Interviews
Members of 65daysofstatic band can definitely say that they achieved several great goals in their career. I strongly believe that among those events we can count composing new album, which has been used as a soundtrack for No Man’s Sky video game. We invite you to read this short interview with the band as well as to listen to the music itself because without any doubt this is one that in various ways seems unique among many other video game music albums.
I strongly believe that among those events we can count composing new album, which has been used as a soundtrack for No Man’s Sky video game.
gamemusic.net: While composing music for No Man’s Sky, were you thinking more about the game itself or rather about the album as a coherent and separate work?
65daysofstatic: We were thinking about both of these things. We were not brought on board as ‘composers for hire’, Hello Games really wanted us to make a ‘65daysofstatic record’ as the soundtrack. This was a big distinction for us, because we have been around for a while and made quite a few records. We didn’t want to become known only as ‘the No Man’s Sky band’ forever more, so we were very careful about making sure this record worked as our next album completely outside of the games world, as well as being the soundtrack for the game itself.
In fixed, album form, it’s more like telling a story, from beginning to end. – 65daysofstatic
gamemusic.net: Are you interested in exploration of the universe? How have your personal interests influenced the album?
65daysofstatic: Sure. Who isn’t!? And yes, they have.
gamemusic.net: Discovering your music is kind of similar to a long journey. What do you do to achieve such effect?
65daysofstatic: This is an impossible question to answer. I guess you’re a games soundtrack website so presumably you have written a lot about questions of narrative and linearity in music composition. Probably more than I could say off the top of my head here. A simple way to look at it might be that music can either be ‘story telling’ or ‘story building’. In fixed, album form, it’s more like telling a story, from beginning to end. But in the No Man’s Sky game, it doesn’t necessarily know the flow of the action. So instead of telling a story, it builds a world in which stories can be made.
gamemusic.net:Polish band Tides from Nebula creates music in a stylesomewhat similar to yours. Are you familiar with the them? If so, what do you think about their works?
65daysofstatic: We are not familiar with them, sorry.
gamemusic.net: How did you find cooperation with programmers? It seems like something new for you, wasn’t it?
We love being in the studio. It’s intense but rewarding. – 65daysofstatic
65daysofstatic: They were great. They mostly left us alone to make our own creative decisions. Towards the end there were some helpful suggestions from Paul Weir, the audio director, about techniques that might be well suited to the responsive audio system they had built. But we had a pretty open brief.
gamemusic.net: How would you rate the experience of writing music for a game? Do you plan to go through such project again in the future?
65daysofstatic: It would great. So yes.
gamemusic.net: Weren’t you afraid that writing music for a game might bring some negative reception from your fans?
65daysofstatic: Nope.
It was mixed in Scotland by somebody called Tony Doogan and mastered by Frank Arkwright at Abbey Road. – 65daysofstatic
gamemusic.net: Question about some technical aspects – do you perform all post-production on your own? Do you find this stage interesting or rather a must-to-have core?
65daysofstatic: It was recorded at Chapel Studios in England. Co-produced by us and Dave Sanderson. It was mixed in Scotland by somebody called Tony Doogan and mastered by Frank Arkwright at Abbey Road. We love being in the studio. It’s intense but rewarding.
gamemusic.net: Do you listen to music from video games? Is there any particular title that you really
65daysofstatic: Speedball 2. Secret of Monkey Island. Dune II. Grand Monster Slam. Turrican 2. But these have not been regular listening for, like, twenty years or something.
gamemusic.net: So when will you have your next show in Poland?
65daysofstatic: Hopefully soon.
