Composer Michael Wandmacher harkens back to the 1980s with his soundtrack for ABC's new comedy The Goldbergs, premiering on ABC September 24, 2013 at 9/8c. A family sitcom reminiscent to the "golden age of television," The Goldbergs stars Jeff Garlin and Wendi McLendon-Covey. Like Happy Days and The Wonder Years before it, the show explores a long-past decade 25 years later. Creator Adam Goldberg based the show on homemade VHS tapes of his family he made as a child, and Wandmacher reciprocates the nostalgia of the source material by incorporating the retro sounds of '80s video games into the soundtrack.
The Goldbergs follows an 11-year old named Adam capturing the insanity of his family on video in the '80s, a time before trophies for showing up and peanut allergies. Wandmacher reflected such familial craziness in the soundtrack: "I created a comedy score that represented family, so it had to be both funny and poignant. It also needed to be fresh and contemporary, but nostalgic and have retro elements. Incorporating '80s video game sounds was a big part of that." Through a hybrid of live instrumentation and vintage-sounding electronic effects, Wandmacher created the perfect balance of 21st century television orchestration and quirky yesteryear sentiment.
Beginning in commercial advertising, Michael Wandmacher quickly gained composing credits for projects including film, television and video games, building a strong reputation as a composer. His recent film credits include The Killing Floor and Train. Other film credits include Never Back Down, Freakonomics and Ana's Playground. Michael Wandmacher is the only composer to have scored three 3D films: Piranha, My Bloody Valentine and Drive Angry. His video game credits include Twisted Metal, Singularity, Over the Hedge and Madagascar. Wandmacher wrote and mixed music for Grammy-winner Kelly Clarkson's film debut From Justin to Kelly. His upcoming films include Voice from the Stone and The Haunting in Georgia. Additionally, Michael Wandmacher wrote and produced songs for the EP release of electronica artist Khursor, featuring Israeli singer and supermodel Sarai Givaty.