Peter Hobbs

BMus Bachelor of Music (BM or BMus) is an academic degree awarded by a college, university, or conservatory upon completion of a program of study in music. In the United States, it is a professional degree, and the majority of work consists of presc ...

(born 17 June 1970) is a New Zealand screen composer and musician. He has scored soundtracks for films, television, commercials, art installations, and contemporary dance works. He also fronts the band Lost Demos.

Professional life

Peter Hobbs has been awarded internationally as a film composer, and sound designer. He currently operates Harmonic Studio, a music and sound studio in

Auckland Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The most populous urban area in the country and the fifth largest city in Oceania, Auckland has an urban population of about ...

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

. Hobbs describes himself as a "diehard advocate for the spaces between the notes". Hobbs plays guitar and vocals for alternative country band Lost Demos along with Andrea Holmes on drums and backing vocals, Jon Baxter on trumpet, Puck Murphy on banjo and accordion, Kieran Scott on electric and slide guitar and Rua Sargent on bass. Their first song in three years was ''Watching the World Go Down'' in 2020, which is about the new Covid-19 era.

Composing work

Hobbs has composed soundtracks for a number of New Zealand films, including ''Jean'', (the story of

Jean Batten Jane Gardner Batten (15 September 1909 – 22 November 1982), commonly known as Jean Batten, was a New Zealand aviator, making a number of record-breaking solo flights across the world. She is notable for completing the first solo flight fro ...

) for which he won a Gold for Best Original Music at New York Festivals Awards and Best Original Score at the 2017 NZ Television Awards. He scored James Napier Robertson's 2009 feature film,

I'm Not Harry Jenson ''I'm Not Harry Jenson'' is a micro-budget theatrical New Zealand film released in 2009. It is the first feature film written and directed by James Napier Robertson. It was produced by Tom Hern through the production company Six String Pictures. ...

and has written music for a number of long-running television series, most notably the hit Australian show ''

Highway Patrol A highway patrol, or state patrol is either a police unit created primarily for the purpose of overseeing and enforcing traffic safety compliance on roads and highways, or a detail within an existing local or regional police agency that is prima ...

'', now in its eighth season. Hobbs is a frequent collaborator on artistic projects, creating soundscapes for

virtual reality Virtual reality (VR) is a simulated experience that employs pose tracking and 3D near-eye displays to give the user an immersive feel of a virtual world. Applications of virtual reality include entertainment (particularly video games), e ...

and other visual mediums, such as with photographer Chris Sisarich. He created music alongside and

visual effects Visual effects (sometimes abbreviated VFX) is the process by which imagery is created or manipulated outside the context of a live-action shot in filmmaking and video production. The integration of live-action footage and other live-action foota ...

artist Jon Baxter, the video experience for the New Zealand pavilion at the

Frankfurt Book Fair The Frankfurt Book Fair (German: Frankfurter Buchmesse, FBM) is the world's largest trade fair for books, based on the number of publishing companies represented. It is considered to be the most important book fair in the world for internationa ...

in 2012 for Inside Out Productions a collaboration with Patterson Architects. He regularly works with the leading

Māori Māori or Maori can refer to: Relating to the Māori people * Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group * Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand * Māori culture * Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the C ...

dance company Atamira for which his soundtracks have been described as "quietly rhythmic, smoky" and "dramatic". In 2016 he collaborated with famed NZ musician

Shayne Carter Shayne P. Carter is a New Zealand musician best known for leading Straitjacket Fits from 1986 to 1994, and as the only permanent member of Dimmer (1995–2012). Carter is a member of the New Zealand Music Hall of Fame, and has been awarded the ...

and master

Taonga pūoro Taonga pūoro are the traditional musical instruments of the Māori people of New Zealand. The instruments previously fulfilled many functions within Māori society including a call to arms, dawning of the new day, communications with the gods ...

player James Webster on the soundtrack for ''Pango'', a new contemporary dance piece for Atamira that toured China. The team of Hobbs,

Carter Carter(s), or Carter's, Tha Carter, or The Carter(s), may refer to: Geography United States * Carter, Arkansas, an unincorporated community * Carter, Mississippi, an unincorporated community * Carter, Montana, a census-designated place * Carter ...

, Webster and Artistic Director Moss Patterson was described as "the marriage of...four stunning talents". Hobbs has mentioned his admiration of film composer

Cliff Martinez Cliff Martinez (born February 5, 1954) is an American musician and composer. Early in his career, Martinez was known as a drummer notably with the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Captain Beefheart. Since the 1990s, he has worked primarily as a film sc ...

Film soundtrack credits

*Mana Wahine (2019) (short film) * Jean (2016) *Abandoned (2015) *King of Caravans (2013) *Tangiwai, A Love Story (2012) *Last Flight (2011) *

(2010)

Television soundtrack credits

*Extreme Treks (2019) (Season 3) * Coastwatch Oz (2013) *Pirates of the Airwaves (2013) (Additional Music) *Unsung Heroes (2012) *Fire Scene Investigation (2010) *

(2008–present) *Highway Cops (2011–present) *

Burying Brian ''Burying Brian'' is a New Zealand television miniseries produced by Eyeworks Touchdown which premiered on Television New Zealand's TVNZ 1, TV One on 2 July 2008, and ran for 6 episodes. The series is about Jodie and her three female friends. At ...

(2008) * Rude Awakenings (2007)

Contemporary dance soundtrack credits

*Tomo, Atamira Dance Company (2019) *Pango, Atamira Dance Company (2016–17) *Manaia, Atamira Dance Company (2016) *Moko, Atamira Dance Company (2015)

Screen sound design and audio post credits

*King of Caravans (2013) *Whakatauki (2012) *

(2010) *The Kiwi who Saved Britain (2010) *Fire Scene Investigation (2010) *Kia ora Molweni (2010) *

Spartacus (TV series) ''Spartacus'' is an American television series produced in New Zealand that premiered on Starz on January 22, 2010, and concluded on April 12, 2013. The fiction series was inspired by the historical figure of Spartacus, a Thracian gladiator who ...

(2009) (Additional Dialogue Recording) *Charlotte: My Story (2009) * The Jacquie Brown Diaries (2008) *

The Devil Dared Me To ''The Devil Dared Me To'' is a New Zealand film written by and starring Chris Stapp and Matt Heath. The film revolves around a fictional stuntman, Randy Cambell, who aspires to be the greatest living New Zealander in that profession. The charact ...

(2007) *

Back of the Y Masterpiece Television ''Back of the Y'' (also known as ''Back of the Y TV'' during series 1 and ''Back of the Y Masterpiece Television'' during series 2), is a cult New Zealand television series, created by Chris Stapp and Matt Heath. The show glorified stunts and th ...

(2001)

Music editing credits

Sione's Wedding ''Sione's Wedding'' (also marketed outside New Zealand as ''Samoan Wedding'') is a 2006 New Zealand comedic film directed by Chris Graham and written by James Griffin and Oscar Kightley, and produced by South Pacific Pictures. Plot Set in Au ...

(2006)

References

External links

Harmonic Studio
website
Lost Demos
band website * *Peter Hobbs at th
NZ On Screen
website {{DEFAULTSORT:Hobbs, Peter New Zealand film score composers Male composers University of Otago alumni 1970 births Living people Male film score composers