Last year's MondoCon - a yearly convention built around awesome screenprints, the amazing artists who create them, and the ongoing popularity of vinyl soundtracks - was an absolute blast (you can read my report from the frontlines here), and this year's gathering sounds like it's going to be even better.
According to the Playlist:
MondoCon will celebrate the 10th anniversary of The Fountain with a special screening event, followed by an in-depth conversation about the film, its music, its the impact with composer Clint Mansell, conducted by Brian Satterwhite. And that’s not all. Mondo will also be releasing the score on vinyl for the first time ever.
First of all: holy shit, it's been a ten years since the release of Darren Aronofsky's The Fountain. Secondly: holy shit, they're bringing in Clint Mansell to MondoCon!
You'll recall that Mansell's The Fountain soundtrack (produced in conjunction with Kronos Quartet and Mogwai) is one of the greatest soundtracks ever recorded. To be given the opportunity to sit and listen to Mansell discuss the work that went into that music - and in our own backyard! - is quite a gift.
Here's what Mansell has to say about the event, and the soundtrack's release on vinyl:
"…more than any of my works, the demand for The Fountain on vinyl has been building incessantly over the years. We’ve all waited a long time for this and, to be honest, I never really thought it would happen. But, once again, Mondo delivers. I was blown away by their release of Black Swan last year, so I’m excited that we get to do it all again with The Fountain. Aronofsky! Mansell! Mondo! Death Waltz! The Fountain! Nuff Said!”
The album itself, comprised of 10 tracks and pressed on 180 gram vinyl, features cover art from the great Nicole Gustaffson, and looks like this:
According to The Playlist's exclusive, the album will be "made available to MondoCon attendees in a limited special edition of 500 copies. The soundtrack will also be available in a general release edition starting in November." So if you want the limited edition version of this masterpiece, you're gonna need to be at MondoCon 2016 to collect.
MondoCon's in its third year, and runs from October 22nd to October 23rd. You can get tickets, see who else is appearing at the Con, and learn more about the kick-ass events Mondo's got planned over at this page.
Having attended MondoCon every year, I can assure you that it's worth the cost of admission; the Mondo guys really know how to throw a party. Have you been to MondoCon? Back me up on all that in the comments below if so.