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Matt Gray
» [C64] Tusk er is frequen tly series, and remains a we compared to the Last Ni ll-regarded game today nja
The acclaimed C64 musician discusses his Reformation remake project
» An updated version of the classic Last Ninja 2 cover art adorns Matt’s remix album.
» [C64] The methodical pace of Driller demanded suitably atmospheric and menacing tunes, which Matt delivered.
Why did you decide to revisit your C64 tracks? It was an idea that took over 18 months to fully think through and find a window to do it in. There seemed to be so many C64 fans still interested in hearing remixes of older games tracks, I thought it would be a bit different if the original composer did the remixing (or remaking as I prefer). I wanted to make them sound as I would have liked given the technology back then. Why did you choose Kickstarter? It's the perfect vehicle for this sort of project. It's a way of people being able to get what they want to hear or see made viable. To have just gone and spent time and money on such a large project without knowing the market would have been foolhardy. This way I know who wants the music and I can get instant feedback during the planning and production. Have you been surprised by the popularity of your Kickstarter?
16 | RETRO GAMER
I was surprised it was funded in the first day, yes. That was amazing. But the numbers are working out pretty much as I suspected they might. But it's not over yet, so things may go to another level. Why do you think there's so much love for C64-based music? Partly because it was quite a unique sound. It had by far the best sound chip as far as I was concerned. But also it was a very special time of emerging technology. Playing videogames at home was still very new and things were evolving all the time. If you were a teenager into
» [C64] Matt’s audio was a key part of making Bangkok Knights such an impressive C64 release.
computers and gaming back then you were in a bit of a minority group, especially compared to the global craze gaming is now. How long did it take you to remix Last Ninja 2? The Central Park Loader remake took me about two weeks, on and off. I had big breaks in between, but it came together quite quickly. The finishing touches took the time. What has it been like returning to your old tunes? A bit daunting when they are as revered as something like Central Park
» [C64] Dominator’s upbeat loading music set the tone well for the game’s relentless blasting.
WorldMags.net
LN2, and a little bit daunting for other reasons when I tackle, say Stormlord 2: Deliverance because there was a track that I'd never heard people particularly comment about. I had to enhance that even more than, say, Central Park. But the end result has been a great critical response which I'm chuffed with. How hard is it to come up with suitable pledge offers? It's a tricky balancing act. It's very easy to get convoluted planning rewards on Kickstarter. Especially if you're involving limited offers. I think the balance was okay in the end [for Reformation] though. What's your favourite personal C64 composition and why? Of mine? It has to be Central Park In-Game, because I think the intro alone has become fairly symbolic to Last Ninja 2. It's instantly recognisable and lots of people love it. That's all a composer can wish for as a reaction in their listener.