Sumthing Else

Game Music

Sumthing Else Music Works Releases Forza Motorsport 7 Original Soundtrack

December 19, 2017 | Brenna Wilkes | Comments Off on Sumthing Else Music Works Releases Forza Motorsport 7 Original Soundtrack Share this

If you’re the type that enjoys racing games and the soundtracks that go with them (Oh Daytona USA, you hold a special place in my heart), then you might be interested to know that music label Sumthing Else Music Works has released the digital soundtrack to Forza Motorsport 7. Released in October, the game is the latest in the Forza Motorsport line of racing games in the modern era, featuring 37 tracks of original music by composers Kaveh Cohen and Michael Nielsen.

“Big Bang” from Forza Motorsport 7 (Original Soundtrack) by Kaveh Cohen, Michael Nielsen

“For Forza Motorsport 6, the idea was to give the score a really filmic sense of depth and scope and to introduce themes to the franchise for the first time. It was a hybrid score recorded with a large 90-piece orchestra. For Forza Motorsport 7, our conversations early on with Turn 10 Studios centered around the idea of ‘humanizing’ the game, from the GUI to the overall aesthetic look and feel and the music. In thinking of the notion of humanizing the music, the game’s audio director felt this could be translated into a band playing together in a room, which in turn after some creative discovery, led us down the road of writing essentially a vintage rock score.” – Kaveh Cohen, Composer

“You can’t just plug into a computer and get a gritty authentic tone for this kind of music. It’s about moving air, and circuits being pushed to their limits, and fuzz and little electronic explosions. It was vital to have great players, in great sounding rooms, with great instruments.” – Michael Nielsen, Composer

The soundtrack for Forza Motorsport 7 is currently available for digital purchase at Sumthing Else for $9.99. Forza Motorsport 6 Porsche Expansion soundtrack, Forza Motorsport 6 NASCAR Expansion soundtrack and the Forza Motorsport 6 Ultimate Edition, will all be released in 2018.
Game Music

Sumthing Else Music Works Release Soundtrack to VR Game THE INVISIBLE HOURS

November 16, 2017 | Brenna Wilkes | Comments Off on Sumthing Else Music Works Release Soundtrack to VR Game THE INVISIBLE HOURS Share this

The world of VR is still gaining steam within the video game world, but certainly game studios are doing their best to create immersive experiences best suited for augmented gaming, like the new game from Tequila Works, and GameTrust, The Invisible Hours. Certainly the music of virtual reality games plays as much or more of a role in the gameplay experience than traditional games, though it takes some special fine-tuning to get it right.

Composer Cris Velasco (Resident Evil 7, Bloodborne) was brought in to create the score to The Invisible Hours. Velasco gives the murder-mystery game a subtle touch of musical undertones to help accentuate the game without breaking the immersion whilst the player controls their character wandering the darkened halls of Nikola Tesla’s laboratories trying to solve the secrets of his murder.

We took our inspiration from stage theater and played with atmosphere and ambient sound. Like the original silent movies of early 20th Century, we added a soundtrack matching the action only in very specific moments for dramatic purpose. The result is an intimate, atmospheric symphony that talks directly to your soul. And composer Cris Velasco is the invisible hand behind the chill you feel when wandering Tesla’s domains spying the secret lives of all these strangers. – Raúl Rubio, CEO and Creative Director of Tequila Works

“Main Theme” [Preview] from The Invisible Hours (The Official Soundtrack) by Cris Velasco

The original game soundtrack for the The Invisible Hours is available now for preview through Sumthing Else Music Works and on iTunes, and purchasable for $9.99.

The Invisible Hours is available for Oculus Rift, PlayStation VR, and HTC Vive. For more information visit http://www.theinvisiblehours.com.
Experimental

Marty O’Donnell’s Musical Prequel to Golem, ECHOES OF THE FIRST DREAMER Available

October 20, 2017 | Brenna Wilkes | Comments Off on Marty O’Donnell’s Musical Prequel to Golem, ECHOES OF THE FIRST DREAMER Available Share this

Sumthing Else Music Works and independent game studio Highwire Games have released the vinyl edition of “Echoes of the First Dreamer: The Musical Prequel To Golem,” the new visionary album from Halo and Destiny composer Marty O’Donnell. The LP is released on classic 180g black vinyl and presented in a deluxe gatefold package.

Written for piano and orchestra, “Echoes of the First Dreamer: The Musical Prequel To Golem” is not the soundtrack to Highwire’s forthcoming exclusive PlayStation VR game Golem – it is a musical prequel; composed, arranged and recorded as an independent work that introduces audiences to the world and themes of Golem.

“For a composer, a prequel album is an interesting challenge because, unlike a traditional soundtrack, it cannot lean on the listener’s memories and experiences from the game. It needs to stand alone and have its own independent emotional journey. At the same time, it must relate to Golem‘s tone and world.

The story of Golem is more intimate — it’s about a small family living on the outskirts of a fallen city so I chose to work with a somewhat lighter ensemble than I have in the past: a piano, chamber orchestra and harp. But I wrote them all at the piano and it was interesting how the emotional impact of a piece would evolve from the original piano solo to the fully orchestrated version.” – Marty O’Donnell, Composer

The new vinyl album is currently available on Amazon, along with digital and CD formats.
Experimental, Game Music

Soundtrack to Ubisoft’s Steep out now on CD

February 20, 2017 | Shawn Sackenheim | Comments Off on Soundtrack to Ubisoft’s Steep out now on CD Share this

To say Ubisoft’s extreme sports title, Steep, had a compressed PR cycle is quite the understatement. The game was revealed to the world at E3 2016 and released just six months later amid the madness of the holiday shopping season. If you weren’t paying close attention you could easily have missed the original soundtrack behind the din of it’s licensed playlist that featured in the trailers.

The original soundtrack from European post-rock collective, Zikali, has been out there for a while on the major streaming services but Sumthing Else Music Works has announced they’re once again teaming up with Ubisoft for a physical release. Available from Sumthing Else for $10 digital and $15 on disc, the 19-track album features a surprisingly emotional score to what looks, at first glance, to be an Xtreme Sportz title that fell out of 2002.

“The musical artistic direction consists of the encounter between a post-rock formation (drums, bass, guitars, synths), to which is added an orchestral dimension (strings, brass) and a set of original instruments (hang drum, duduk) that define the sound identity of the project,” explains Zikali. “The energy of the rider is represented by a modern and electric sound associated with the action; And the orchestra characterizes the different places (summits, narrow corridor or wide spaces) by the variety of its modes of play, bringing a strong emotional dimension.”

As described, the music is full of subtle sound combinations from airy and atmospheric twinkles to explosions of heavily effected guitars driven by a pounding percussion. It’s been a pleasant, if not totally cohesive, surprise as I’ve listened throughout the day. If you were looking for more from last year’s soundtrack to No Man’s Sky’s there’s definitely some of that vibe among the first half of the playlist.

You can give the whole soundtrack a listen on YouTube, Spotify, Deezer and Tidal or pick up the digital version from Google, iTunes or Amazon.
Game Music

TRON Run/r Original Soundtrack Released by Disney Interactive & Sumthing Else Music

June 1, 2016 | Brenna Wilkes | Comments Off on TRON Run/r Original Soundtrack Released by Disney Interactive & Sumthing Else Music Share this

Disney Interactive and Sumthing Else Music Works have come together to release the soundtrack to the action-adventure runner game based on the franchise of the same name, TRON Run/r. The game, release earlier this year and available on PS4, XBox One and Steam, features a completely new score composed by Giorgio Moroder and Raney Shockne, and remixes by Autechre, Bibio, Darkstar, patten, Plaid and Rusko.

If you don’t recognize the name, Giorgio Moroder is an Italian record producer, songwriter and DJ who, at age 76, is credited with pioneering synth disco and electronic music. He credited with writing songs performed by some of the biggest names in music such as David Bowie, Janet Jackson, Blondie and Donna Summer and is the founder of the former Musicland Studios in Munich where bands such as Queen and Led Zepplin recorded. In terms of video games, he’s produced themes such as Grand Theft Auto III and Scarface: The World Is Yours, among others.

“If you go back to the sound of original electro disco in the ’70s, Giorgio is right at the heart of it. He’s been pushing electronic music his whole career. We wanted to nod to the first film as well as the later incarnations of the series.” – Christopher Nicholls, TRON Run/r Executive Producer

The 14-track complete album can be purchased at Sumthing Else for $9.99. You can learn more about the game on their website, and more about composer Giorgio Moroder including his discography and his history with electronic music and more on his personal site.
Game Music

Tom Clancy’s The Division OST Will Release March 22nd

March 16, 2016 | Brenna Wilkes | Comments Off on Tom Clancy’s The Division OST Will Release March 22nd Share this

Ubisoft Massive’s Tom Clancy’s The Division will be seeing it’s soundtrack dropping in just a week, thanks to the good people at Sumthing Else Music Works. The digital release has actually already been released for download from www.sumthing.com and a physical CD release will be available in stores on March 22.

Composer Ola Strandh (World In Conflict, Ground Control II) has created the soundtrack for the pandemic-ravaged streets of a mid-crisis New York City. Immerse yourself in a moody mixture of synthesizers, percussion and acoustic instruments designed to complement the diverse locations and factions you’ll encounter while exploring what’s left of Manhattan. – Sumthing Else Press Release

“Precinct Siege” (Preview) – Ola Strandh (Tom Clancy’s The Division)

The soundtrack spans over 18 tracks and clocks in at an hour and eighteen minutes of intense music. Tom Clancy’s The Division is currently out for PC, Xbox One and PS4 and deals with the fall of civilization and the struggle to keep the post-pandemic society from being torn apart while investigating the source of the outbreak. You can keep tabs on the release of the game’s physical soundtrack and more on Sumthing Else’s Facebook and Twitter.
Game Music

Sumthing Else Releasing Ubisoft Albums on CD & Vinyl

September 25, 2015 | Shawn Sackenheim | Comments Off on Sumthing Else Releasing Ubisoft Albums on CD & Vinyl Share this

If you’re a fan of Jesper Kyd, Assassin’s Creed or Ubisoft’s game soundtracks and you love physical goods, you’ve got reason to celebrate today. Video game music label, Sumthing Else, has announced a multi-title deal with Ubisoft to bring a number of their game soundtracks to CD and vinyl, starting with Assassin’s Creed. Available as of September 25th, the run kicks off with five huge soundtracks:

Assassin’s Creed Original Game Soundtrack by Jesper Kyd

Assassin’s Creed II Original Game Soundtrack (2-CD) by Jesper Kyd

Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood Original Game Soundtrack by Jesper Kyd

Assassin’s Creed Revelations The Complete Recordings (3-CD) by Jesper Kyd and Lorne Balfe

Assassin’s Creed III Original Soundtrack by Lorne Balfe

The remaining titles in the series — Assassin’s Creed IV Black Flag (with a separate Sea Shanty album) and Assassin’s Creed Unity Volumes 1 & 2 — will be published in October on CD and select titles on vinyl. While the big focus is on Assassin’s Creed, the deal also covers an array of Ubisoft franchises including Far Cry, Prince of Persia, Rayman and Splinter Cell, all coming soon with details to be announced.

Which Ubisoft albums are you most excited for? I’d personally love to own a Prince of Persia: Sands of Time album and, of course, almost anything from Rayman.