Often soundtracking the mundane, library music’s popularity in recent decades is something of an enigma. A genre born out of utility, the demand for session musicians boomed in the 1960s well into the 1980s, there was a lot of money to be made in themes: TV and radio producers needed music to accompany opening credits, action or love scenes, game show sequences or advertising. Well-trained composers had access to large ensembles and budgets, and the Italians, in particular, pulled out all the stops. The Alternate Steps show will look back at the recent spate of reissues that have given once-obscure names newfound popularity.
