Biography
Prolific award-winning Los Angeles-based composer lionel Cohen has been insatiably producing music for over thirty years. He has produced countless indie artists, has commercially released over 250 albums of his original music, and has scored films for Sony Pictures, Saban Films, Gravitas Ventures, Vertical Entertainment, and Lionsgate, among others. His discipline and creativity have garnered him over 500 IMDb credits, millions of plays on Spotify, and tens of millions of views on YouTube.
lionel has scored numerous films, including, "First We Take Brooklyn" a gangster film starring Harvey Keitel, "Mob Town" the true story of the biggest raid in US history, starring David Arquette & Jennifer Esposito, "Feral State" a swampy crime thriller starring AnnaLynn McCord, "Blackjack: The Jackie Ryan Story" a basketball biopic starring Greg Finley, Michael Rapaport & Ashley Greene, the crime drama "I Love Us" starring Katie Cassidy & Jackie Cruz, "The Engineer" a spy thriller starring Emile Hirsch & Robert Davi, "Tomorrow's Game", an award-winning time-traveling baseball family film, and "Inside Man" a 1970s mob film starring Emile Hirsch & Lucy Hale. His most recent score is for the Holocaust film Bardejov, released earlier in 2024.
lionel recently scored "The Long Long Night", a dark comedy TV series for the Duplass Brothers, starring Mark Duplass, which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2023, and wrote the film-noir music theme for the Vanity Fair podcast, "Love is a Crime", starring Jon Hamm and Zooey Deschanel. He was also recently commissioned to write original music for This American Life, rated the best podcast of all-time, with almost 5 million listeners each week. In addition to his scoring projects, he has just released his 13th Spaghetti-Western album, his sixth record of Middle-Eastern Fusion music, and is currently producing several LA-based singer/songwriters.
lionel's music can be heard in TV shows including American Idol, House, Elementary, Chopped, Surviving the Cut, Kourtney & Kim Take New York, Real Housewives of Miami, Breaking Amish and Amish Mafia, and in countless commercials including How I Met Your Mother, Two and a Half Men, The Big Bang Theory, 2 Broke Girls, The Mentalist, The Price is Right, Hawaii Five-O, Undercover Boss, Survivor, Criminal Minds, The Tonight Show, Friends, Saturday Night Live and The Late Show. His commercial works include Sony PSP, Cadillac, Buick, BMW, Mercedes, Glenfiddich, Carlsberg, Verizon, NASCAR, Adidas, DirectTV, Louis Vuitton, Kohl's and Macy's, to name a few.
lionel has scored numerous films, including, "First We Take Brooklyn" a gangster film starring Harvey Keitel, "Mob Town" the true story of the biggest raid in US history, starring David Arquette & Jennifer Esposito, "Feral State" a swampy crime thriller starring AnnaLynn McCord, "Blackjack: The Jackie Ryan Story" a basketball biopic starring Greg Finley, Michael Rapaport & Ashley Greene, the crime drama "I Love Us" starring Katie Cassidy & Jackie Cruz, "The Engineer" a spy thriller starring Emile Hirsch & Robert Davi, "Tomorrow's Game", an award-winning time-traveling baseball family film, and "Inside Man" a 1970s mob film starring Emile Hirsch & Lucy Hale. His most recent score is for the Holocaust film Bardejov, released earlier in 2024.
lionel recently scored "The Long Long Night", a dark comedy TV series for the Duplass Brothers, starring Mark Duplass, which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2023, and wrote the film-noir music theme for the Vanity Fair podcast, "Love is a Crime", starring Jon Hamm and Zooey Deschanel. He was also recently commissioned to write original music for This American Life, rated the best podcast of all-time, with almost 5 million listeners each week. In addition to his scoring projects, he has just released his 13th Spaghetti-Western album, his sixth record of Middle-Eastern Fusion music, and is currently producing several LA-based singer/songwriters.
lionel's music can be heard in TV shows including American Idol, House, Elementary, Chopped, Surviving the Cut, Kourtney & Kim Take New York, Real Housewives of Miami, Breaking Amish and Amish Mafia, and in countless commercials including How I Met Your Mother, Two and a Half Men, The Big Bang Theory, 2 Broke Girls, The Mentalist, The Price is Right, Hawaii Five-O, Undercover Boss, Survivor, Criminal Minds, The Tonight Show, Friends, Saturday Night Live and The Late Show. His commercial works include Sony PSP, Cadillac, Buick, BMW, Mercedes, Glenfiddich, Carlsberg, Verizon, NASCAR, Adidas, DirectTV, Louis Vuitton, Kohl's and Macy's, to name a few.
lionel is the mastermind and composer behind the expansive Musikopedie endeavor, and over the course of a decade has painstakingly crafted a collection of 1000 music tracks spanning diverse genres. This immense body of work has garnered widespread recognition, with the tracks being licensed hundreds of times for usage in a multitude of productions such as television series, documentaries, films, and other projects. You can sample a curated selection here.
History
lionel's origins trace back to the vibrant city of Marseille, where he was born into a culturally diverse family. With a Moroccan father and a French mother, he inherited a rich tapestry of traditions and influences that would shape his artistic evolution.
His creative journey began in Montreal, where after finding his footing in heavy metal bands as a songwriter and guitar player, his passion for cinema inspired him to undertake formal studies in film at Vanier College in Montreal, and at Ryerson University in Toronto.
In 1997, after traveling for a few years, destiny led him to New York City, a bustling metropolis that would become his home for over 15 years. Within the vibrant cultural tapestry of the city that never sleeps, lionel flourished as a versatile and accomplished artist. His tenacity and unwavering passion allowed him to carve a niche for himself, gaining recognition and establishing a strong presence in the underground scene. New York City became both his muse and his playground, nurturing his artistic growth and inspiring his unique vision.
By the early 2000s, lionel had graduated from the revered Audio Engineering program at The New School University, while his industrial rock band "The Plastic FanTastics" had received critical acclaim in the New York City rock scene; described as "a cross between Nine Inch Nails and Love And Rockets" by Babysue.com. "The Plastic Fantastics combine the anger and angst of old school industrial with a little punk flair [...] Catchy music and lyrics, done to perfection" writes industrial.org. Wayne Kramer of The MC5 adds, “It's so refreshing to listen to a band of this generation explore a new sound.”
In 2013, the allure of new horizons beckoned lionel, and he eventually set his sights on the vibrant city of Los Angeles. With its rich blend of creativity and opportunities, California offered a fresh canvas for lionel's artistic pursuits. In this new chapter of his life, he continues to explore and evolve, enriching his craft and leaving an indelible mark on the artistic landscape.
lionel's journey, from his diverse upbringing in Marseille to his educational endeavors in Montreal, and from his transformative years in New York City to his current artistic endeavors in Los Angeles, has shaped him into the artist he is today. His story is one of cultural fusion, personal growth, and unyielding dedication to his craft, making him a true global citizen and an inspiration to aspiring artists worldwide.
His creative journey began in Montreal, where after finding his footing in heavy metal bands as a songwriter and guitar player, his passion for cinema inspired him to undertake formal studies in film at Vanier College in Montreal, and at Ryerson University in Toronto.
In 1997, after traveling for a few years, destiny led him to New York City, a bustling metropolis that would become his home for over 15 years. Within the vibrant cultural tapestry of the city that never sleeps, lionel flourished as a versatile and accomplished artist. His tenacity and unwavering passion allowed him to carve a niche for himself, gaining recognition and establishing a strong presence in the underground scene. New York City became both his muse and his playground, nurturing his artistic growth and inspiring his unique vision.
By the early 2000s, lionel had graduated from the revered Audio Engineering program at The New School University, while his industrial rock band "The Plastic FanTastics" had received critical acclaim in the New York City rock scene; described as "a cross between Nine Inch Nails and Love And Rockets" by Babysue.com. "The Plastic Fantastics combine the anger and angst of old school industrial with a little punk flair [...] Catchy music and lyrics, done to perfection" writes industrial.org. Wayne Kramer of The MC5 adds, “It's so refreshing to listen to a band of this generation explore a new sound.”
In 2013, the allure of new horizons beckoned lionel, and he eventually set his sights on the vibrant city of Los Angeles. With its rich blend of creativity and opportunities, California offered a fresh canvas for lionel's artistic pursuits. In this new chapter of his life, he continues to explore and evolve, enriching his craft and leaving an indelible mark on the artistic landscape.
lionel's journey, from his diverse upbringing in Marseille to his educational endeavors in Montreal, and from his transformative years in New York City to his current artistic endeavors in Los Angeles, has shaped him into the artist he is today. His story is one of cultural fusion, personal growth, and unyielding dedication to his craft, making him a true global citizen and an inspiration to aspiring artists worldwide.
lionel's creative pursuits have spanned an impressive range of disciplines which have served to establish him as a musician, composer, producer, painter, photographer, writer, graphic designer, short film director, and occasional fashion designer! His outstanding contributions in these fields have earned him the distinction of being a multidisciplinary artist and a highly respected figure within the underground art scene.
Currently, lionel is exploring the possibilities of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in a variety of formats, cementing his status as an innovator and forward-thinker.
lionel is a founding member of The Fascinated, The Plastic FanTastics, RoBOT LIKE ME, musicformachines.com, La Resistance, These Young Anarchists, and several other commercially released acts.
"Quantity is no substitute for quality", lionel maintains, "but practice does make perfect!"
Currently, lionel is exploring the possibilities of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in a variety of formats, cementing his status as an innovator and forward-thinker.
lionel is a founding member of The Fascinated, The Plastic FanTastics, RoBOT LIKE ME, musicformachines.com, La Resistance, These Young Anarchists, and several other commercially released acts.
"Quantity is no substitute for quality", lionel maintains, "but practice does make perfect!"
Read the VoyageLA Magazine Interview with lionel Cohen.
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