This article originally published by Music4Games.net
So we’ve all heard of Ubisoft’s Red Steel by now. But have we HEARD Red Steel? The soundtrack was composed and produced by none other than Tom Salta of recent Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter acclaim; not to mention his numerous past game credits plus his largely licensed alter ego, Atlas Plug. The guy is all over the place and I’m so glad he was all over the Red Steel soundtrack.
I remember the running into Tom Salta at last years (which was the last) E3. He was in the middle of producing this game for the Nintendo Wii called Red Steel. The excitement and joy he was exuding whenever anyone asked him about it, not that you had to ask, was very comforting. A mix between a kid in a candy shop and a mad scientist is more like it. Red Steel definitely found the perfect composer.
So we’ve all heard of Ubisoft’s Red Steel by now. But have we HEARD Red Steel? The soundtrack was composed and produced by none other than Tom Salta of recent Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter acclaim; not to mention his numerous past game credits plus his largely licensed alter ego, Atlas Plug. The guy is all over the place and I’m so glad he was all over the Red Steel soundtrack.
I remember the running into Tom Salta at last years (which was the last) E3. He was in the middle of producing this game for the Nintendo Wii called Red Steel. The excitement and joy he was exuding whenever anyone asked him about it, not that you had to ask, was very comforting. A mix between a kid in a candy shop and a mad scientist is more like it. Red Steel definitely found the perfect composer.
Truly, there isn’t much music that sounds like the Red Steel soundtrack, at least in Western gaming circles. In an interview Tom mentioned how some Nintendo execs, after seeing and hearing a game demo, thought that he was in fact an Eastern based composer. That comment alone speaks volumes to Salta’s dedication to go beyond mere emulation of reference material to create something brand new, yet altogether familiar.
To accurately match the fusion of culture and gameplay that is Red Steel, Tom enlisted the aid of several artists to perform various tasks throughout the disc. Taikoza, a NYC taiko drum group, really thundered in all the percussive elements of the soundtrack. Taiko drums are a favorite of mine so it was nice to hear authentic taiko performances. And no more virtual koto and shamisen parts for me! These instruments, played brilliantly by Masayo Ishigure, need to be performed traditionally to truly appreciate their nuances. The shrill vibrato of the female vocals heard in so much Anime and Japanese music is ultra-present here as well. They kind of remind me of those gospel singers narrating Little Shop of Horrors, popping up here and there to anchor the story down. It’s a nice touch, and very well implemented.
Heavy, fat synths permeate the experience as well. The whole sonic landscape really screams out the decade of 1980. Yet, even that assertation changes from piece to piece! It’s safe to say that a lot of inspiration for Red Steel the game and Red Steel the soundtrack came from the 80’s, Kill Bill, J-Pop, and traditional Japanese folk music. It’s the coming together of these forces that create something altogether new and definitive. It’s a lot of weird things coming together, but you “get it” right away, and it feels really good.
To accurately match the fusion of culture and gameplay that is Red Steel, Tom enlisted the aid of several artists to perform various tasks throughout the disc. Taikoza, a NYC taiko drum group, really thundered in all the percussive elements of the soundtrack. Taiko drums are a favorite of mine so it was nice to hear authentic taiko performances. And no more virtual koto and shamisen parts for me! These instruments, played brilliantly by Masayo Ishigure, need to be performed traditionally to truly appreciate their nuances. The shrill vibrato of the female vocals heard in so much Anime and Japanese music is ultra-present here as well. They kind of remind me of those gospel singers narrating Little Shop of Horrors, popping up here and there to anchor the story down. It’s a nice touch, and very well implemented.
Heavy, fat synths permeate the experience as well. The whole sonic landscape really screams out the decade of 1980. Yet, even that assertation changes from piece to piece! It’s safe to say that a lot of inspiration for Red Steel the game and Red Steel the soundtrack came from the 80’s, Kill Bill, J-Pop, and traditional Japanese folk music. It’s the coming together of these forces that create something altogether new and definitive. It’s a lot of weird things coming together, but you “get it” right away, and it feels really good.
Quickly, about the J-Pop… In general it has always made me smile. It’s inherent cheese just does that, put a silly old grin on my face. What I learned from studying Tom Salta’s take on J-Pop is that that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Maybe that’s something I was to afraid to admit before, but certainly I’m now more open to it.
The excitement that Tom Salta had discussing his work with everyone really translated well to the final experience. It might have been a challenge finding the right balance for such a variety of genre’s and tasks rolled into one project, but the challenge was met cheerfully and proficiently by one cheerful and proficient composer/engineer/producer, Tom Salta.
The excitement that Tom Salta had discussing his work with everyone really translated well to the final experience. It might have been a challenge finding the right balance for such a variety of genre’s and tasks rolled into one project, but the challenge was met cheerfully and proficiently by one cheerful and proficient composer/engineer/producer, Tom Salta.