![]() ![]() Has there ever been a moment in which you realized that working with Alx wasn’t just going to be a one-time thing, but a long-standing partnership? It’s really hard to tell a good story when you’re also trying to infuse the experience with lots of novelty and otherworldliness. But both were truly difficult from a creative standpoint. It was just a tad easier on Hyper Light Drifter, to be sure, because the boundaries of that project were a bit easier to understand. How different was the creative process working on Solar Ash compared to Hyper Light Drifter?įrom my standpoint, the through line on these projects has been a willingness to dive into truly ambiguous depths looking for diamonds. We also had great contributions from Joel Corelitz and Sky Liu, and I managed to sneak in a few minor contributions here and there too. Ultimately, I brought in my colleague Troupe Gammage IV to lead the audio team, and he has also done an incredible job writing the lion’s share of the score. Alx was more than patient with me as I went through various significant life events which also impacted my motivation and desire to write music. It’s a hard thing to quantify, but I was always more motivated to build the audio technology that would help bring the world of the game to life. The initial plan was that I would write the soundtrack, but after taking numerous cracks at it, it never really felt right for me personally for some reason. There were many roadblocks, and it took many years to get it to a good spot, but I think it turned out really great - and it’s a lot of fun to play. It’s kind of crazy that it managed to happen at all, when you consider that we went from making a small pixel art action game to something so ambitious and out there. With Solar Ash due out next month, what should people expect from the game and its soundtrack? ![]() Those are the conditions under which I thrive. I always find myself trying to work my way back towards smaller, simpler projects with just a handful of new or old friends, hacking away at something cool. As Heart Machine has grown from a handful of folks into a fully fledged studio, creatively we’ve begun to move in somewhat different directions. I think it’s fair to say that both of our lives have changed quite dramatically over that period of time, and the nature of our working relationship has as well. We’ve worked together in some capacity for the last 8+ years, and I have a great deal of love, respect and admiration for him. How would you describe the creative relationship you have with Alx when it comes to working on the Heart Machine games?Īs creative collaborators, Alx and I have been through quite a lot together. The things you make can take on a life of their own and have an extended impact that goes far beyond what you could ever imagine, and I just can’t say enough good things about that. I’ve seen lots of awesome fan art, heard lots of wonderful renditions of the soundtrack by fans - the cultural exchange you can have after a project comes out is one of my favorite parts of being an artist. I’ve heard from many people over the years about how the game and the music have impacted them. It was quite difficult, but I’m really proud of the work we did. SPIN: Five years later, what’s it like to look back on the soundtrack of Hyper Light Drifter and see how much it means to people? This time around, Vreeland handled the audio systems for Solar Ash, while Troupe Gammage IV composed the score alongside Joel Corelitz and Sky Liu, and Alex Johnson took on the sound design Now, not only is iam8bit re-releasing the Hyper Light Drifter soundtrack for the first time in a long time, but Heart Machine and Disasterpeace are also teaming up once again for next month’s Solar Ash. At the time, Vreeland was already somewhat of a known commodity due to his work on video games such as Fez, movies like It Follows, and the largely diverse and experimental albums, EPs, and singles he’d put out as an artist away from soundtracks. ![]() ![]() Richard Vreeland (better known as Disasterpeace) was the one behind the now-iconic soundtrack, which soon became one of the most sought-after vinyls in the entire industry. An acclaimed and refreshing indie title that paid tribute to classic 16-bit action RPGs, Hyper Light Drifter became an immediate fan favorite and award winner for a number of reasons - particularly the unique and unforgettable score that was equal parts nostalgic and futuristic. To make things even better, that was the day when developer and creative director Alx Preston of Heart Machine released Hyper Light Drifter into the world. Global pandemics were reserved for sci-fi movies. ![]()
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