Wheelman? Video Game Soundtrack Features Original Musica by Rod Abernethy and Rednote Audio

Rod Abernethy and Rednote Audio (www.rednoteaudio.com) announce their involvement in the production of the authentic and edgy score for Wheelman?, the highly-anticipated driving game starring action-film megastar as an expert driver for hire. Wheelman is developed by Midway Studios - Newcastle Ltd in close association with Vin Diesel's video game production company Tigon Studios and is being published worldwide by Ubisoft® and Midway.

Combining spectacular Hollywood-style stunts with a gripping storyline, Wheelman provides an adrenaline-fueled, cinematic thrill ride through the winding streets of Barcelona, Spain. To enhance the experience of over-the-top car chases in this stylish setting, Rod Abernethy and Rednote Audio created the majority of the game's intense hybrid score blending Flamenco guitars, modern electronica and hi-octane orchestral music into a heart-pounding audio experience that matches the gameplay and on-screen sequences.

"Working on Wheelman was a very rewarding experience," said composer Rod Abernethy. "My goal with Wheelman was to create a cinematic, hard-hitting score that has a traditional Spanish feel with a powerful, modern style."

Wheelman is expected to ship to retailers March 24, 2009, in North America and has a scheduled street date of March 27, 2009, in Europe. Wheelman will be available for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, the PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system, and for Windows PC. For more information on Wheelman, please visit http://www.wheelmangame.com/.

Rod Abernethy is known worldwide for his cutting-edge approach to composition, placing him at the top of the interactive composer A-list. He has created award winning scores for over 50 video games including Blacksite: Area 51, Star Trek: Legacy, Blazing Angels I & II, Transformers, Dead Head Fred, Silent Hunter 4 and The Hobbit that won G.A.N.G.'s Best Soundtrack of the Year Award in 2003. Most recently Rod helped develop the music and co-produced the live orchestral sessions for EA's sci-fi survival horror opus, Dead Space. His video game work includes collaboration with Harry Gregson-Williams on Flushed Away and veteran film composer Elmer Bernstein on the Wild Wild West: The Steel Assassin. Rod has recorded in major studios around the world for record industry giants Warner Bros., Elektra, Atlantic, and MCA Records and collaborated with legendary producers Paul Rothchild (The Doors, Bonnie Raitt), John Anthony (Roxy Music, Queen) and David Lord (Peter Gabriel, Tori Amos, Tears for Fears, The Pretenders). For more information visit www.rednoteaudio.com.

Japanese composer Joe Hisaishi has confirmed his attendance to V International Film Music Festival "City of Úbeda".

Best know for his collaborations with prominent filmmaker and Ghibli's animation studio co-founder Hayao Miyazaki, Joe Hisaishi is one of the most influential figures in the Japanese film industry and the creative genius behind over a hundred film scores.

His prolific career encompasses not only some of the very hallmarks of Anime since the early 1980s -such as Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (1983), Princess Mononoke (1997) or the Academy Award-winning film Spirited Away (2001)- but also a number of succesful film and TV productions like Hon? no Arupen Rozu (1985) and most of Takeshi Kitano's-directed features including Sonatine (1993), Kikujiro (1999) and Brother (2000).

A versatile artist, Joe Hisaishi has further successfully developed a solo career as performer, music producer and record label owner in addition to working as an arranger, head of orchestra and occassional film director.

His talent has been widely recognized as the recepient of countless international honors including five Japanese Film Academy Awards, the Annie Awards, the Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award and the Hong Kong Film Awards, among many other.

After writing last year's critically acclaimed score for Hayao Miyazaki's Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea, 2009 sees Joe Hisaishi returning to solo form with a new album -Another Piano Stories - The End of the World- as well as writing music to the French production Sunny et l'éléphant plus two more films in Japan: I'd Rather Be a Shellfish and the Academy Award-winning Picture in Foreign Language Departures.

A first-timer in Spain, Joe Hisaishi's presence in the Úbeda Film Music Festival is a luxury that few film music fans can miss!