Interview with Petri Alanko - Alan Wake soundtrack composer
After 5 years of full time development we are ready for Alan Wake. It lost PC as a platform, changed many conceptions, became Xbox 360 exclusive and finally it is now cult for many people without being seen. Remedy, famous for its “when it’s done” adding last traits to game and plan to release it on May 21st. We were able to find Alan Wake’s composer Petri Alanko and ask him pretty intimate questions about AW. Check it out!
Hi! We don’t know anything about you, give us some words. What was your lifebefore Alan Wake?
Well, I may be a newcomer amongst game composers, but I’ve actually donethis more or less frequently since early nineties. I was a hired hand, doingpop production, composing pop/rock songs, all of which were probably toocomplicated and/or artsyfartsy to be hugely successful. I’ve had a few minorhit-ish songs with some local Finnish groups, though. The last seven yearsI’ve been closely involved with audio branding and sound design as well,among my clients there are Sulake Corporation (Habbo Hotel + other servicesprovided by Sulake), a Certain Very Big Unnamed Finnish mobile devicemanufacturer (hah, my NDA says I shouldn’t mention the name anywhere) forwhich I did many things, quite a few record companies (the only missing isBMG I think), ad agencies... bits and pieces for everyone, it seems.
I’ve always been very interested in club scene as well, although my clubbingyears are practically history right now - but my love to music still exists.I used to have a studio with one of the Europes leading trance DJs, Orkidea, with whom I had some great time doing music. His Metaverse album, for whichI did production in cooperation with him as well as composing andprogramming stuff, is actually among my favorite productions. Also I’ve donesome remixing plug other quite odd stuff under the moniker Lowland - checkout Orkidea vs. Solarstone, “Slowmotion (Lowland remix)” and also the album“Classical Trancelations”, released by Armada in 2008 (available in Amazonor iTunes), on which I’m interpreting the trance classics in a slightlydifferent way, a homage to heros, so to say. The last 5 tracks are actuallyquite good, imho. By the way, “Lowland” is my family name translated intoEnglish, given to me by my English teacher in... whaaaat? 1980? Goddammit,time flies.
In short, life has been easy and good, hopefully it’ll continue that way. Ilike peace and tranquility, being alone with my ideas, let them grow andevolve. I do have my social side as well, but it seems I’m more or less atypical Finnish Jekyll/Hyde.
If I find time and necessary motivation, I’d like to do an album combiningthat club scene thing and ambient stuff involving real instruments - not themost original idea, I’m afraid. Usually all the projects heading that wayend up being just hideously bad and uncommercial in a way beyond one’simagination. :-) In pro music world they have a special word for suchrecords: “Crap”.
But: anything works as long as there’s a good melody and it moves somethinginside your head. Hopefully something else than just a toothbrush. :-D
Whom did you want to be when you were child? When did you start to studymusic?
It’s easy. I wanted to be a composer since - what, age five? My grandmothernoticed I had musical tendencies and bought me a cheap electric organ, whichsoon was sold and we got a piano. I was four then. My parents took me to alocal conservatoire in Lahti, Finland (the place I was born and lived in thefirst 18 years), which was horrendous as a first experience. I thought theywere going to send me away! :-D After the first lesson I didn’t want toleave, I wanted to suck it all in - so I cried coming in and going out. Itbegan there and then: I knew I wanted to play music. The desire to composesongs came a few weeks later, although I was very aware of the patienceneeded. I probably did my first “composition” years after that, probably atthe age of 11 or 12. It was a peppy and ridiculous song along the lines ofDepeche Mode á la 1981... oh dear, I’m blushing. It was a really bad song, Ihave to say, and I knew it already back then.
Hi! We don’t know anything about you, give us some words. What was your lifebefore Alan Wake?
Well, I may be a newcomer amongst game composers, but I’ve actually donethis more or less frequently since early nineties. I was a hired hand, doingpop production, composing pop/rock songs, all of which were probably toocomplicated and/or artsyfartsy to be hugely successful. I’ve had a few minorhit-ish songs with some local Finnish groups, though. The last seven yearsI’ve been closely involved with audio branding and sound design as well,among my clients there are Sulake Corporation (Habbo Hotel + other servicesprovided by Sulake), a Certain Very Big Unnamed Finnish mobile devicemanufacturer (hah, my NDA says I shouldn’t mention the name anywhere) forwhich I did many things, quite a few record companies (the only missing isBMG I think), ad agencies... bits and pieces for everyone, it seems.
 |  |
I’ve always been very interested in club scene as well, although my clubbingyears are practically history right now - but my love to music still exists.I used to have a studio with one of the Europes leading trance DJs, Orkidea, with whom I had some great time doing music. His Metaverse album, for whichI did production in cooperation with him as well as composing andprogramming stuff, is actually among my favorite productions. Also I’ve donesome remixing plug other quite odd stuff under the moniker Lowland - checkout Orkidea vs. Solarstone, “Slowmotion (Lowland remix)” and also the album“Classical Trancelations”, released by Armada in 2008 (available in Amazonor iTunes), on which I’m interpreting the trance classics in a slightlydifferent way, a homage to heros, so to say. The last 5 tracks are actuallyquite good, imho. By the way, “Lowland” is my family name translated intoEnglish, given to me by my English teacher in... whaaaat? 1980? Goddammit,time flies.
In short, life has been easy and good, hopefully it’ll continue that way. Ilike peace and tranquility, being alone with my ideas, let them grow andevolve. I do have my social side as well, but it seems I’m more or less atypical Finnish Jekyll/Hyde.
If I find time and necessary motivation, I’d like to do an album combiningthat club scene thing and ambient stuff involving real instruments - not themost original idea, I’m afraid. Usually all the projects heading that wayend up being just hideously bad and uncommercial in a way beyond one’simagination. :-) In pro music world they have a special word for suchrecords: “Crap”.
But: anything works as long as there’s a good melody and it moves somethinginside your head. Hopefully something else than just a toothbrush. :-D
Whom did you want to be when you were child? When did you start to studymusic?
It’s easy. I wanted to be a composer since - what, age five? My grandmothernoticed I had musical tendencies and bought me a cheap electric organ, whichsoon was sold and we got a piano. I was four then. My parents took me to alocal conservatoire in Lahti, Finland (the place I was born and lived in thefirst 18 years), which was horrendous as a first experience. I thought theywere going to send me away! :-D After the first lesson I didn’t want toleave, I wanted to suck it all in - so I cried coming in and going out. Itbegan there and then: I knew I wanted to play music. The desire to composesongs came a few weeks later, although I was very aware of the patienceneeded. I probably did my first “composition” years after that, probably atthe age of 11 or 12. It was a peppy and ridiculous song along the lines ofDepeche Mode á la 1981... oh dear, I’m blushing. It was a really bad song, Ihave to say, and I knew it already back then.
Have something to say? Do it!
sohbet-evim şahane-yatak odası-mynet chat-chat-evim şahane-evim şahane