Q. First of all, congratulations on the new soundtrack! What was the process of composing for Time Fcuk like?

A. It all happened within the span of a few months, from June thru September of 2009. I was having a chat with long-time friend and graphic artist, Edmund McMillen (blog link, interview link), when he mentioned that he was working on a new flash game called “Time Fcuk” with programmer, William Good. During that same conversation, Edmund proposed that I join their team and create the soundtrack for the game, and I took the commission for the soundtrack to Time Fcuk on the spot.

From that point forward, creating the sound design for Time Fcuk was certainly a collaborative affair. I submitted a handful of initial sketches within a week, most of which were rejected; so it was ‘back to the drawing board,’ so to speak. All I can remember is that a moment of true inspiration struck, about two weeks into signing on the project, I spent all evening working on a track and I put together the music that would become the cue for the opening sequence and title screen of Time Fcuk.

Feeling that we were moving in the right direction now, I took the raw vocal samples for the “voice” in Time Fcuk, and transformed them into the eerie, robotic syllables you hear in the final version of the game. Time Fcuk is a game with many layers and many things happening at once. The result can be somewhat chaotic and dissonant at times. With the vocal bits complete, I turned back to the main theme for the levels of Time Fcuk, and came up with a track that conveys the repetitive and uneasy flow of time and motion in the perplexing world of the game.

Later on, as the design of the game became even more user-driven, the concept of a “level editor” came into play, and another track was born — a more ambient, blurred, slow and distant version of the main theme. Also, a very simple track came out of these later sessions, and we all liked it so much that we decided to use it on the early levels of the game as the player is learning the basic controls and how to navigate through the puzzling world of Time Fcuk.

At every point, the music was tested in-game and I was constantly supplied feedback by Edmund and William on ways to shape and master the final cuts for optimum use in the game. As the release date drew near, I was literally working 10 hrs at the “day job” and coming home to work another 6-8 hrs on the soundtrack for the game. I didn’t get much sleep on those nights, but the final product was a mix of inspiration, imagination, improvisation, persistence, and pure fun.

Q. Would you say that Time Fcuk represents your musical preferences, or is it more catered to the storyline of the game?

A. The music for Time Fcuk is definitely more catered to the storyline of the game, as you say. The first thing I always ask for when embarking on the task of a video game soundtrack is to have a copy of any artwork, or any working versions from the game as the primary source for my musical imagination. I like to become as immersed as possible in the world of the game in order to create a sound which feels original and true to the game. The strange and multidimensional quality of Time Fcuk was the driving force for the sound design.

Q. What kind of equipment did you use for Time Fcuk? What instruments do you play?

A. I recorded everything for Time Fcuk in my home studio on my MacBook Pro. I used M-Audio’s “Fast Track Pro” as my audio interface, a couple of Shure and AKG microphones, with Apple’s signature Logic Studio featuring Logic Pro 9 and MainStage 2 to produce the entire project. The Korg TR with expanded sampling capabilities is a staple in most of my work. I’ve been fascinated with pianos and keyboards since a young age. I just added a Yamaha oak console piano into the mix, and the hardwood floors in my home add a nice flavor to the acoustic environment for the instrument as well.  You will notice the Melodica (a widely underused keyboard instrument, in my opinion) figures a large part in the score to Time Fcuk. I also sampled an old Emenee reed organ in the score to the level editor of Time Fcuk (I found this particular organ for $5.00 at a secondhand store–what a bargain!). I have an assortment of pedals and sound modules. I’ll sample and record just about anything if it might have a musical application one day.

Q. You have so many creative talents. How do you introduce yourself to others?

A. Hi, I’m Justin. I’m 28 years-old. I have a degree in creative writing and electronic music. Sometimes I like to think of myself as a student of the Universe. I imagine I’ll always continue to study art, philosophy, religion, psychology, writing, and music. I like to watch movies, read books, attend symphonies, play video games, and a lot of other things too. I attend as many cultural and artistic events and time and money allow. More than anything, I love to write books and compose music. I’ve worked as a librarian, a video-store manager, and an English teacher. I’m currently employed as a corporate trainer. But really, I’m just another human being on the look-out for a little truth, beauty, and happiness in this lifetime.

Q. Pick five words that you would use to describe your music.

A. Experimental, Electroacoustic, Atmospheric, Organic, Meditative

Q. What influences your music the most?

A.  The writers, the musicians, the philosophers, the painters, and the poets of the world–these are my Muses. For this reason, I always try to attend live concerts, theater, and displays of culture and art whenever possible. I can spend a whole day reading a good book or strolling through a museum of modern art. I have a huge library of CD’s, DVD’s, and MP3′s. In college, I think it was Stravinsky that opened my ear up the most, and I have been listening to the pioneers of 20th and 21st century music ever since. The music of composers like Philip Glass and Harry Partch have made a definite impression on my style, not to mention the free jazz experiments of Sun Ra and Don Cherry. The progressive sound of The Beatles, Pink Floyd, and ELO. The Residents and Radiohead always satisfy. From Leonard Cohen to Laurie Anderson, Bela Bartok to Stockhausen, there are just too many personal influences for me to name here. As far as video game music goes, Koji Kondo‘s soundtracks are legendary in my mind.

Q. There’s a lot of dispute about whether or not music should be free. How do you feel about making your music available to people online?

A. All the music that I’ve written is available for free online. That’s been my own choice so far. My books are not free. I just happen to be a big fan of sharing free downloads of my music and collaborating with other artists online. There are whole communities of artists working together and doing some spectacular stuff online. I would like to mention a site where I participate and donate time and money to called iCompositions.com. There are many great musicians and artists collaborating there. My own page, with many free downloadable tracks (including the complete soundtrack to Time Fcuk) is located at: http://www.icompositions.com/artists/Justin_Case/

On the flip side, I’m also fine working with contracts, concert venues, copyrights, royalties, etc. I believe that “the laborer is worthy of his hire” and that you just have to find the right balance between your artwork and your pocketbook. I’ll admit that I’m not happy when I hear that multi-million dollar artists are suing people for sharing digital copies of their art. I think that digital reproduction in the postmodern age is simply a way of life. Nevertheless, I believe that if you put on a good show, or sell a CD or DVD that features your artwork, or contribute work to a project that is financially successful, it’s only fair to come away with a share of the profits for your efforts.

Q. Being a writer/musician is hard in any economy. If you could turn back the clock 10 years, would you do things differently?

A. Absolutely not! I create art first and foremost because it makes my soul happy to do so. I simply cannot imagine not creating art! Money and recognition have always been a secondary benefit of the process. I write stories, poems, and music because it is through these acts that I feel more intensely alive!

After all is said and done, I still require a “day job” to pay the bills. I don’t regret this fact, but I hope that in another 10 years, perhaps the art will be the centerpiece of my financial well-being.

Q. Do you think video games can be a form of art?

A. Without a doubt, video games belong to the realm of the arts. Perhaps the closest cousin to video games is cinema. It takes the efforts of graphic designers, animators, writers, and musicians — all artists in their own right — to create a truly interactive and immersive video game experience. When all the pieces come together in a way that transcends the individual parts, that’s the sign of true art! Art is simply that creative territory where effort meets imagination, and video games certainly fall into that category. Video games represent the triumph of art, entertainment, and computer technology.

Q. What type of games do you enjoy playing?

A. Role playing games, strategy games, puzzle games, fighting games and side-scrollers are my favorites. I have enjoyed everything from Super Mario Brothers, to the Zelda games, Metroid and Mario RPG, Final Fantasy and Sega’s Phantasy Star series, to PC releases like Blizzard’s Warcraft and Diablo series. And then there’s the classic fighting games like Street Fighter, Mortal Kombat, and Super Smash Bros. I’ve always enjoyed the adventure game genre as well, with games like Sierra’s King’s Quest series, and LucasArts’ Monkey Island and Maniac Mansion titles. Those were some great games!  As much as I enjoy RPG’s, I haven’t found an MMORPG that truly satisfies me yet, and you’ll more often find me playing an old console or PC game instead of one the recent console and online releases.

Q. How do you feel about mainstream games versus indie games?

A. I’ve been a fan of both mainstream and indie games for a long time; I don’t think they are truly at odds. I have friends working with companies like Nintendo, PlayStation, and XBOX. I’ll admit that the mainstream has a reputation for playing it safe, going with the tradition, sticking with the tried and true. Indie artists and indie gamers have been consistently pushing the boundaries and taking risks. There’s a great amount of freedom with indie projects. It’s great to play outside of the box! It seems to me that the best-ranked indie games will eventually get their shot at becoming mainstream hits. Having not been signed to work for any major label or company, I can speak from working extensively as an independent artist. It’s an alright road. I still believe it’s not worth sacrificing your artistic integrity for a shot at the mainstream. No way! On the other hand, I wouldn’t refuse a shot at working with a mainstream company, if the final product was consistent with my original vision for the project. I think most independent artists would welcome the opportunity to share their work with a larger, mainstream audience.

Mainstream games versus Indie games? I don’t have to choose, really. Both have their share of flops and successes. I just keep on playing the games that I like.

Q. Are you working on any new video game music projects?

A. I’ve been working two more indie game music projects since the release of the Time Fcuk soundtrack. I’m also in the process of submitting the manuscript to my third novel. Many exciting things to come in 2010!

Laura Shigihara wears many hats. A California native of Eurasian descent, Ms. Shigihara’s passion for games is so great that she not only plays games, but actively participates in the development– which includes game music composing, producing, and even singing. Yes, singing. In Plants vs. Zombies, a new casual game scheduled to be released tomorrow, Ms. Shigihara sings the theme song (in both English and Japanese) that she composed– a catchy tune that will stick in your head for the rest of the day.

Laura Shigihara poses with a sunflower character from Plants vs. Zombies

In the following interview, Ms. Shigihara talks about her life as a freelancer, being a woman in the game industry, tea as inspiration, why she chose not to be a pop star (she was offered a contract in Japan!),  and about Blue Star, an RPG that she is developing.

Q. Who (or what) influenced you as a child that you could say relates to what you do today?

A. I’ve had a lot of influences over the years. My parents let me take piano lessons, which helped enormously. They both introduced me to a lot of different styles of music, and encouraged me to be creative. Although I was classically trained, I was so terrible when it came to sight reading and theory; my big thing was playing by ear. I could play anything by ear. I actually liked a lot of NES music, so I was frequently playing stuff from Megaman games, or anything from Capcom or Squaresoft. One time I recorded a piece from Megaman 3 onto casette tape just so I could listen to it and dissect all the different parts. I was fascinated by how many different melodies were going on at the same time, and how they all managed to sound good together. I thought it was like classical music, but more simple and melodic. Even though this music was for 8-bit games, I still knew the composition was excellent. And in retrospect, I think it had to be excellent… I mean, they had next to no space, they had barely anything to work with; the composition had to be good. Yasunori Mitsuda, Nobuo Uematsu, and Yoko Shimamura are all game composers that have influenced me a lot, I love their work. I also listened to a wide variety of music growing up… everything from Johnny Mathis to Tupac, Disney songs to Red Hot Chili Peppers, and everything in between.

Q. What are the pros/cons of being a freelancer?

A. Well, the nice thing about freelancing is that I set my own hours, so my schedule is very flexible. I love not having a typical Monday through Friday commute, and it’s nice to have extra time to work on side projects like teaching piano or working on my rpg. The downside is that it’s kind of a lonely job. I’m a fairly social person; I really love talking with people… but most of the time it’s just me working from home or the studio. So I try to make a point to have regular interaction with folks so I don’t go crazy!

Q. How do you feel about women’s representation in the game industry?

A. I think in America, there are fewer females who are interested in playing games, so naturally there are even fewer females who are interested in making games. But I think that will most likely change over the years, as companies provide games that appeal to a wider audience. It’s already changing; I mean, 20 years ago my mom was certainly not playing video games. But now she loves World of Warcraft and Animal Crossing Another interesting thing I’ve noticed, is that most of the females in the game industry tend to be involved in the business side of the company (HR, marketing, legal staff, etc.). In contrast, over the years I’ve encountered very few female game designers, programmers, or composers. But again, that could very well change with time. The sad thing, is that there are plenty of women who I’m sure would love to play an epic adventure game for example, but they’re often put-off by things like the gratuitously drawn female characters on the box cover. Of course they’re less likely to pick up a game that looks like it’s been made for guys. But hopefully companies that are looking to increase their female demographic will realize this.

Q. Why did you decide not to become a pop star?

A. Do you mean like, why didn’t I accept the contract in Japan? I guess the main reason was because there were some things included in the contract that compromised my morals. I was really put-off by that whole incident, and it prompted me to take some time off to figure out what I should do next. During that time I was in America, and I started working as the sound director for a company that produced an audio talkshow, and English learning materials through Apple Japan. I also composed my first video game soundtrack. I really enjoyed it, so I started taking more video game contracts. And I guess that’s why I’m doing that now instead

Q. Is Super Shigi kind of like Super Mario?

A. Oh, do you mean Super Shigi like my email? Hehe… well, “shigi” comes from my last name. And the super-part actually came from this one time back in college when I was learning how to play Counterstrike. When I was living in the dorms, I happened to be on a floor that was full of gamers. We used to stay up all night playing these huge 8-player LAN Starcraft games, it was a lot of fun. When I first started playing Counterstrike with them, I couldn’t get a headshot to save my life. So my friend Davy was giving me some tips. He made me practice on our friend Jeremy. The deal was that none of us could go to dinner until I got a headshot on Jeremy. After many failed attempts under the online alias “shigi”, I decided to change it to “supershigi” as a joke; and almost immediately after I changed it, I finally got a headshot, and we all got to go to dinner So from then on, I always used “supershigi” as my online name.

Q. You seem to have a diverse interest when it comes to games. What are your top 3 favorites and why?

A. Wow, this is a tough one! Well definitely my favorite game of all time is Chrono Trigger… but as for 2nd and 3rd place, there are so many games I love that could go there. But I think I’m going to have to say Megaman 5 and Starcraft. Chrono Trigger is just an all around good game. The story seemed very simple and straight forward at first, but it gradually turned into this wonderfully deep and yet accessible plot. The battle system was fun, the music was beautiful. I’ve gotten about 8 friends to play it; including folks who had never really played video games before, and they all loved it. I like the Megaman series in general, but I chose Megaman 5 because I just had so much fun with it. The game felt very balanced; the levels were quite challenging, but the player control was excellent so you really felt like you accomplished something when you defeated each boss. I liked the cool little cutscene at the beginning where Protoman’s scarf falls from the sky, haha. I thought the music was so catchy and melodic. And there was just so much stuff for an NES game; great graphics, a very satisfying ending, etc. Starcraft is super engaging whether you’re playing a huge 8-player LAN game with friends, or just going through the campaigns by yourself (the story is actually quite good). It’s got such a culture about it, too. As odd as it sounds, when I went to Korea for the World Cup, I felt like there were so many cases where Starcraft was the common language.

Q. Are you really not interested in International Relations anymore?

A. I am, but I’m certainly not as involved as I was before. But I still try to spend some time each week catching up on the news and reading about what’s going on with our foreign policy.

Q. What kind of role does your ethnicity play in your work? (How important is your Japanese identity?)

A. I think being Eurasian has definitely had an impact on my work at some level. I was exposed to music from many different cultures growing up, which I’m sure has influenced my compositions.

Q. In your soundtrack for Plants vs. Zombies, it sounded more natural in Japanese. Do you think this is a fair critique?

A. You know, it’s really kind of funny that it turned out that way. Given that I was born and raised in America, I’m far more comfortable speaking English than I am speaking Japanese. But I think it actually has to do with how the languages are spoken. When I wrote the song, I had in mind that the lyrics would be sung by the sunflower, who I imagine has a childlike voice. And I’m not sure why, but it’s a lot easier for me to sing like a child when I’m singing in Japanese, than when I sing in English. There’s probably some kind of linguistic explanation for this, but I’m not sure what it is.

Q. What kind of programs do you use for composing? Do you play any instruments other than the piano?

A. I prefer Sonar 6 for the majority of my projects, along with Soundforge for editing. I use a variety of soft synths, along with my Korg Triton which I love, because it feels like a piano, but is very versatile in terms of programming and samples. I play the guitar and a bit of drums, but I don’t think I’m good at those instruments.

Q. Do you have any special “ritual” in getting inspiration for the games you have to make music for? How involved do you get with the graphic designers and developers?

A. Since I’m a contractor, I’m usually the only person on the development team who isn’t in-house. So generally I’ll meet with the project’s producer about the details of my assignment, and I’ll work with the designers and programmers to make sure the audio is implemented properly. Even though I make a point to get to know the other folks on the project, I don’t often get to see them outside of meetings. With “Plants vs. Zombies” however, things were very different because my boyfriend is the game’s designer. So I was around for a lot of the brainstorming sessions, I did a lot of game testing, I’ll go play Dominion with them during lunch As for getting inspired, I do all sorts of things. Talking with certain people, dancing or running to upbeat music, going on some sort of adventure… these things are all helpful. Tea helps a lot, too. I love tea. One time I watched a video of the Chrono Trigger/Chrono Cross live orchestral performance from the “Play!” Concert which really got me in the mood to make music!

Q. We should probably do another interview when Blue Star comes out, but remind us: why are you developing this RPG? Are you going to move from composer to game developer?

A. I guess the main reason I’m developing this RPG is because I really wanted to do something with the story I wrote. I’ve always loved video games, and I’ve always felt that there was something special about an RPG with a really good storyline. Even now, when I hear music from games like Chrono Trigger or Suikoden, I’m reminded of how much the characters and their stories moved me. If I could create that kind of experience for someone else, it would make me so happy. If I can manage to finish this game, I would like to continue designing games (I already have something in mind for my next game). But I would certainly not stop being a composer. I think it’s just that I’m kind of a multi-tasker. I like to work on more than one creative project at a time, so that I can take a short break from one to work on another until my inspiration for the first one comes back (and vice versa). I just finished a really sad scene in the game that involves one of the main characters talking about the lullaby his mother used to sing to him before she passed away. I got to write and sing a lullaby to go with it, and that whole process was such a great experience.

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Also check out Laura Shigihara’s other video game music and pop music, and watch the music video for Plants vs. Zombies featuring Ms. Shigihara’s voice!