Cliff Martinez

Getting fired from his job as drummer in The Red Hot Chilli Peppers launched Cliff Martinez into a successful career as a TV and film music composer. His dismissal from the band by founding members Flea and Kiedis was brought about because they felt Martinez lacked commitment . Martinez had played on the band's successful debut album and its follow-up Freaky Styley but during the recording of the third album, The Uplift Mofo Party Plan, he was served notice to quit and subsequently turned his attention to writing for TV and film. Early work on the score for Pee Wee Herman's Playhouse brought him to the attention of Academy Award-winning director Steven Soderburgh resulting in a series of successful collaborations. His distinctive soundtracks often feature heavily-manipulated percussive sounds and have forged a niche for Martinez who often composes music for dark psychological dramas. Regular collaborations with Soderburgh established him as a highly regarded composer and in recent times he has been engaged on projects with directors such as Nickolas Jarecki, Harmony Korine, Nicholas Winding and Robert Redford.