This track represents shadowy conspiracies in the night. My biggest inspiration was Deus Ex (the original one). I was thinking of a spy infiltrating a military facility when writing this track. The second half is dominated by the Atlantis leitmotif. However it is played in a very jazzy manner on the organ. This track also represents through its usage of an electronic bass sound. It foreshadows the introduction of synths in a soundtrack that was so-far almost entirely neo-classical/acoustic. The organ is also a reference to another tune that will appear later on.
Track 9: Funtasy
There is this very specific moment in the Anime Lucky Star where Konata is playing an MMO but then is suddenly reminded by her teacher (that for some reason is also in the game) that she needs to complete her homework. I wanted to try creating a track similar to the one that plays during this gag. In other words, generic Fantasy RPG vibes. The melody is gracefully presented by the winds, which lie on top a harmonic string bed. The harp arpeggios were obviously inspired by a game with a similar title...
Track 8: Funky Vibes
I need to confess something: I can't into Funk... No, seriously I don't understand how to make it Funky even though I love Funk music and listen to it all the time. It's like a secret formula that involves 16th note beats and syncopation. But I just don't get it to be honest, maybe I spent too much time playing square music for my own good. Well, anyway... this was my attempt to create something funky. On a side note, it was really hard to mix this track for some reason. Especially the guitar solo, I had to spent hours trying to mix it properly.
Track 7: Atlantis
The sound of this track has nothing to do with the Atlantis or underwater cities in general. Instead, it is intended to be primitivistic or "cave-man blows horn loud" music. I was thinking of Rite Of Spring by Stravinsky when composing this. There are also some hints of Royal music from China or Korea because of the pentatonic scale. This track also introduces the Atlantis leitmotif, so it is one of the most important themes of the soundtrack.
Track 6: The Amazoness
A jazzy track to represent a nightlife full of intrigue. Neon lights that illuminate the bar while your drink a pint, that's the image that I wanted to invoke in this track. There is no definitive melody in the first part, just a few chords to set the mood. That is followed by improvised piano and bass solos. I actually had to replay and edit these solos a lot of times so they sounded just right... I always create a Frankenstein version of the solos, selecting the parts that I think are the best and deleting the parts that lack luster.
Track 5: Veronica Theme
This one draws inspiration from American and British marching songs. The flute paired with the snare drum was often used in military bands while they calmly charged the enemy artillery centuries ago. The song is very uplifting, until it reaches the mellow string orchestral section. In the first playthrough of the B section, the Ventus Leitmotif looms over for a brief moment, like a dreadful omen. However, it is replaced by a hopeful and optimistic cadence at the end of the second run. Hope for change in the future.
Track 4: Lyudmila Theme
I wanted to invoke the cold and powerful national vibe of the Winterlands in this track. I mainly drew inspiration from Tchaikovsky (Russian) and Sibelius (Finnish) to write this one. The military and nationalistic tones contrast with the delicate celesta ballet. The strings play a melody that dodges the question, as if it was hiding something before it finishes dramatically.
Track 3: Grinder
I wanted to create an industrial sound like the one found in Soviet composer Alexander Mosolov's "The Iron Foundry (Factory: Machine Music, Op. 19)". I focused on the brass to capture the dystopian and oppressive atmosphere while using the percussion to simulate engines blowing out steam. The track has a string buildup half-way through that leads to a new section that symbolizes defiance. However, even that is soon muffled by the mechanical sounds of the engines as the track prepares to loop again.
Track 2: Erika Theme
This theme introduces the Erika Leitmotif. A leitmotif is basically a tune that represents a character, idea, or concept. The brass is used to create a menacing effect while the vibe percussion is supposed to add a dreamy or surreal character to the track. In the transition between the Brass A section and the Piano B section there is a small cameo of the Atlantis Leitmotif. The piano, which was used to represent change in the previous track, eventually merges with the percussion vibes to represent reality being distorted and overtaken by dream and insanity.
Track 1: The flat
I wanted to create a track that had a cinematic feel while also portraying melancholy and existential dread. The best way to describe this one is "sparse". There are melodies here and there, but they don't really go anywhere (as if they were trapped). This only changes when the piano comes in, playing a very sorrowful tune but that also symbolizes change. The short piano tune is indeed, indicative that something will change in the future.
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