Inside the Mind of Le Castle Vania, the Sonic Assassin Behind John Wick’s Most Brutal Moments
There are moments in every John Wick film when the bass drops and you know someone's about to be very, very sorry. Those moments derive from the virtuosic hands of Le Castle Vania, the producer who has spent over a decade crafting the electronic music behind cinema's most stylish assassin franchise.
The artist, whose real name is Dylan Eiland, has been the musical architect behind many of the John Wick universe's most memorable scenes since the original movie back in 2014. His influence has been so significant that he even appeared as himself in its first sequel, John Wick: Chapter 2, DJing at a rave while Keanu Reeves lights up a now-iconic fight sequence as the titular antihero.
What ultimately emerged was a rare and fascinating approach. Rather than composing to finished footage, director Chad Stahelski began calling Eiland during pre-production, allowing the music to inform the filming process itself.
"We've built a strong creative trust," Eiland tells EDM.com of his creative relationship with Stahelski, who famously served as a stunt double for Reeves on The Matrix. "Anytime I start working on music for one of his films, it begins with a conversation. We talk about the tone, the emotion, the story and what he wants the audience to feel. Those conversations help me lock into the vision and create something original that fits this universe we've built."
His latest Wickian masterstroke is an EP of music appearing in the franchise's fifth installment, Ballerina, which compliments a score from its longtime composers, Tyler Bates and Joel J. Richard. The challenge, Eiland explains, was "introducing a more graceful and haunting dimension" to the bloodthirsty franchise, like perfectly pressing a suit concealing a cache of weapons.
Eiland, a decorated DJ who has graced the stages of EDC, Ultra and many other leading EDM festivals, faced another tough task: the weight of fan expectations. The John Wick fanbase dissects every detail with the intensity of forensic accountants examining the High Table's books.
Rather than shrinking from this scrutiny, he says he embraces it as fuel, constantly imagining those crucial theater moments when audiences experience their collective "oh shit" reaction to the icy Reeves glare that means someone's about to regret being born. The result is a composer who has arguably become as integral to the John Wick universe as the actor himself.
Ballerina pirouettes into worldwide theaters today, June 6th, with a killer cast featuring Ana de Armas and Norman Reedus, among others. Prior to its release, we caught up with Le Castle Vania to discuss his inventive work for the film.
[embed]https://youtube.com/watch?v=0FSwsrFpkbw[/embed]EDM.com: Take us into your studio during those 3am sessions when inspiration strikes. What's your secret to capturing those fleeting moments of creative lightning for such an iconic film series?
Le Castle Vania: When I sit down to write music for these films, my goal is always to bring my musical voice into the world we’re building in a way that feels intentional. I want the music to feel like it lives inside this gritty, underground universe—like it belongs there. I never want it to feel like someone just dropped an EDM track into the background of a club scene.
I think a lot of films have tried to emulate what we’ve done with John Wick, but that’s one of the marks they always miss. They’ll license an existing electronic track and just throw it behind a fight or club scene. But our process goes way deeper. Every cue is sculpted specifically for the energy and timing of each shot in the scene. It’s built into the DNA of the world.
A big part of that process over the years has been collaborating with Chad Stahelski, the director of the John Wick series. We’ve built a strong creative trust. Anytime I start working on music for one of his films, it begins with a conversation. We talk about the tone, the emotion, the story and what he wants the audience to feel. Those conversations help me lock into the vision and create something original that fits this universe we’ve built.
Even though Chad didn’t direct Ballerina, he produced it and was deeply involved creatively. He was actually the one who brought me in on this project, and those early conversations helped me get locked into the mindset of this next chapter.
As for those 3am moments—I don’t wait around for inspiration to strike. I’ve built a system to generate it. I carve out time, sit down and the rule is simple: just start. Even if I have no specific ideas beyond the general vibe that I want for the scene, I’ll build a basic beat, experiment with sounds or play around on a synth. That first small spark always leads somewhere. Before I know it, I’m deep in the flow—and that’s when the real magic happens.
EDM.com: Appearing as yourself in the concert-shootout scene from Chapter 2 must have been a wild experience. How did it shape your understanding of your role in the John Wick universe? Do you see yourself as a character within this world, and how does that influence your creative direction when producing projects like Ballerina Code?
Le Castle Vania: Yeah, that was such an incredible experience. Aside from filming the scenes I was in, I also got to stay in Rome for several extra days just hanging out on set and watching a lot of the other scenes get filmed. That alone was a huge source of inspiration.
Seeing the sheer amount of work and creativity that goes into making these films—the lighting, the choreography, the stunts, the camera work—was really eye-opening. So many creative people all coming together to build this massive, stylized world. It’s just such a cool thing to be part of, and to see it all come together into something that people connect with on such a big level... it's honestly an honor.
One of the biggest things that came out of filming that scene was Chad's idea to flip the traditional process. Normally, composers don’t start writing until the film is in post. We get the edited scenes and write to picture. But for that concert-shootout scene in Chapter 2, Chad wanted the music playing live on set so the energy would be there in the moment. The crowd could dance in time, the actors could feel the pulse. So I wrote an early demo of the track that would become "John Wick Mode," and we blasted it over the speakers while filming. Then later in post, I refined the track to match the final cut of the scene.
That moment really shifted how we work. Ever since then, it’s become part of our process. For big musical scenes—like the club sequence in John Wick: Chapter 4 or the new one in Ballerina—Chad will call me during pre-production and tell me about the scene he's planning. He’ll lay out the vibe, what he wants to achieve emotionally or visually, and I’ll write music specifically for him to film to. Later, we go back and dial it in further during post. It’s this cool back-and-forth that makes the music feel even more connected to the energy of the scene.
As for whether I see myself as a character in the John Wick universe... maybe? I'd definitely be down to make another appearance in a future film or spin-off and build on that idea if the opportunity arises. I think it's a fun Easter egg for fans who are really tapped into the music of the series. But even if that doesn’t happen, I’m more than happy just getting to help shape the sound of this world. That’s where I feel most at home.
[embed]https://youtube.com/watch?v=0xSSnfRYBQY[/embed]EDM.com: You mention introducing "a more graceful and haunting dimension" for Ballerina, but how do you prevent that grace from defanging the violence that makes John Wick music so visceral? In other words, what's the risk of sanitizing brutality in pursuit of elegance?
Le Castle Vania: That balance was something I thought about constantly while working on Ballerina. I always want to push myself creatively and raise the bar with each new project, but it was just as important to me to make sure the music still carried the same visceral, powerful energy that fans expect from the John Wick universe. There’s a certain raw intensity that’s become part of the musical DNA of these films, and I didn’t want to lose that—I wanted to evolve it.
My years of experience as a DJ and remix artist really helped with that. That background taught me how to blend contrasting elements and create tension between different moods—light and dark, beauty and aggression, elegance and chaos. So when I set out to bring in a more graceful and haunting dimension to Ballerina, it was never about softening the impact. It was about finding new ways to bring depth and contrast to the music while still hitting just as hard emotionally and sonically.
In fact, I think weaving in elements of beauty or elegance can sometimes make the brutality feel even more intense by contrast. It creates that push-and-pull that pulls the listener deeper into the experience. The key is knowing when to let that elegance breathe, and when to slam the door with something heavy and aggressive. That kind of dynamic range is what gives the music real weight.
And if anyone’s wondering whether this soundtrack still goes hard: I’d say tracks like "Ballerina Code" and "One Bullet Well Placed" absolutely deliver the kind of intense energy that Wick fans expect. Those tracks are meant to hit hard and leave a mark, while still living in the same elevated world as the film.
EDM.com: Electronic music often gets dismissed as "easier" than orchestral composition because of its technological tools, yet your work requires split-second timing with on-screen action. What's the most technically demanding aspect of your craft that people don't understand, and how do you respond to purists who see electronic film scoring as somehow lesser?
Le Castle Vania: I’ve done both. Over the course of my career, I’ve written more traditional film score and recorded full orchestral sections—and I’ve also created music that’s completely electronic and built from the ground up with synths, drum machines and custom sound design. I have a deep respect for both sides of the spectrum, but they each come with their own set of challenges.
One thing a lot of people don’t realize is that with traditional film scoring or orchestral music, it’s much easier to get away with little tricks—like adding or removing a beat here and there, or shifting the tempo—to help sync musical moments to picture. But when you’re working on a highly featured, rhythm-forward track like the ones I create for the John Wick club scenes, you don’t have that same flexibility. If you start warping the groove too much, the music can instantly feel clunky or awkward, especially if it’s something the audience is really locked into. It has to hit with surgical precision while still feeling natural and driving.
Those scenes present a unique set of challenges that I feel I’m really well-suited for, especially because of my background. I’ve spent years touring the world as a DJ and electronic music producer, and now I’ve also built up a lot of experience composing to picture. That combination allows me to approach these scenes in a way that’s both musically compelling and tightly woven into the visual storytelling.
At the end of the day, the idea that electronic scoring is somehow "lesser" because it uses different tools is just outdated. The tools are only as good as the ideas behind them. And honestly, most of the biggest and most respected traditional film composers today are all weaving electronic elements into their scores. It’s become a part of the modern sound of cinema—because when used well, these elements can be incredibly powerful and emotionally impactful. Whether it’s a full orchestra or a gritty modular synth, what matters is the emotion, the timing and how well the music serves the story.
EDM.com: Electronic music in film also often risks being overshadowed by visuals or narrative, yet your work in the John Wick series has become iconic in its own right. How do you go about composing for scenes that are inherently chaotic to ensure the music not only supports but elevates the storytelling? Are there specific techniques or philosophies you lean into to make your tracks feel integral rather than supplementary?
Le Castle Vania: For me, it all comes down to intention. When I’m writing music for these kinds of high-energy scenes, I’m always thinking about how the music can heighten the story, not just sit underneath it. I’m not just making a track and hoping it works—I’m crafting something that’s tailored to the rhythm of the scene, the choreography, the energy, even the emotional undercurrent.
One of the big things I focus on is timing. I’ll often write music that’s synced to very specific beats in the action—a punch, a gunshot, a camera move—even if it’s subtle. That kind of precision helps blur the line between the music and the action, so it all feels like one cohesive thing instead of separate layers stacked on top of each other.
I also try to bring a sense of atmosphere and tension into the mix. It’s not just about having a hard-hitting drop or a cool groove. It’s about creating a sonic world that pulls you deeper into the scene. That could mean using more cinematic textures, distorted synths, custom-designed drum hits—whatever helps the music feel like it’s part of the world on-screen.
Fortunately for me, the music is often intended to be a major part of the identity of the scenes I’m brought in to work on. It’s there to push the energy, to help define the feel of a moment. But at the same time, I’m always working to find that balance where the music can elevate the scene without distracting the audience or pulling focus from the action. It has to serve the story first—but when it’s done right, it becomes something people remember long after the scene is over.
Dylan Eiland Photography
EDM.com: The franchise has a rabid fanbase that dissects every detail, from choreography to sound design. How do you handle the weight of fan expectations when crafting music for a project as high-profile as Ballerina Code? Have you ever altered your creative direction based on fan feedback, or do you shield yourself from external pressures to preserve your artistic vision?
Le Castle Vania: The fans are honestly amazing. I’ve always felt a lot of support and kindness from them, and I really appreciate how deeply they care about every detail—including the music. Over the years, many of them have become fans of my other music outside the films, and that means a lot to me.
I definitely put a lot of pressure on myself, but I don’t see it as a bad thing. It’s more like fuel. It pushes me to raise the bar every time and to create something that’s really going to get people hyped.
When I’m writing, I’m often imagining what it’s going to feel like as a fan sitting in the theater—and asking myself, how do I deliver that "oh shit!" moment that gets people bouncing in their seats? That mindset drives me to make the music as good as it can possibly be and to help elevate the scenes in a meaningful way.
EDM.com: If John Wick ended tomorrow, what would be your biggest regret about opportunities unexplored within that sonic universe? What ideas have you been holding back?
Le Castle Vania: Honestly, if I had one regret, it would be not having more opportunities to collaborate directly with my friends Tyler Bates and Joel J. Richard. The three of us have all contributed music across the John Wick films, and I truly admire their work. What they’ve created for this universe—especially the thematic threads and sonic character that run through the scores—is incredible, and I’ve learned a lot just from listening to what they’ve done.
Most of my music for the series has been written separately, usually focused around the big, stylized club and action scenes. But I’ve always thought it would be cool to do some deeper creative collaboration with Tyler and Joel—just getting in a room together and building something from the ground up. Tyler and I did co-write and produce a track for this film with the band Evanescence, which was a great experience. I would’ve loved more chances to combine our styles in unexpected ways. I think they’re two of the best in the business.
So yeah, if the Wick world were to wrap up tomorrow, that would probably be the one thing I wish we could’ve explored more.
EDM.com: Beyond John Wick, what genre or type of story do you think your particular brand of electronic composition could revolutionize next? Where do you see the biggest gap between what films need sonically and what they're getting?
Le Castle Vania: I definitely feel like I belong in the action space, especially when it comes to stylized films, sci-fi or anything set in a near or distant future. Any kind of story that calls for a hybrid electronic score, where the music can help shape a heightened, modern world—that’s where I thrive.
Some of the first soundtracks that ever made me think, "Damn, I want to do music for film someday" were The Matrix and Fight Club. Those were two of the coolest movies I had ever seen at the time, and both leaned heavily into electronic music in a way that felt fresh and impactful. Getting to work with Chad, who has deep roots in The Matrix, and now having Keanu as the star of the films I’m most known for… that’s been a surreal full-circle moment for me.
But I also want to show people I’m not just "the club scene guy." I’ve built my chops as a composer and I’m hungry to take on bigger challenges. I’ve scored entire video games for studios like PlayStation, where I’ve recorded live orchestras, percussion sections, soloists—and fused all of that with my own electronic instrumentation to create bold, hybrid cinematic scores, and I know I could deliver something truly special for the right film.
I’d love to be known as the guy you call when your film needs to feel big and badass—when you need music that brings edge, power and emotion, but still feels fresh and modern. That’s the space I want to keep pushing forward.
Follow Le Castle Vania:
Instagram: instagram.com/lecastlevania
Facebook: facebook.com/lecastlevania
X: x.com/lecastlevania
Spotify: spoti.fi/3nLUZQj
