Adam Skorupa – music creator, incl. for games such as “The Witcher” (I and II), “Painkiller”, “Ancestors Legacy” or “The Prince and the Coward” talks about his inspirations as well as about the latest soundtrack to the upcoming game “Clash II”. What is behind a great mind: years of experience or inspiration? The interview was conducted by Arkady Saulski.
Arkady Saulski: Mr. Adam, the last time we talked was in 2018, when you composed the music for the strategy game Ancestors Legacy. Today we meet again to promote the strategy, and not just any strategy. It is a sequel to the cult game Clash . Perhaps this is a trivial question, but when you were asked to compose music for this project, what was your first thought?
Adam Skorupa: I was (and still am) excited! It’s such a sentimental journey back to 1998, when I was composing music for the game Clash while taking my first steps as a composer. Now I got the opportunity to compose music for this game practically from scratch, this time having twenty-two years of experience, which is some preparation (laughs).
A. Saulski: Soundtrack from the Clash is a cult for many people and accounted for slightly counting 50 percent of the manufacturing climate. Dark, bizarre, stuffy, with unsettling notes, surprising sounds (the cat meowing in the Grass Explore track !) … I owe a lot to you and this music, writing my books with the Clash soundtrack in the background. Please tell me about those works. What was your biggest inspiration? Was this hidden darkness planned… or is it a coincidence?
A. Skorupa: Maybe it will disappoint you … but I simply composed as much as I could, the way it sounded in my soul and as much as the tools I used for my work allowed. I cannot say what inspired me then and how it influenced the content of the music. I just wanted to write beautiful music that I hoped would fit the game. I wanted to prove to myself that as a self-taught person, a person with absolutely no education and no musical background, I can compose something that can be listened to with interest.
In retrospect, I hear that in many places this willingness to demonstrate composing skills prevailed over the role that the musician was actually to play in the game. Sometimes less is better…. Music should help to perceive the atmosphere of the game, and not dominate and capture the player’s attention. On the other hand, mine was often too dominant, and even I have the impression that it was often simply off-topic … All the more I am glad that I could compose music for Clash II , avoiding mistakes made in childhood (laughs).
A. Saulski: Are the songs available today on YouTube all the ones you composed then? And please let us know about the last mysterious Unnamed that was not included in the game. Did you reject this piece? There was not enough space for it? Please lighten the situation as it is one of Clash’s greatest secrets to this day!
A. Skorupa: I would like to say something clever…., But honestly, I just don’t remember (smile). I would guess that the piece did exist in the game and was played while exploring one of the boards?
In my current output I have over 4,000 songs (although I have stopped counting altogether), so – oh – if I could only remember the history and purpose of each of them (laughs).
A. Saulski: Let’s move on to Clash II . Courtesy of Prime Bit Games I had the pleasure to listen to the soundtrack. It is very interesting, with familiar notes. However, I must note that it is different from Clash I , though. Where did this change come from? The question of development and experience or did you think that the second part requires different solutions?
A. Skorupa: As I mentioned above. I wanted to write music according to my current abilities. More mature, more interesting in terms of music and arrangement, but above all, not duplicating mistakes. Which does not mean that I completely cut myself off from the original with the Clash 2 soundtrack . On the contrary…. For the workshop I took the songs that in my opinion were “to the point” and it was from these songs that I used the melodies that I arranged anew!
A. Saulski: What distinguishes the second installment of Clash is undoubtedly the clearly outlined difference between the parties to the conflict. You can see it in your music too. The question of inspiration is probably quite banal, but I have to ask it, also in the context of work on the earlier Ancestors Legacy – the gap between Christianity and paganism has been musically emphasized.
A. Skorupa: That’s a very nice question… thank you! The division into two nations in Clash II is a kind of novelty for me. In the case of Clash I, we did not signal who is fighting whom or why. Simply put, the daredevils came to the newly discovered land to seize its riches. In the case of the second part, I received clear guidelines from the developers that the parties to the conflict are Christians and Celts, so I tried to convey this division musically in a way that would be clearly associated with the listener. Celts are folk music bordering on Irish folk, Christians are orchestral music with baroque elements, supported by a choir. The music refers to fantasy because, after all, Clash II is a fantasy story, not set in any particular place or time, with dragons, wizards, fairies and more.
In the case of music for Ancestors Legacy, the theme was quite different and much more complex. The game’s ambition was to present facts and historical figures, so the music was required to play an educational role to some extent, and to be properly set historically. In Ancestors Legacy, music for Christians, which is part of the Germanic culture, is consistent with the canons of the time (for example, the game features Gregorian chants and chants sung in Latin, based on records, the so-called neumes, which have survived to modern times).
The pagan side of the game is the Slavs and Vikings. In both of these cases, the music is composed for old instruments, then existing (e.g. the Biłgoraj bitch or the Talharpa) so that it sounds credible (as it could in fact sound in the times described by the game). Unfortunately, there are no authentic records confirming the existence of such (and we are talking about the times before the baptism of Poland).
The knowledge and skills I gained while composing music for Ancestors Legacy were of course very useful when composing music for Clash II . Here, too, I reached for ancient instruments that give this specific medieval flavor (after all, in the game we have knights associated with the Middle Ages). Thus, in the pieces for Clash II there were such instruments as: talharpa, Płock fiddle or humunchen.
A. Saulski: As a writer, I cannot help but ask about non-musical inspirations. Do you like fantastic literature, and if so – do you ever hear musical notes in your head illustrating the text? Or maybe some literary texts are so climatic that they inspire you while working on music for movies or games?
A. Skorupa: Sadly, I haven’t read much lately. I mean, I read every day, but these are my children’s bedtime stories (laughs). I have practically no free time for serious reading. In the old days, when I was reading (and I read a lot and a lot!), I did hear music in my head. This is how the music for the game The Witcher was created. I am a big fan of Sapkowski’s saga, so when I started composing music for the game, I had read the book several times and had a lot of topics in my head (laughs). I must mention that the written text is not that inspiring for me. I am an auditor by nature, which means that I perceive and interpret the world mainly through the prism of what I hear, and not what I see (read). The actor’s voice (timbre and voice modulation, when it expresses emotions) rather than facial expressions or the visual context. Surprising a bit, isn’t it? (laugh). So if fantasy literature were to inspire me to a greater extent, it would have to be presented in the form of an audiobook (or I would have to read it aloud and listen to the tone of my voice) (laughs).
A. Saulski: You are undoubtedly a man of success. You created music for both parts of The Witcher , which also really shape the atmosphere of the music for the third installment. Ancestors …, Clash , Painkiller …, but also music to a radio play based on Andrzej Sapkowski’s Hussite Trilogy … All these, don’t be afraid to say it, cult songs. But there is definitely a dream project that you would like to implement, and so far there has been no time or opportunity. Please tell me about it.
A. Skorupa: I don’t have a dream project (laughs). All my dreams came true a long time ago. Maybe they were simply not excessive, or maybe what the Lord mentioned in the question was their fulfillment? It is important for me that the project entrusted to me is interesting and challenging for me as a composer. Challenges include the possibility of developing, expanding my skills, and polishing my workshop, e.g. by finding myself in musical genres that I have not been able to compose so far. My dream (thankfully still fulfilling) is not to fall into a routine and not be labeled in a given style and genre of music. To be constantly invited to projects that will push me forward.
A. Saulski: In Clash II , as in the previous part, music will be an important element in building the atmosphere of the game world. How do you, as a composer, approach creating a mood in music? Is it something that can be scheduled in a note sequence? Or maybe these are the processes that take place on the subconscious level in the artist’s soul when he thinks about music? I can’t help but get the impression that in both parts you reach a bit deeper, somewhere on the edge of human consciousness, smuggling something fleeting, but still present in the atmosphere of this world and games.
A. Skorupa: It is very nice. I am tempted to write something against the truth, echoing your assumptions about the conscious “reaching deeper” (laughs). The truth is, I’m not, because I’m not trying to be, innovative when it comes to composing music for games. I try to remember that the game is a product designed to give people (usually) simple entertainment, so it should not serve musical experiments digestible only by sublime palates (i.e. ears), but serve (going further in culinary comparisons) well-done, rich with additives and specific spices for a hamburger that will satisfy everyone’s hunger. So I never go against the accepted canons, but I try to pay attention to details. Perhaps it is these details that make my music enjoyable and stay in my memory for a longer time. However, I would be too modest if I had not written that of course I like to add something surprising to my conventions, albeit in a decidedly conservative way. I like such safe experiments, playing melodies on unconventional instruments or (which happens more and more often) composing songs for a game (usually in a non-existent language).
A. Saulski: Finally, I would like to ask you about your favorite game soundtracks. Do you have any that evoke specific emotions in you? Which do you listen to for relaxation?
A. Skorupa: It changes every week (laughs). Many soundtracks are made, and each one is completely different, extremely interesting in its otherness. It is difficult for me to cite specific titles so as not to favor any of them. As a composer-craftsman, I listen to all kinds of music, also for educational purposes, so I would have to mention several dozen titles here, which would be out of date in a week or two. Listening to relax is also a relative term … Sometimes I relax by strong and rhythmic DnB, sometimes pouring New Age … it all depends on how the day went. But it wouldn’t be that I completely avoided the answer. I recommend the soundtrack from Ori and the Will of the Whisps . It is an emotional and beautiful orchestral journey in a fairy tale creation. I also like going back to the game soundtrackHeavy Rain – an emotional journey, but this time in a dry edition.