Jesper Kyd composed the soundtrack of Assassin’s Creed Valhalla using 100-year-old instruments
One of the longest-running game composers, Jesper Kyd has been producing smash hits for over three decades, contributing to the Assassin’s Creed series, the Borderlands series, the classic Genesis shooter Sub-Terrania, Gears of War, Splinter Cell: Chaos Theoryand many others.
Speaking to Polygon, part of our week-long look at the games and music crossover at Polygon FM, Kyd described his memories of the early days of game music on the Commodore 64, his influences and the process of working on Assassin’s Creed games, and the importance of atmosphere when working on game music.
Polygon: Was there a game soundtrack or song that inspired you to start making game music? Can you paint the scene of what that felt like for you, and why the music was so effective?
Jesper Koud: I fell in love with game music on the Commodore 64 in 1985. Video game music was revolutionized on the Commodore 64. The analog sound chip in the C64 allowed composers to create atmosphere and emotion, and a new style of music was born, known today as chiptune or chip music. Favorite game soundtracks from back then were The last V8, Parallax, Magic Ball, Mutants, Light power, Warbirdand much more.
Parallax featured a 12-minute masterpiece by Martin Galway. Hearing that for the first time was probably the moment I fell in love with game music. The amount of soul and creativity that was added to what could easily have been a one-minute loop was such a spiritual awakening for me. I thought, “Here’s someone who’s going for it with everything they’ve got and putting a piece of their soul into this music.” That became my mantra and I’ve been working with that philosophy on my own music ever since. Capturing the essence of the game while adding a piece of your own soul is what I try to do when I’m coming up with new music styles for games.
When I start a new project I don’t know how my music will fit in with other styles, like the Italian Renaissance for example. Assassin’s Creed 2 — until I actually start working on the score and blending my musical style with the new project. In many ways, the music starts with a blank canvas and then I decide what elements I bring to it and blend with my writing style. So for me it’s also very exciting to hear what this new musical style will ultimately sound like. I’m a big fan of this approach of starting with a blank slate (should it be dance music, or maybe a symphonic score with live orchestra, or maybe a folk music approach, etc.), so that adds so much excitement every time I start a new score, to see where the music takes me this time. I feel like this raw emotion of excitement is one of those things that allows me to tap into a huge unlimited source of creativity that I can draw from for each new score. But it does require that I’m always working on new projects to make it work best. I’ve taken this approach on Hitman, Assassin’s Creed, Border areas, State of decay, Dark Sides 2, Warhammer: (End Times -) Vermintide, Dune: Spice Wars, Tumbad(Raid: Call of the Arbiter), Warhammer 40,000: Dark Tide, State of decay 3and much more.
Can you break down one of your own songs and its influences? Was it inspired by game soundtracks, other music, or something else?
(“Ezio’s Family” in Assassin’s Creed 2 was) inspired by the tragic death of Ezio’s father and two brothers, who were publicly hanged in the town square due to his father’s association with the Assassin’s Brotherhood. This moment defines Ezio’s life; it’s a core pillar of who he’s becoming, and we’re there as it happens. I felt at this moment that I needed to understand his mindset in order to best represent Ezio, and so “Ezio’s Family” was a composition that embodies the tragic events of this life and it became the focal point for the rest of the score. It allowed me to find a way into his world, and the rest of the score built from there.
What are the main instruments used to record the soundtrack for the Assassin’s Creed series? How did you choose those instruments?
The main instruments (have changed) for each of the five Assassin’s Creed scores I’ve written. For AC1The (cities of) Acre and Damascus each had their own instrument sets and Jerusalem was a melting pot of both. Acre consisted of a live choir with religious chants, guitar and violin-like string instruments, as well as piano, harp, flutes, violin and some orchestral instruments. Damascus delved deeply into the ethnic instruments of the Middle East such as the ney flute, buzuq, oud, duduk and percussion such as tabla, doumbek, frame drums etc. This also related to the three keywords the team gave me: mysticism, war and tragedy (of the Third Crusade). These elements were also carefully woven together (Like this) in the score. Also, the Animus and its effect on the music had to be captured, and I saw it as a filter that all the music runs through, filtering and distorting the instruments and solo performances. Then there were the scenes where Altair is chased across rooftops with a cracking screen, that was when the Animus was pushed to its limits and here the music style switched to sci-fi music with beats and synths with an orchestra in it.
For Assassin’s Creed 2I worked with renaissance inspired instruments; opera and vocal artists; as well as a live orchestra, choir and synths. The focus was on a more youthful and playful sound after the prime of Ezio and his adventures.
AC Brotherhood was a more masculine and aggressive sound, and written around the concept of Ezio now being a master assassin, while stylistically following many of the same instrumental inspirations as Assassin’s Creed 2. The game felt very much like a spiritual sequel to Assassin’s Creed 2. The Borgia family played a big part in the story and they were represented by an ultra bass choir that was recorded in a church. We also recorded a lot of percussion here and one of my favorite shots (was) the renaissance flags that we waved in sync to create a cool windy beat with a big church vibe. This music plays when you climb a giant castle and also go inside stealthily. It turned out really cool.
For Assassin’s Creed Revealsmy music was deeply inspired by Greek music, which was the predominant style of music in Constantinople at the time. This sent me on a journey to work with bouzouki; mallet instruments such as zithers, dulcimers and the giant cimbalom; as well as Greek percussion, slide bass, GuitarViol, (and) ethereal and ancient-inspired vocal performances.
The first four Assassin’s Creed games used a similar recipe for the Animus and its influence on the music. Live performances are adapted and changed, and the music generally includes light electronic instruments and elements to bring the score to the “sci-fi level.”
For Assassin’s Creed ValhallaI have acquired a number of old instruments, some of which are over 100 years old. Viking instruments such as the tagelharpa, tagelharpa cello, rebec, lyre, all kinds of horns and also some violin, cello and clarinet which are played in unusual ways. And then male folk singing and strong, powerful female singing.
The idea this time was based on the concept of being outdoors in vast areas with mountains, hills, rivers, etc. I decided to challenge the more city-based approach of my previous Assassin’s Creed scores and created a style of music that was inspired by the Norse gods. Vikings were heavily inspired by their belief system and I decided to make that the core of the score. So when you’re exploring the world as a Viking, the score fills you with a sense of wonder and mystery. We also recorded a lot of instruments literally outdoors to get that extra sound into the recordings. Also, the Animus influence was reinvented and I decided to play the live instruments myself and base the entire score on these live performances. So no electronic elements or synths to symbolize the Animus. After the live performances were recorded, I had my base and then started filtering and tweaking them heavily. Then we would record with percussionists to get authentic drums and percussion. This modern approach became the influence of the Animus and it was a first for me to play most of the instruments myself.
Is there anything else we should know about your approach to composing video game music?
Emotion and atmosphere are the main ingredients I work with, as well as harmony and melody. For me they are both equally important. For example with the theme of the Imperium for Warhammer 40,000: Dark TideOf course, it’s important to capture the glorious feeling of that theme, but the underlying atmosphere of anarchy, pride, the beehive city, the religiously untouchable Imperium, and all of that incorporated into it, transforms a classically choral performance into a gritty, far-future sci-fi world ruled by the Emperor of Man.
All the musical choices in this song come from a distant future where war lasts forever. You might not even notice these elements, but it’s all about creating a specific mood for the theme to live in. And it might take a few listens to understand the reasons behind the instrument choices etc., which brings you back to what I said about making music without simplifying it and designing it for repeated listening.