Jack’s Hoose Music amplifies Amplitude’s soundtrack; provides music for Enter The Matrix

by Louis Bedigian

GameZone Online speaks with Ged Grimes, founder of Jack’s Hoose Music.  Ged talks about the music track he created for Amplitude, and reveals a few tidbits on his next projects – including Enter The Matrix.

There is no genre in the video game industry that has as much mainstream potential as music.  Music games take the simple concept of pressing buttons in-sync with on-screen actions to create a harmonic sound.  Some of the more impressive music games, such as Parappa the Rapper, allow the player to expand on the music and create their own sounds with additional button taps.

Frequency went even further, and now Amplitude is breaking new ground as well.  Harmonix, the game’s developer, has taken the great concept of Frequency and amped it up to a whole new level.  In GameZone Online’s review of Amplitude, Rob Watkins said that it is “one of the most involving, intense, and addicting games” that he has played in a long time.  I haven’t gotten the chance to play the final version yet, but based on my impressions of the demo, I’d have to agree with Rob’s statement.

Many artists lent their musical talents to this game, including Ged Grimes.  Ged has worked a large number of popular games and most recently created a special track for Amplitude.  He is also the founder of Jack’s Hoose Music, an independent production company that provides digital audio content for all types of interactive media, including:

• Computer Games Developers and Publishers

• Film Producers and Directors

• Record Labels

• TV Production Companies

• New and Established Recording Artists

• Radio Producers

• Web Developers

• Advertising Agencies

With a huge resume like that, GameZone just had to know more about Ged’s involvement with Amplitude.  He was happy to share the exciting details, and informed us of some other games he is working on, including Enter The Matrix. 

Question: How did you come to be involved with Amplitude?

Ged Grimes: I met with SCEA's Head Of Music, Chuck Doud in San Francisco after GDC 2002 (I was on my way to sample California's Napa Valley wine delights..!) and shortly afterwards he contacted me about producing a track specifically for the title. Before I started producing music for games, I enjoyed success in the record industry with Top Ten acts such as Danny Wilson and Grammy Winner Natalie Imbruglia. I think it was my experience in the mainstream record industry that attracted Sony in the first place.

What can we expect from your contribution to the game?

GG: Well, the song is an adrenaline fuelled ride, lots of guitars, beats and cut up vocals so its pretty hi-energy stuff. The nature of the game meant that I took a slightly different approach to the arrangement and there are surprises at every turn to keep the track moving along. I had to ensure that the song would work stripped down to the bare minimum of elements and I think we achieved this.
 

This is one of the simpler music patterns in the game…

How long did it take you to finish the song?

GG: Initially SCEA commissioned an instrumental track, but when they heard the track developing it was a natural progression to expand things out and get vocals down. So all in all it took around a month. Also as the gameplay involves re-mixing the elements in the track I had to deliver all the individual tracks as they appear in the final mix in order for Harmonix (developer) to build the game level. I then decided that given the sound of the track I would form a "band" project for this and that is where the alter ego, "Game Boyz" came from. I plan to release more tracks under this pseudonym as it suits this particular genre of music.

Frequency was a popular game, but I know that there are a lot of gamers out there who are still unfamiliar with music games and their style of play.  Please describe what your stage in the game (Amplitude) is like, how players will interact with the music, and what their ultimate goal is.

GG: The style of play that gamers enjoyed in Frequency is greatly enhanced in Amplitude and the whole game really gets under your skin very quickly.  The game is all about the rhythm of the music, but interestingly enough you need no special musical talent to enjoy the experience. The player interacts with the track using the PS2 controller, triggering in time first drums then other rhythm elements, followed by bass, guitar, vocals etc and you hear the track build as you go. The key is to successfully match the visual triggers in time to the music then you progress through the song section by section. There are all kinds of extras on top you can activate like a scratching turntable and effects where you can add your own re-mix elements, effectively creating your own version of the song. You can also compete against other players worldwide through the on-line adaptor to test your skills against the best. The ultimate goal is to successfully work your way through the track and achieve the highest score, which will unlock songs and special features. It’s always quite difficult to describe a music game because you really need to hear the music and feel the controller pumping in time to get hooked in and believe me this game is soooo addictive!

…These are a little more difficult…

Did you get to see or play Amplitude while writing your song for it?

GG: Fraid not. Kind of worked blind but I played Frequency constantly, so I knew roughly what to look out for and what kind of things would work in the music. 

Were you at all involved with the actual development of Amplitude?

GG: No, all the development was done at Harmonix I believe and those guys are musicians themselves so they know what they are doing and guided me where necessary.

Is it different writing music for games than it is for other mediums?

GG: Yes in some ways. When I’m writing songs my structure and arrangement are pretty self-explanatory and it’s a self-contained piece of music.  In most of my games work the music plays a different role and may only need to speak at certain points in a level. The challenge is always getting the dynamics to work with gameplay and that’s where effective implementation is so important. That’s why I like to get involved early in the development process as it lets the music evolve with the characters and gameplay. This usually leads to a far more immersive soundtrack and successful game.

Have you recorded any other songs or remixed "Game Boyz" as a hidden track or the planned online updates of the game?

GG: No, but I can tell you that there will be more from "Game Boyz" in future games as I like the idea of exploring this style and of contributing to games that revolve around music. I think games are a really interesting showcase for new music and artists and I’m convinced as more people get switched on to gaming that this will become a key medium for new musical talent.

What about the video game industry piqued your interest enough to get you involved?  Was it a specific game that sparked your interest, or perhaps an idea for a song that you had?

GG: You know this I can’t tell you how many of my music business colleagues and band friends called me when I did my first title "Earthworm Jim 3D" to say "you've lost the plot, games music is such a backwards move.." Those same people are now calling me up looking for ways of getting into writing music for games! I think that says a lot about how far things have come in a short space of time. I think for me after enjoying success in the record business, I approached writing games music as a new challenge and an opportunity to learn new musical skills and cover new ground. Some of the games that got me thinking that games composing could be a great move  were LucasArts titles like Shadows Of The Empire which used a John Williams score interactively on an N64 too. That was very impressive. The music really enhanced the action and gameplay and I feel that was a key factor in opening up my mind to the potential of great music for games.

…And this one might drive you insane!

Did you get a chance to work with any other artists during Amplitude's development?

GG: Unfortunately no. But I think this type of game really opens things up for the merging of music artists and gaming culture. I believe we will start to see new artists developed through games and innovative music being launched from game titles. It has always been one of my goals at Jack's Hoose Music to work on game projects that use music in unique ways and Amplitude gave me that opportunity.

What game(s) would you like to lend your talents to next?

GG: I've just completed some music for the Infogrames title "Enter The Matrix" which is really exciting and I’m sure that will be one of the coolest titles ever.  Titles where music can direct gameplay and emotional content are key elements for me.  I’ve worked on everything from comedy titles to mega-serious orchestrated epics so I just take them as they come and if I can develop a new approach or a new angle it just keeps things fresh for me. I love it all!

Thank you for a wonderful interview, Ged.  May 15th couldn’t come soon enough!

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