How to Get the Sound of Dune 2
With the release of Dune: Part 2, famed composer Hans Zimmer returns to finish the musical storytelling he began in 2021 with the first half of the sci-fi epic. As our hero Paul Atredies comes further into his messianic powers and contends with rival factions over the mysterious resources of the planet Arrakis, Zimmer’s music brings this strange, warring world to life.
To help create the Dune films’ eerie alien realism, Zimmer used traditional orchestral elements and innovative electronic textures, but even if you don’t have his resources and studio time, you can still find the sound you're looking for with Universal Production Music’s extensive library. Our flexible licensing offerings allow you to craft the perfect soundscape for any epic your mind has dreamt up.
Stronger Signature Sounds
While Zimmer’s work on the first Dune was atmospheric and apropos, it lacked any sticky, recognizable lines of melody. One of Dune: Part Two’s final tracks, ‘Kiss the Ring,’ changes that, and has become a hit with fans.
Throughout Dune: Part Two, Zimmer returns to simple melodic lines used in the first track, ‘Beginnings Are Such Delicate Times,’ for many story beats, adapting the familiar notes to each emotional tone. In some ways, the sequel’s score is more conventional than Dune’s droning atmosphere.
No matter your approach, you can find an out of this world experience track in Universal Production Music’s library.
Feminine Mysticism
Dune: Part Two is a spiritually-themed work, a story of power clashes infused with mysticism and theology. Set on the desert planet of Arrakis, the film’s visuals draw from Middle Eastern and North African influences.
“We agreed that the music would need to have a spirituality to it… a sanctified quality,” director Denis Villeneuve explained in The Art and Soul of Dune.
Zimmer revealed in the making-of book that the chanting that can be heard throughout the scores is mostly female voices. The Bene Gesserit, the mystic religious order within which Paul’s mother ascends to power during Dune: Part Two, is all-female. By maximizing their physical and mental potential, these women use political interference and religious engineering to achieve their goal of saving humanity.
As Zimmer put it, “the female characters in the film drive the story.”
Search our ambient sci-fi tracks for outer space to find sounds that evoke long-forgotten wisdom and galactic mysteries.
Subtle Depths
When crafting the Dune soundtracks, Zimmer could have easily leaned on stereotypically “exotic” sounds. But while there are some recognizable organic Earth instruments in the orchestral mix, there are also never-before-heard tones made with electronic instruments. The effect makes the world of Dune seem uncannily familiar.
This feudal society is a recognizable setting in some ways, but you’re never sure just what alien creature or strange idea is lurking around the bend.
A solid sci-fi soundtrack makes an audience feel as though they’re exploring the depths of space themselves. Register to find your next sound with Universal Production Music and take them on your unique journey.