It is impossible to think of Simogo’s imaginative game library without bringing to mind the works of composer Daniel Olsén. From the spooky Annual hikethe hyperpop aesthetic of Sayonara Wild Heartsor the mysterious Lorelei and the laser eyesOne reason this catalogue of indie titles sticks in our minds is because their soundtracks fit thematically with the gameplay and environment so well.
To find out what Olsén thinks about his projects, we reached out to him as part of Polygon FM, our themed week celebrating the intersection of music and games.
Polygon: Was there a game soundtrack or song that inspired you to start composing game music? Can you describe how that felt for you and why the music was so impactful?
Daniel Olsen: There was more than just one soundtrack that inspired me. I grew up in the era of 8-bit and 16-bit consoles and the Commodore 64 – and like many others, I was swept away by the NES classics, like Super Mario, ZeldaAnd Mega Man. I think the great thing about video game music is that when you finish a game, you still have the melodies, chords and rhythms. I didn’t have my own console as a kid, but I used to run around singing my favorite songs and that would take me back to the atmosphere of the games. I had a C64 and sometimes I would start up games just to hear the music from games, like The Last Ninja, deltaand so on. Sometimes you just wanted to keep going and hear more of the music. Even today I often try to recreate the feeling I had with many of those soundtracks.
Can you describe one of your own songs and its influences? Was it inspired by game soundtracks, other music or something else?
In the “interrogation” [from Lorelei]I have the theme of “Woman on the other side“, another song from Lorelei and the laser eyes. It was also partly inspired by Angelo Badalamenti’s walking baselines and slow jazz drums in “Audrey’s Dance” from Twin Peaks. This scene in the game is also similar to the interrogation aspects of our previous game DEVICE 6so it seemed fitting to add some rough surf guitars to create a connection between the two.
During the song we switch between being interrogated with a gun to our head and walking around in dreamy, loud old memories and back again. If the music doesn’t keep up, it feels very flat, so we opted for dynamic music in this part of the game. We wanted the levels to be different enough to allow for varied dramatic expression. From dry vinyl crackling to dreamy piano to a horror mood, even the sound effects are part of the final musical impression. When you walk around in the memories, we also changed the footsteps to vinyl noises and crackles to fit the theme.
What instruments are mainly used to record the soundtrack? Lorelei? How did you choose these instruments?
The idea was to have two sides – the obviously digital and the obviously human/analog. Since the game’s art style mixes analog photos with broken digital art, we wanted the music to reflect the same. So most of the songs are based on very digital-sounding instruments, mixed with cello and vocals from Linnea Olsson or guitar from Jonathan Eng. I spent a lot of time making these sounds distinctly different, but at the same time harmonious with each other.
Is there anything else I should know about your approach to composing video game music?
The most important thing for me is that the music fits the game and is not good on its own. You have to create some sort of universe for the music that can enrich the story of the game. It’s like an extension of the video game universe. It gives you the opportunity to tell stories about a larger world and it gives players the opportunity to imagine parts that aren’t represented in the game. I often hear great music in games, but it doesn’t fit the mood or the songs aren’t in the same cohesive universe. This can make the feel of the game feel a bit disjointed.
