My favourite soundtrack moments - Binary Sunset from Star Wars Episode IV

I distinctly remember being very young and getting a copy of Star Wars Episode IV on VHS from a friend of my dad's who was visiting us.

I was, naturally, mesmerised by the film; Darth Vader's ominous entrance; the mystical and mysterious Force; the Lightsabers; and of course the space battles (only many years later did I learn that Peter Cushing did all of his scenes wearing slippers...which does kind of soften the Empire's Nazis-in-Space aesthetic).

While a love of  Star Wars accompanied me throughout my formative years, it wasn't until I was in my early twenties that I really started to appreciate the film's score.

The big, chunky themes - the blaring horns of the main theme and the draconian, staccato Imperial March in particular - are pervasive through their sheer omnipresence. But it was the smaller, softer pieces of music that I came to appreciate the most.

Williams: Conducting

John Williams's scores are peppered with leitmotifs and the Star Wars franchise is a perfect example, with many of the characters and locations having their own distinctive themes. Princess Leia's and Yoda's themes are two of my favourites, alongside 'Binary Sunset', or the Force Theme.

Featuring early in Episode IV, this piece is played after Luke sees the full message to Obi-Wan Kenobi that Leia stored inside R2D2 as the Empire was boarding her Blockade Runner. Standing outside his aunt and uncle's farmstead, he watches Tatooine's twin suns setting.

Starting softly and played on lone brass, the melody swells to a crescendo of strings that never fails to raise the hairs on the back of my neck.

So if you have three minutes spare today, why not give this a listen:

'CBD Music Takeover' set to take over CBD, unsurprisingly.

I quite like Birmingham: it's friendly, multicultural, metropolitan without the crushing weight of tourists that makes London heave at weekends and everything is walkable. 

This last point in particular is one reason why the recent focus on the city's regeneration - as laid out in the City Council's Big City Plan - is so important. You don't just dive straight into a cab or underground station to get around the city and this makes the need to have a pleasant environment all the more important.  

While areas like the city's under-appreciated and wasteland-like Eastside are receiving some much-needed love and attention - particularly noticeable in the form of the new City Park - the city centre has also received a boost, with areas like the award-winning Church Street public realm springing up, providing an attractive outdoor space in the middle of the city's sometimes quite dower Central Business District (CBD).

And it's great to see that this space, along with a number of others, will be the focus of a two-day music festival. 

The award-winning public realm at Church Street, Birmingham

Running from 12 - 13 September, the two day CBD Music Takeover will (according to the CBD's website) "showcase the region's emerging talent as well as established artists across a range of music genres". 

Performances are due to take place across a number of the District's indoor and outdoor spaces. 

This is yet another string to the bow of Birmingham's burgeoning musical scene and will be an outstanding opportunity to profile up-and-coming artists to a broad audience of suited 9-5'ers whose commute may limit their ability to get down to established music venues like the Flapper or Hare & Hounds. 

The full line-up is due to be published shortly on the CBD website - check in for details.