George Martin is giving one last posthumous gift to the world: an eight-part documentary series about recording studio wizardry called Soundbreaking: Stories From the Cutting Edge of Recorded Music. The series, whose first two episodes will be shown today at SXSW before it airs on PBS this November, was put together by Martin and his son Giles over the course of five years.
“Soundbreaking afforded me the opportunity to tell the story of the creative process of so many of the artists I have worked with throughout my life,” said Martin in a statement. The eight stories upon which the series will focus are hip-hop sampling, Giorgio Moroder’s impact on dance music, the art of the music video, how Miles Davis and Marvin Gaye expanded the LP, Phil Spector and the Wall of Sound, Stevie Wonder and Motown, the creation of Adele’s “Rolling in the Deep,” and Martin’s own work with the Beatles.
Even from the trailer, it’s obvious that the guest list for Soundbreaking will be massive and legendary: Elton John, Dave Grohl, St. Vincent, Brian Eno, Rolling Stones producer Don Was, Bonnie Raitt, and of course, Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr. Check it out above.
When Martin died last week, Soundbreaking’s creators put together a tribute video for him out of various clips that will be used in the series. Take a look below.