Heaven - recording the soundtrack of Afrika
In retrospective, it seems almost impetuous that Rhino Studios, a group of evidently modest proportions, has provided such a cordial and sizable contribution to the elevation the current generation of high-end videogame systems. As if a counterbalance to the commonly accepted precepts of video game design, the developers behind Afrika displayed an unseen degree of humility when basing their effort in a product that, in an ideal world, would have originated nothing but unparalleled success. It becomes quite distinct, after a careful observation of the design process of this 2008 game, that each and every fine detail expresses not only the concern and affection felt by the designers while breathing life into their labor of love, yet also the inexorable confidence and expectation that the end result would be of veritable public appeal. Three years later, Afrika has strengthened its position in some obscure corner of collective amnesia: one it was never meant to occupy.
Much like the crucial field work that is at the very root of this delightful reproduction of the endless savannas and all the creatures – great and small – that inhabit it, so did the recording of apt soundtrack require the composer to find the proper orchestra and recording location in which to expand the already elongated horizons of this one-off production. Born in Fukushima in the year of 1974, Wataru Hokoyama has performed his musical studies in different academies in the United States, where he lives. With a growing reputation as an independent film score composer, his compositions for Afrika earned him some of his most prestigious accolades, namely the award for Best Videogame Soundtrack as bestowed by the Hollywood Music Awards.
In order to expand the complete potential of his score, the producers of the game appointed the Hollywood Studio Orchestra, a powerful reference in the interpretation of many top film productions, to hire an ensemble that could suit the epic character of Hokoyama’s music. Unlike a conventional orchestra, the HSO does not employ a fixed group of musicians, but rather hires musicians on demand according to specific needs. As shown in this rare documentary feature that accompanies the original game soundtrack, the quality of these musicians is above any remark, as some of their enviable resumes included collaborations with composers as celebrated as John Williams or Jerry Goldsmith. Searching for sonorities that could easily be related with the natural setting depicted in the game, Hokoyama has successfully clasped the grandeur that is customarily associated with both film and television documentaries related with the animal kingdom (namely a decade-old tradition of orchestral scores that have accompanied many a BBC or National Geographic elite documentaries).
The end result of this collaboration between the young and gifted composer and a top-drawer troupe of performers is one of the most praiseworthy soundtracks ever written for a videogame that has remained largely unnoticed for far too long, even overlooked by admitted admirers of the game. The following feature, courtesy of Columbia Music Entertainment, is a rare document spoken both in Japanese (without subtitles) and English, featuring interviews with the composer, musicians and game producers, as well as extensive and highly illustrative footage of the recording.
Excerpts of the soundtrack can be heard at the Wataru Hokoyama official web page.
10 months ago