It’s not possible to think about Simogo’s ingenious library of video games with out conjuring the works of composer Daniel Olsén in your thoughts. From the chilling Yr Stroll, the hyperpop aesthetic of Sayonara Wild Hearts, or the mysterious Lorelei and the Laser Eyes, this catalog of indie titles take root in our minds partially due to how thematically their soundtracks match the gameplay and atmosphere.
To learn the way Olsén thinks about his initiatives, we reached out to him as a part of Polygon FM, our theme week celebrating the intersection of music and video games.
Polygon: Was there a recreation soundtrack or track that impressed you to pursue creating recreation music? Are you able to set the scene of what that felt like for you, and why the music was so efficient?
Daniel Olsén: There wasn’t only one soundtrack that impressed me. I grew up in the period of 8-bit and 16-bit consoles and Commodore 64 — and like many others I used to be taken away by the NES classics like Tremendous Mario, Zelda, and Mega Man. I believe certainly one of the nice issues about online game music is that once you step away from a recreation, the one factor you continue to have with you is the melodies, chords, and rhythms. I didn’t personal my very own consoles as a child, however I might at all times stroll round singing my favourite tunes and that may transport me again to the feeling of the video games. I did personal a C64 and typically I might simply begin video games to listen to the music from video games like The Final Ninja, Delta, and so on. Really, typically, you simply wished to progress to listen to extra of the music. Even right this moment, I typically attempt to recreate the feeling I received from a lot of these soundtracks.
Are you able to break down certainly one of your individual songs and its influences? Was it impressed by recreation soundtracks, different music, or one thing else?
In “Interrogation” [from Lorelei], I used the theme from “Woman on the Other Side”, one other track from Lorelei and the Laser Eyes. It was additionally impressed partly by Angelo Badalamenti’s strolling baselines and gradual jazzy drums in “Audrey’s Dance” from Twin Peaks. This scene in the recreation additionally resembles the interrogational elements of our earlier recreation DEVICE 6, so it felt becoming so as to add some gritty surf guitars to make a connection between the two.
For the length of the track, we go between an interrogation with a gun to the head to strolling round in dreamy, noisy outdated recollections and again once more. If the music doesn’t comply with it feels very flat, so we opted for dynamic music on this a part of the recreation. We wished to have the layers be totally different sufficient to permit for a different dramatic expression. From dry vinyl crackles to dreamy piano to a horror vibe, even the sound results are a part of the last musical impression. While you’re strolling round in the recollections, we additionally modified the footsteps to vinyl noise and crackles to suit the theme.
What are the primary devices used to report the soundtrack for Lorelei? How did you select these devices?
The concept was to have two sides — the clearly digital, and the clearly human/analogue. As a result of the artwork model of the recreation mixes analogue photographs with damaged digital artwork, we wished the music to mirror the identical factor. So most of the songs are primarily based on very digital-sounding devices combined with cello and vocals carried out by Linnea Olsson, or guitar by Jonathan Eng. I spent a number of time making these sounds distinctly totally different, however at the identical time harmonizing with one another.
Is there anything I ought to learn about your strategy to composing online game music?
An important factor for me is that the music suits with no matter the recreation is, moderately than being good by itself. You must create a form of universe for the music that may add to the lore of the recreation. It’s like an extension of the online game universe. It offers you the probability to inform tales a couple of larger world and it offers gamers the alternative to think about components that aren’t portrayed in the recreation. I typically hear nice music in video games, nevertheless it doesn’t match the vibe, or the songs will not be in the identical coherent universe. That may make the impression of the recreation really feel a bit disjointed.
