Interview with Dan Licht (Hell Descent)Date published: 2010.07.01 We have contacted Silent Hill 8′s composer Dan Licht for the skinny on his involvement in the new Silent Hill title. We ask about how he gets into the right mindset for this type of music, and if Akira’s shoes are big ones to fill. HD: How did you land this title? Where you approached by Konami or did you seek it out? DL: Konami came to me, the Producers were familiar with my work and contacted my agent to setup a meeting to see if I was interested, and of course I jumped at the opportunity. I have been very interested working on video games since I’ve noticed that the music has become more and more interesting lately. It feels to me like we’re entering an exciting experimental period for video games not unlike what the 60′s and 70′s were for film. HD: Before ever becoming aware you would be involved in this, were you in any way, shape, or form a fan of Akira’s music? DL: I wasn’t aware of him particularly but I had noticed that Silent Hill had an interesting sound to it that I liked. HD: Do you have any prior experience with the Silent Hill series? If so, what interested you about it? DL: I played Silent Hill 2 and Silent Hill Homecoming. What I liked about it is dark moodiness of the game, and I’m just a fan of horror in general, especially psychological horror. HD: Are you a gamer yourself? And if so, are you familiar with the horror-gaming scene? DL: I played some games when I was younger. My first was Dark Castle, then Doom and Myst. If I could only have all those hours back. More recently I have gotten in to playing again to familiarize myself with what’s going on in games. Games I like: Silent Hill, Assassin’s Creed, Bioshock 2. HD: With Silent Hill, are you creating your own feel and vibe for the aural experience of the series? Have you taken any inspiration from former composer Akira Yamaoka’s work and might we hear some past themes again? DL: I want to bring something new to Silent Hill, while respecting the established feel of the game. I find that Akira’s artistic sensibility and mine have some similarities. I haven’t gotten into scoring the game enough to say whether there will be a continuation of themes, but texturally there will certainly be an influence. I plan on using industrial sounds with keyboards and guitars, tortured ambiences and driving percussion. I may use some mandolin as a nod to the early Silent Hill Music. My goal is to serve the game, whatever is best for putting the player into the right mood. HD: Do you feel like you are filling big shoes now that Akira is gone? Silent Hill fans can be very protective about the series. DL: It’s always hard to replace something or someone that’s become iconic, but saying that, if we never changed anything we would still be cutting down trees with rock axes. I certainly respect the fans of Silent Hill and I plan on working very hard to earn their respect back. HD: Are you considering or have you considered bringing in past talents like Mary Elizabeth for possible vocal tracks, or will you bring Silent Hill back to the non vocal roots, making it all purely ambient? DL: I’m open to any idea that makes this new generation of Silent Hill great. Vocals are an important part of my composing palate, but I don’t know yet if I will incorporate them or not. HD: Will you be doing any of the sound effects of the monsters, and/or background noises provided for the game? DL: No, the way the process works is the sound design and atmospheric effects are all handled by the sound engineers. However, I will also include ambient sound-scapes as part of my musical tracks, depending on the environment type, and the engineers put together a seamless blend with the in-game assets. (Note From Devin Shatsky (Producer of Silent Hill 8): This is no different than the way it was handled with past Silent Hill titles, it’s a misconception that Akira did all the sound effects for the monsters and gameplay as well. So hopefully some of the Akira fans can rest a little easier now.) HD: What kind of emotional and physical preparation do you do when composing music, particularly for the Silent Hill brand? Do you need to be in a particular mindset? DL: I need a couple cups of coffee to get rolling in the morning, and then the phone to stop ringing long enough to get some writing done. Actually, I write at night most times. It’s quieter and I can get into the mood without interruption. Thanks to Dan Licht, Devin Shatsky, Konami, and Vatra for making this interview possible. |