duotone's Peter Nashel and friend of the company Eric Hachikian tackled Netflix's Marco Polo by diving deep into 13th-century Silk Road music, then giving it the full cinematic treatment.

They spent months working with master Mongolian musicians, writing for traditional instruments like the Morin Khuur, before amplifying and processing them through modern gear to create something that felt both ancient and epic. They returned with over 650 minutes of original score that blended Mongolian throat singing, horse-head fiddle, and other traditional instruments, with contemporary orchestration and an ear for action.

Series creator John Fusco said the music had "chilling authenticity" while still packing serious dramatic punch, and their approach earned Emmy nominations and an actual Presidential Award from Mongolia for respectful cultural portrayal.

Working under Netflix's most demanding production schedule at the time, they proved that authentic world music and modern television scoring can create something both entirely unheard and wholly entertaining.