How the Music of ‘Euphoria’ Composer Labrinth Inspired the Score for Football Docuseries ‘Algiers, America’

Hulus football docuseries Algiers, America reaches both an emotional and musical peak in its fifth and final episode. As the students of Edna Karr High School near graduation, one of their classmates, Keyron Ross, is killed by gun violence.

The series profiles the New Orleans high schools football team while also looking at the reality of gun violence, which has caused the players to lose both family members and teammates. For the shows score, composer Chad Cannon threaded in a whirlwind of sound and emotion, with Labrinths Euphoria soundtrack serving as inspiration in the way that it fuses gospel, orchestral and electronic music. The importance of music in the series was particularly highlighted during Ross funeral.

The Keyron Ross funeral scene is truly heartbreaking. This is when [assistant coach] gives a powerful performance of Just a Closer Walk With Thee, which is commonly performed at jazz funerals in New Orleans, Cannon says. We did an arrangement that was much more conflicted feeling the original is in a major key and is quite upbeat, whereas ours is minor and very sad feeling.

Cannon also penned a haunting synth track with a mellow choir behind it, titled #Forever48 after Ross jersey number, which was inspired by Labrinths sound. The song plays during the graduation scene as Ross teammates reflect on his impact as a team player. #Forever48 was another moment to show the communitys loss and sadness after Ross death.

This is probably where you can hear best how my melodic writing gets framed with hip-hop beats and gospel choir, Cannon says. I loved the improvised vocal solos performed by the NOLA choir. He continues, It also prepares the way for an incredible, inspirational speech by Dr. Ashonta Wyatt (a local activist who is fighting against all the violence).

Elsewhere, Cannon used banjo, the viola and keys, which can be heard in the shows third episode with the track Katrina PTSD ~ Back to School. At first, I wanted a really dark, almost Medieval tone, then later it becomes kind of mournful in a bluegrass-y kind of way with the melodic banjo, Cannon says.