How a Perth producer ended up composing music for one of Steam’s latest games

Matt Mclean is not your average artist. When he’s not playing as part of Perth electronic act Lilt, he’s composing music for games to be released online.

His latest project RUMU was released on gaming distribution platform Steam just four weeks ago, and has already garnered over 100 player reviews and recorded an impressive 92% positive rating from the online community.

The one-player adventure game is the brainchild of Sydney-based game development company Robot House, and the soundtrack has been released Remote Control and Boss Battle Records.

“It’s been a particularly challenging score to write with a vast array of tones and mood to accomplish, and I have pushed myself to integrate new compositional methods and sound design tools working with modular synthesis,” Mclean (performing under the name of feeding | ear) wrote in a Facebook post on the day of the game’s release.

While the premise of the game reads like an episode of Black Mirror – you play RUMU, a robot vacuum cleaner who is becoming self-aware – the soundtrack provides the sonic landscape for the oddly emotional story unfolding on-screen, filled with ambient sounds, heights of euphoria, and dark depths.

TMN spoke to the young producer about the exciting and unique release, as well as his plans for 2018 – which includes going on tour with Tame Impala.

How did the project come about?

My involvement with RUMU came about midway in their development cycle. I pitched several rough drafts of pieces against a few other composers based on concept art and descriptions of the game, and the development team were interested in my textural approach to setting the mood and texture for the game.

RUMU has a fascinating premise and strong artistic vision, and I knew realising the developers vision would be a challenging experience as a composer. Thankfully Fabian [Malabello], the director at The Otherworld Agency, is there to guide and oversee the music – his input is invaluable.

Developments in gaming (particularly graphics) have come a long way. Do you think improvements in audio technology will be the next frontier for the industry?

I definitely think recent improvements in audio technology has created the opportunity for a far greater emphasis on interactivity and flexibility of music cues. The ability to code interactive, dynamic music events (as opposed to linear composition) has become much easier to implement and is something I am personally extremely interested in.

The recent advancements in 3D spatialisation of sound for traditional and VR gaming also has incredible scope for development and applications both within and outside of gaming. I’d love to see VR and augmented reality concerts with headphones/glasses in the not too distant future!

What’s one thing people might not realise about composing for a video game?

Composing for games is not a carte blanche exercise – you must write music that works sympathetically with the game at all times. That often means writing a piece that you personally think is great, but have to discard or rewrite heavily to fit the games requirements – which can be hard on your ego.

I also put a lot of work in to trying to create seamless transitions and dense textural pieces – most of the RUMU tracks have anywhere between 50-70 channels of audio and interactive layers that trigger depending on the game state.

What does composing for a game offer you as a musician that performing live doesn’t?

Performing live with Lilt is such a different experience to the game composition work. There is the challenge of playing the songs live as a band, and the exhilaration and immediate feedback from seeing people respond physically to the music in that time and space that is amazing.

What I love about the game composition is the possibility that people will attach the music to their own emotional responses and memories of moments in the game. It’s really rewarding to see people comment on YouTube or Steam with their thoughts about the music, and also to get to interact with them. Makes all the lonely times in my studio worthwhile!

What’s next for Matt Mclean in 2018?

2018 will see the release of Orwell 2: Ignorance Is Strength, a game I am very proud to be involved with for its insightful and provocative social commentary. I’m working on a new YouTube channel for feeding | ear which will feature deeper insights into my studio process writing for games, and working on a brand new live setup and show for feeding | ear. I’ll also be releasing new music for Lilt, and heading off on tour with Tame Impala as one of their stage technicians later in the year. ​

You can hear the RUMU soundtrack online here.