Composer Pedro Bromfman on the Music of ‘Narcos’ [Exclusive Interview]

If you’ve seen the Netflix original series Narcos, you know that the music of the show only adds to the intense, binge-worthy drama, which chronicles the real-life stories of the drug kingpins in the late 80s.

I recently spoke with composer Pedro Bromfman about the music of Narcos and what it was like growing up hearing about Pablo Escobar.

“I’m from Brazil originally, so I’m from South America. And I remember when I was growing up hearing about Columbia and hearing about the drama,” Bromfman said.

“Escobar became this larger than life personality, I mean, mostly for the bad things he’s done. I don’t know, it just seems fascinating.”

Escobar continued to say he remembered seeing it all on the news, but as a child, he didn’t pay that much attention. Working on Narcos allowed him to learn more about the history.

“The scope of it, to be honest I had no idea. It’s a fascinating historical show, but it just keeps you at the edge of your seat. While it’s entertainment, while it’s telling the story, [it’s also] education. If I could I would do it every time. I think that’s the best kind of entertainment.”

Bromfman was excited to work on Narcos for several reasons. “It’s just a fascinating project and [I’m] surrounded by people I’ve worked with before and [are] good friends,” he said.

“I think the show has such a great tone and such a realistic… you know there’s no black and white,” Bromfman continued. “The good guys sometimes do bad things,” he said. “Even Escobar, who in the show is the baddest of them all, and not in a good way, is a family man.”

One advantage to working on a Netflix series, according to Bromfman, is being able to invest time into the entire story. “This is the first time I really had ten episodes to work with, and then musically speaking, it’s a much larger opportunity for you to give themes to not all of the characters, but a lot of the characters,” he explained.

“Sometimes a character that’s not important in the first two episodes will have an important arc or an important transition in Episode 6, so you can hint at a theme that he has in the beginning that will sort of pay off in Episode 6. Or you can think more long-term, especially dealing with Netflix where you’re almost doing a ten-hour movie.”

As for deciding how to score the series, Bromfman started by doing research. “I started studying some Columbian music, and I know Escobar used to listen to a lot of tango. He was a tango fanatic. So I started getting myself a little more into that world. My wife is from Argentina. I spent a lot of time in Argentina, so I’m very familiar with tango,” he explained.

“We wanted to use a lot of Columbian instruments and sometimes Columbian rhythms, but mostly use that Columbian flavor and South American flavor in a more mainstream noir-action-intrigue-thriller type of score. So bring it more to Hollywood, but using that palette of sounds and rhythms from South America. And I think that’s what really paid off.”

Bromfman also spoke to striking a balance for the tone of the show. “Even though the subject matter is very dark, and it has comedy and it has lightness to it too, so we didn’t want to overwhelm with darkness,” he said.

Narcos Season 2 comes to Netflix in August, and according to Bromfman, we have a lot to look forward to.

“It’s a trip. We’re about to finish it. I’m very proud of it. I think this show is really going into an amazing direction,” Bromfman said.

“They’re going after Escobar and it’s the story of the fall of the Medellín Cartel — everything they had built, which of course, happened in real life.”

As that happens, we’ll see what it’s like for Escobar as he spends more time with his family. “We do see that relationship and that duality that as he goes crazier, and crazier, and can’t get things done his way — and wants to kill everyone, wants to just rule the world,” he explained.

“At the same time, he’s closer to his family than ever,” Bromfman continued.

“He’s really trying protect what’s closest to him while everything else is going on. So it’s a really profound character study of Escobar in Season 2. And Wagner Moura, who is the actor who plays Escobar is doing a fantastic job. I wish he didn’t have to die, but in real life there’s no option [laughs]. We know it’s coming at some point!”

You can catch up on Narcos Season 1, which is currently available for streaming on Netflix. Season 2 comes to Netflix this August!