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AtomNo Reality: kt2 Interview, songs for Japanese text games
kt2 composes music for Tama-Soft, a developer of Japanese text-based PC games. In 2001, his original soundtrack to the title No Reality was released, followed by the image album For you… from here the edge in 2002, and game soundtracks Abandoner and History Repeats Itself. Remastered songs from these albums have recently appeared on the musician's official website kt2 Sound Lab and as free downloads on last.fm as part of the kt2 Works 2001-2006 compilation. Since then the composer has scored the music to Lost Child Infinia together with Soshi Hosoi. Siliconera had the chance to hear from kt2 on his videogame music, newly accessible to a wider audience.
Translation by Takahiro Yamamoto. See it in Japanese.
Siliconera: kt2, thank you for taking the time to join us for a conversation on the subject of your music. 2001's No Reality is generally recognized as your introduction to the game industry. What personal objectives were high on your list upon starting your career as a game musician?
kt2: At that time, competing head-on with the pre-existing genres of the videogame music industry was not something I was really capable of doing. In order for my music to be recognized, I focused on bringing fairly uncommon genres to games. Because I wasn't interested in competing in the same arena as other game composers, all my efforts were devoted to creating music that would remain in the listeners' mind. It was hard for some people to evaluate the music since it was pretty uncommon and different, yet overall I believe the experiment turned out to be beneficial.
Siliconera: What thoughts do you have on PC games as a setting for music?
kt2: In the Japanese PC game industry we have a lot of what are called "adventure games." Unlike adventure games in other countries, these titles revolve around reading text and clicking the mouse. If you don't click, the game's progress is halted completely. For such games, controlled expression is required so that the music continues indefinitely without reaching a climax. Coming from that kind of environment, I pay a lot of attention to the vertical aspects of the music–the timbre and the chords–rather than the naturalness of the its horizontal progression.
I believe game music in the Japan has been careless about timbre. That's probably due to a culture of conformity among some musicians in the industry. However, this notion is not tolerated overseas. I personally pay attention to the usage of timbre and chords in music from other countries, yet I believe I still have progress to make in working on my form.
Siliconera: What are some aspects of the games that you have worked on that stand out in your memory as having been particularly rewarding?
kt2: I've served as music director on every title I have worked on. This entails deciding where in relation to the game's script each piece of music will appear. This enables me to direct the effect of the score as well.
These days, many game developers tend to seek somebody outside the process of game development to compose music. Allocating tasks in this manner can compromise the sense of unity in the definition of a game as a finished product. The cause of this oversight might partly be due to a lack of familiarity with music on the part of the developers. When I talk to clients about their ideas and preferences, they hardly ever can point to technical aspects of music that might accentuate the concept of the game.
PC games contain sequences of looped sound. Therefore, music is a program, one that controls the timing of the game. The layers that music adds to the experience of a game is in the cycling and progression of time, enabling players to feel the passage of time directly. If games are intentionally created with this effect in mind, the music becomes integrated as part of a complete package. It is extremely difficult to compose music with this depth if developers seek to keep the composer outside the development team.
Recently, there has been some progress in the development of game music as an independent product, yet I feel that the the directorial element of game music has been in decline over the years. I hope the game industry will return to an environment where developers invite musicians to be involved during the development process to discuss the systematic creation of the game as well as its core ideas.
Siliconera: You have attracted an enthusiastic audience of listeners abroad since your 2001 to 2006 compilation became available online. People outside of Japan are listening to your work in a slightly different context than it was originally intended.
kt2: I imagine the music is experienced much more like a film soundtrack. I think it's great for them to enjoy the music by itself. Listeners can create their own brand new world separate from the game, based sorely on the atmosphere of the music. Also, the fact that I don't reference the conventions of game music might be another reason that it has been accepted overseas.
Siliconera: I'm really intrigued by the enigmatic mood of your song "Tower" from For You… From Here The Edge. What did you have in mind in terms of what you wanted to convey with this unique song?
kt2: My compositions can be divided into two major categories. One is ambient music using the synthesizers, while the other includes live instruments. "Tower" marked a personal turning point for the synthesizer music category. "For You… From Here The Edge" was not a videogame soundtrack, so my aim was simply to capture distinct images with music. Therefore, "Tower" contains a musicality that's different from other soundtrack titles.
Siliconera: How have you noticed the industry changing since you first became involved in it? And finally, what projects do you have on the horizon?
kt2: During the time I have composed music for the PC, the advancement of sound sources and music production tools has been astonishing. "Total Recall" especially, which uses virtual instruments, is definitely efficient, without at all compromising one's desire to compose music. However, this convenience has encouraged the loss of basic concepts at the same time. The convenience of the PC is blinding us from the evolution of game music. It's a hugely negative factor for us present-day musicians to work in such a practical environment without paying it any mind. Without seeking out how the form has been shaped in the way it is now, we cannot overcome the big obstacles facing us in the future. I myself have just started revisiting the basics of composition, arrangement, mixing, and the fundamentals of game music.
I am composing one title this year, and I am trying to develop a somewhat different type of music. It might generate controversial opinions, yet new fields don't open up unless you try new things. I will continue to challenge myself without forgetting where where I came from. Thank you very much.
Above: the view from kt2's studio. kt2's songs can be heard at kt2 Sound Lab and as free downloads on last.fm.
Images courtesy of kt2 Sound Lab.
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