Amin Bhatia

Canada's Amin Bhatia is a composer and synthesizer specialist known for his orchestral synth creations. In addition to rarer solo material including his groundbreaking debut album, The Interstellar Suite (1987), he has written and performed the scores for films as diverse as Iron Eagle II (1988), John Woo's Once a Thief (1996), and the nature documentary Mysteries of the Great Lakes (2008). Meanwhile, he composed the music for television shows The Ray Bradbury Theater, the animated preschool series Franny's Feet, the action-crime series Flashpoint, and the Netflix family drama Anne (the latter with frequent partner Ari Posner). The solo compilation Requests from the Vault saw release in 2021 as he continued to write music for multiple series as well as movies including the 2023 documentary Jane Goodall: Reasons for Hope. Although he was born in London, England (July 10, 1961), Amin Bhatia grew up in Kampala, Uganda until his family headed to Canada to escape the region's political turmoil. An aspiring musician, he gravitated toward orchestral music as a child but cut his teeth on a more manageable Minimoog at home, eventually leading to prizes in the Roland International Synthesizer Competition and work with such luminaries as David Foster, Toto's Steve Porcaro, and Michael Jackson -- Bhatia's synth programming was featured on Thriller (1982). His debut solo album, The Interstellar Suite, was a tribute to the orchestral music of idols like Stravinsky, John Williams, and Jerry Goldsmith using analog synthesizers. Issued on Capitol Records' Cinema imprint in 1987, it helped launch his career in film and television scoring. He had already scored his first film as the main composer, Storm, which had its Cannes Film Festival premiere in 1985. Then came the 1988 action film Iron Eagle II and '90s films like Primo Baby (1990) and Café Romeo (1991). In the early '90s, he also composed for TV's The Ray Bradbury Theater. With demand for his scores now steady, he worked on theatrical releases including 1992's Black Ice, TV movies such as Ordeal in the Arctic (1993) and Shock Treatment (1995), and series like Tales from the Cryptkeeper and Free Willy. He continued to split commitments between action- and nature-themed projects and children's fare throughout his career. He was credited with "background music" on the animated TV movie Pingu at the Wedding Party (1997), shared scoring duties with Ken Worth on the action series Once a Thief (1996-1998), and recorded the soundtrack for the short Gold Fever (1999) with banjo and guitar player James Tait, guitarist Mike Francis, percussionist Rick Lazar, and a 65-piece orchestra. He next provided the music for the military-themed Going Back (2001) and penned the score for the documentary Jane Goodall's Wild Chimpanzees (2002). Another action feature, the Dolph Lundgren vehicle Detention, followed in 2003. Bhatia's TV work in the 2000s included the animated action series Get Ed (with frequent writing partner Ari Posner), kids' show Franny's Feet, and the crime series Flashpoint (with Posner), which carried over from the late 2000s into the early 2010s. In the meantime, he also did the music for the documentary Mysteries of the Great Lakes (2008), among other projects, and released the 2008 solo album Virtuality, which featured an electronic suite with guests including Steve Porcaro, Patrick Moraz, and Thomas Bloch. As Bhatia's work on Flashpoint wrapped up, he worked on shorts such as Wonders of the Arctic 3D (2014) and joined series including -- all with Posner -- Blood and Fury: America's Civil War, WWII drama X Company (2015-2017), and the Netflix family drama Anne (2017-2019). His work with Posner in the children's realm during this period included TV's Let's Go Luna (2018-2022) and, debuting in 2022, Rosie's Rules, which also featured contributions from composer Jorge López. In the meantime, Bhatia released the 2021 compilation Requests from the Vault, featuring recorded material (including a handful of demos) that never ended up on any other album, film soundtrack, or series. He went on to collaborate with Posner on live-action series including the dramas Sullivan's Crossing and Ride. 2023 saw the release of Jane Goodall: Reasons for Hope, whose score was credited solely to Bhatia. ~ Marcy Donelson, Rovi