Martial Artists

COBRA KAI COMPOSERS ZACH ROBINSON AND LEO BIRENBERG TALK GEAR, SEASON 6 AND HOW THEY CONSCRIPTED TOSIN ABASI, CHARLIE ROBBINS AND POLYPHIA'S TIM HENSON INTO THEIR MUSICAL DOJO

- By Richard Bienstock

SINCE DEBUTING IN 2018, Cobra Kai, a sequel to the original Karate Kid movies, has become one of the most popular streaming shows on TV. And while viewers have primarily been drawn to the spectacle of longtime adversaries Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) and Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka) teaming up to battle increasingly outrageous karate villains - and kick each other's asses while continually reliving their petty teenage karate rivalry - a key ingredient of the show's success is its brilliant, guitar-driven score. Building off the Eighties vibe of the original films, the show boasts a soundtrack that uses throwback hard rock, heavy metal and synthy pop as its foundation, with a serious helping of six-string shred, among other sonic flairs, thrown in for good measure. The result is one of the freshest, most unique and, for guitar fans, awesome scores in recent TV history.

The two men responsible for this are Zach Robinson and Leo Birenberg, accomplished film and TV composers (their credits together include Weird: The AI Yankovic Story and the TV series Twisted Metal, among many others), who have been shaping the sonic environment of Cobra Kai since day one. Now, after six seasons, the series is wrapping with its final episodes. Over the years, the show has evolved, and its sound has followed suit. In the final season, largely set at the Sekai Taikai, a fictional international karate tournament in Barcelona, the music takes on a more global feel (even as it remains anchored by the distinctive, high-octane guitar riffs and licks that made it stand out from the beginning), reflecting the diverse martial artists battling for supremacy. "We have fighters from all around the world who we've never seen before, with their own styles and their own dojo histories and lineages," Robinson says. "It was really fertile ground for coming up with new musical ideas."