DESICCATION (Solo album) (2025)
“NIGHTSISTER”
“It wastes no time pulling you into its eerie, analog world. Created using an MPC and a TB-303 clone, the track pulses with gritty, livewire energy […] It’s haunting, heady, and cinematic — music that sounds like it was conjured, not produced.”
– Get Some Magazine
“Orenstein’s choice to use an MPC and a TB-303 clone gives the track an analog feel, avoiding the overly polished quality of a fully digital production. This approach adds a sense of physicality to the composition, with the percussive patterns and acid bass lines developing naturally over time.”
– Frequency State
“A musical experience that guides listeners through a journey rich in textures, haunting vocals, and a dark, mystical atmosphere”
– RMas
“Cold and warm at the same time, ‘Nightsister’ blends contrasting feelings — there’s electronic music, but also vocal melodies that evoke the Mediterranean and North Africa. What makes the track so compelling is exactly this mix of different vibes.”
– Distopic.it
DADDY (2023)
“Matt Orenstein's original score is an absolute highlight and practically a character unto itself.”
-The Independent Critic
“Beyond the performances, Matt Orenstein’s score plays a crucial role in shaping the film’s identity. The music doesn’t just accompany the scenes—it actively entrenches itself in them, shifting tones as the narrative moves between satire and suspense. It helps establish the mood that engages the audience, making even small moments feel significant.”
- Overly Honest Reviews
BELLE (2023)
“The music is a siren song complimenting the nature around them that feels too ethereal to exist.”
-Morbidly Beautiful
Podcast interview – Horrific Network
“Most audiences today are familiar with the story of Beauty and the Beast, whether it’s from the classic Disney films, TV shows, or from the original 1756 novel by Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont. A new reimagining, in the form of a horror film, was just released by Level 33 Entertainment titled Belle. The musical aspect of this tale has become very significant, so while Belle is not a musical, the darker adaptation also welcomed darker music. The person in charge of the music for Belle was composer Matt Orenstein.”
- No Film School
Interview – HorrorBuzz.com
”Adding another layer of emotion to the characters in Belle is the highly effective score by composer Matt Orenstein”
-Dread Central
Podcast interview – “Eye on Horror”
Track Exclusive – Comingsoon.net
SILICON BEACH (2018)
“Matt Orenstein’s haunting score adds to the unease”
-Crimson Kimono
LAS SANDINISTAS (2018)
“A jaunty, bass-thrumming score by Matt Orenstein gives the proceedings some sense of propulsion […]”
-The Hollywood Reporter
THE BOOK OF MAGGIE (2018)
“Great incidental music by Matt Orenstein, incidentally.”
- Chicago Reader
LIONEL O - -MLO (2015)
“There isn’t much Matt isn’t willing to try, and most of the time the results are fantastic.”
- Music Defined
LIONEL O - Mama Said Knock Me Out (2013)
“There are no obvious reference points; the sounds are unique”
- Cassette Love
“This is wonderful. The music is fantastic […] all in all this is absolutely something you would be healthier for having heard.”
-Dead Formats
THE CABINET OF DOCTOR CALIGARI (2011)
“Orenstein deftly handled the challenge of synchronizing a live performance with a work of fixed visual media, and the score he composed fit the visuals like a second skin. It was easy to forget that the film was written for silence, and existed for years before someone gave it a 21st-century update.”
- The Oberlin Review
LIONEL O - Brontosaurus Breakfast (2007)
“It’s better than a lot of similarly below the radar DIY releases” (*** 1/2)
-Allmusic.com