – All I Remember *
2. Brian Eno with Daniel Lanois and Roger Eno – The Secret Place
3. Brian Eno & Fred Again – Cmon
4. Brian Eno & Cluster – Ho Renomo
5. Brian Eno – Sky Saw
6. Brian Eno & John Cale – Spinning Away
7. Brian Eno & Tom Rogerson – Motion In Field
8. Brian Eno – There Were Bells
9. Brian Eno – Third Uncle
10. Brian Eno & David Byrne – Everything That Happen
11. Brian Eno – Stiff
12. Brian Eno with Leo Abrahams and Jon Hopkins – Emerald & Lime
13. Brian Eno – Hardly Me
14. Brian Eno & David Byrne – Regiment
15. Brian Eno – Fractal Zoom
16. Brian Eno – Lighthouse #429 *
17. Brian Eno & Roger Eno – By This River (Live At The Acropolis) *
*Previously Unreleased