Last month the music label Materia Joined released the first two soundtracks for both of them Yooka-Laylee and its sequence Yooka-Laylee and Impible Lair there are plenty of digital storefronts and streaming platforms. Music from both Playtonic love letters to past platformers may have been hard to find limited, but both are now available online in all places you can expect to find and / or distribute.
Both games encounter players' nostalgia on low-level vareage platforms such as Banjo-Kazooie and Country Donkey Kong The series, and featuring the composers behind those classics was no small part to encapsulate the feeling that Playtonic intended. The rewritten songs of Grant Kirkhope and David Wise (along with alumni Steve Burke) regained that cheerful, immoral spirit and played a major role in Jooka-Laylee's success.
David Wise started composing at Rare in the late '80s to get some NES titles including Slalom, RC Pro-AM and Wars. Grant Kirkhope started at the same company 10 years ago working on similar games Killer Instinct Gold and was responsible for many soundtracks during the Rare & # 39; s N64 golden years, including GoldenEye 007 (alongside Graeme Norgate and Robin Beanland). Having spent over 60 years documenting the experience between them, we wondered if their writing process has changed much since the start of their VGM careers. Do they end up with a lot of unused products and bobs or is it a bit more process these days?
"Actually, I don't have much to use," Kirkhope tells us in an email. "I think because I keep in touch with anyone I work with so I always make changes. Also, I always try to send the first 32 bars or so to see if I'm traveling right?" If so, it saves me time to write the whole piece and then it gets rejected and starts back to square. "
Wisdom takes a similar approach to encapsulating a basic idea before spending time on some research that doesn't indeed they should. "I learned a long time ago at Rare when they introduced the track to Tim Stamper (one of the brothers who founded Rare as Artistic Director) that if the track didn't work, it would take longer to fix it than to simply Reboot. I usually draw the first hour every day, to get first thoughts down to work on it. Because of this process, if I am not happy with the idea – I will not express it until I get the idea, I am happy with it.
I learned a long time ago at Rare … that if a track doesn't work, it will take longer to repair it than to demolish it and just restart.
As Kirkhope points out, the answer still forms a large part of the process of both designers. "I still get a lot of answers and I still have to make a lot of changes. I don't think there is a composer out there that has nothing to do with that. Mario + Rabbits
"We're hired to have a sound and a certain character," Wise admits, "and that comes with certain expectations ahead. Which is also a challenge at times. However, I still force myself to find a new angle to work with."
Yooka-Laylee projects compel composers to remember and carry out their work in the past, without replicating themselves or falling into a clan. We think that it should be just a little short of trying to find something new while taking a clear influence from your past.
"Certainly, I think you can't escape that. "Kirkhope confirms. With Yooka's first game it obviously needed Banjo-Kazooie-ness so I had to find a way to not make it look like BK but enough that people get that taste. With Yooka 2 it wasn't such a big deal as they didn't want it to sound. of course. "
Navigating that path between old and new worlds while keeping them unique is a challenge, and following familiar songs can be difficult, too, especially after many decades in the composing business. “While I was working Desert Mines I wrote a piece I thought was normal but I couldn't put it down, luckily I realized I had written the same song for one of the pieces I made The castle of Illusion starring Mickey Mouse, so change me! "
With such a wealth of experience under their belts you can swear that writing is so easy these days. That's just the condition first note, throw in third, and then – bish-bash-bosh – another winner, no? "Haha! I wish it had been easier," said Wise. "No, every composition I strive to find something new or different to add a sense of excitement to the design process. Remember all those skirts that I didn't mention earlier? Yes, I keep going until I connect the make-up I mean.
Wherever we work, as designers (work from home-to-home), it's like being alone with people and always locked up
Kirkhope is photographed to avoid the author's blocking with a strict daily routine. "I'm glad to thank that. Because I spent 12 years when as a staff writer it made me a habit to start writing at 9am and finish at 5:00 pm, it's such a great state I should be in. I couldn't sit there in a dark room and wait for the Lord's hand to treat me well, I had to keep going! I'm still working like this today. "
As foreign contractors, we wonder if they miss a strong team or go to office (or a brigade in the old Twycross Rare case). Maybe the peace and quiet of the home is worth writing and writing? "I love being so relaxed, "Kirkhope tells us." I find that it has made me more active when I can put in my working hours. I know when I work well and what it's like to brush my teeth! "
"Wherever we work, as designers, it's like being alone and closed all the time," Wise said. "Fortunately, we took it out so many times to go and talk to other people."
While Yooka-Laylee's original music was composed entirely by Grant, David and Steve Burke, the lion's share of Imp Imp Lair music was composed by the Playtonic co-producers Dan Murdoch and Matt Griffin. "I only took the back seat because Gavin (Price, the founder of Playtonic) would not pay the bill!" Kirkhope jokes. Though they have taken on diminished roles in the sequel, their presence has been fiercely opposed to attracting the work of the talented Playtonic team in-house. We wondered if this bothered us.
"It would be impossible for our names to be so focused," continued Kirkhope, "so I did my best to always tell people that Matt and Dan did a lot of music and did very little. It doesn't matter to me just how bad Matt and Dan don't get the medal they deserve. "
"I think Matt and Dan did a great job with their songs, "Wise said." I don't think either I or Grant was responsible for the work of other people as we did so it was clear that from day one we were not the best designer. I think the use of our words was used to help give kudos to the game and to help with advertising, but this is not unusual. "
Playtonic after something that has been a bit different from the chameleon and bat & # 39; s sequel. "During the first game, I was incorporating some tracks to change the speed and colors that were different from the amazing tracks produced by Grant," Wise said. "In the second game, it was all about trying different or unexpected ways that I could use the ukulele."
"The Playtonics wanted a different sound in the second game, they wanted it to be as small and not as big as the first game," admitted Kirkhope. Moving from the expanding 3D platform space to the 2D extDive platform may have resulted in something small & # 39; good & # 39 ;, but the unique flavor of The Impible Lair & # 39; s OST certainly doesn't double that much.
Like any creative work, anything you grind naturally has an impact on your work. "There are always very powerful pieces of music that have inspired us both," said Wise. "While we were studying our work, there were pieces I was working hard on to re-learn to learn the design process. This will not help but have an impact on the composer's style."
Having people still talk about things I wrote 20 years ago is frustrating for me.
We ask what they've been listening to lately. "Hmmmm… .. a lot of John Williams as usual," Kirkhope said. "I was playing The World of Ancient Warfare and it was great to hear that music again. I spent a lot of time playing WoW while in Rare and have forgotten how good the music is. "He's smart too, he's been listening to game music."Spyro the Dragon "Change songs reproduced by Stewart Copeland."
While there are clear similarities between the methods of designers and workplaces, their work is different, but different. "I think that both Grant and I have our own style (…) it's very easy to pick Grant's design as I'm sure that is probably one of my songs." When asked if there is a piece of music in their back catalog that they wish to change or change, Kirkhope doesn't think: "No, I'm not a very good polisher, if I go back it might just make it worse!"
On the other hand, the Methodist can continue in a state of constant frustration. "I always force myself to stop. Given the time, I'm still singing songs from years past (…) I always think: too much vocal in this, the drums should be too heavy here and there is a few drum strings that should have been included. It doesn't stop.
The love and sympathy songs Wise and Kirkhope continue to deliver to the players for many years later something both find inspiring and humbling. Their music had a huge impact on many players who listened to their work for hours on end.
"That's something I would never get used to, "Kirkhope muses." I really don't like all that ego stuff. I always say that for any artist of any persuasion – be it a composer, photographer or writer, etc. – to have one a person on earth like something that got out of their heads is just amazing. The fact that people are still talking about things I wrote 20 years ago is frustrating, I thought it would be delayed in a few months! "
"It's always very humbling when people respond well and are involved in our songs," admits Wise. "The fans are very generous with their ideas. But that feedback also helps us as designers."
We have used the word & # 39; s elders say & # 39; in our writing regarding the position of Kirkhope and Wise in the world of game design. It seemed appropriate to offer their 10-bit compilation tasks that ranged from 8-bit to whatever we want now. However, since John Williams is still well into his 80s, these people have not arrived at their jobs and there is no indication that they are slowing down anytime soon. Kirkhope plays down the idea that some kind of touring concert could be a dirty hire ("I would love to do that, but I don't think anyone will come!"), but Wise has a combo with some ex-Rare lighting that always plays with established classics with his own backdrops.
"Dave Wise Five played at MAGfest in Washington DC this year. We were chewed and incredibly tired playing New Year's Eve in the UK – then we immediately left and then headed down to Heathrow for a nine-hour flight. I couldn't sleep there as it was very uncomfortable. We then settle in to adapt to the new time zone. Then after sleeping for about six hours – we last entered the stage just before midnight. You're crazy. "
Coming up later this year is a new project, too – the concept album is called Salamandos. In addition to Spyro's sound, Wise was also searching for and listening to tracks from the & # 39; 80s for inspiration. "Musically, I've been listening to a lot of & # 39; 80s rock and pop, as our upcoming concept album is based on the decade when Kevin Bayliss and I started collaborating."
Rareware fans will know the name of Bayliss & # 39 ;. "Kevin created the first 3D DK models, the Killer Instinct characters and so much more. He's a fantastic artist. In May / June we will be finishing the album – and we have a completely creative book – in style" Kevin and I worked all our time in Rare. Then we will take Dave Wise to see him in Europe. "
Current world events will impact tourism programs ("We have already restored our shows in Norway, Sweden, the UK and Germany until Coronavirus is under control.") But Wise hopes to continue the live shows when things get back to normal. Despite the delays, it's nice to hear the enthusiasm these two designers still have after so many years – both with their old stuff and new stuff in the pipeline.
Many thanks to David and Grant. Yooka-Laylee and Yooka-Laylee and the successful sounds of Impible Lair are now available in a range of digital stores and streaming platforms including Apple, Spotify and Amazon. Let us know your favorite Wise and Kirkhope tracks, new ones and wines, below.
