My name is Max Loh, and I am the musical composer for Fat Loot. This project was very interesting for me because the game is simultaneously thrilling and comical, so I had to find ways to blur the lines between these two emotions in the music. I also needed to make the music evoke the feeling of being in ancient China, which is why I chose to record Dizi (Chinese flute, performed by Monica Williams) and Erhu (Chinese violin, performed by Hui Jin and Tung Lan).
For the main menu, I wanted to create a theme song with a memorable melody and an oriental sound. The Dizi and Erhu were perfectly suited for this task, because they are two of the most beautiful and iconic Asian instruments, and are well-suited for playing melodies. I took care when writing my melodies to make them pentatonic enough to evoke the feeling of ancient China, yet catchy enough to appeal to more modern tastes. I also added accompanying Guzheng (plucked instrument), pizzicato strings, as well as various light percussion in order to provide an exciting backdrop to get players excited during the menu screens.
https://soundcloud.com/maxloh/fat-loot-main-theme
For the mist level, I needed to create the feeling of tension and mystery while also keeping the mood lighthearted to suit the comical nature of the game. I found a synth patch that really sounded "blurry" and simulated the feeling of being in fog very well, but the mood it created was much too serious, and made the game seem more like it was about stealth assassins than stealthy fat women trying to steal a treasure. Fortunately, I was able to lighten the mood significantly by adding marimba and plucked strings. The result was a unique blend of both stealthy and comical music genres. The benefit of incorporating these elements together was that I didn't have to resort to using cheesy sounds to express humor. I believe that cheesiness as a solution to comedy is a lazy solution that should be avoided; music can and should sound "cool" and pleasing to the ear even when providing the backdrop for comedy.
https://soundcloud.com/maxloh/misty-loot
The temple level seemed like it had an emphasis in nature, so I decided to feature a Native American flute in the beginning. However, during my experimentation with my Native American flute, I was pleasantly surprised that by pulling out the mouthpiece slightly, I could achieve a beautiful airy tone that did not sound anything like a Native American flute; it sounded more similar to a Shakuhachi (Japanese flute). I recorded a melody for the temple level using this "modified Native American flute", to great success. As well, I decided that the music needed something to put the players in a temple setting, so I inserted clips of overtone throat singing throughout the piece to evoke the feeling of monks chanting.
https://soundcloud.com/maxloh/temple-loot
Overall, Fat Loot provided me many opportunities to explore new frontiers and genres in my musical compositions, and I was very pleased with the unique atmospheres I was able to create for the game. Working on this project has been smooth with no major pitfalls or music rewrites, and I would love to work with the Fat Loot team again. If you enjoyed listening to my music, you can find more on my website, http://www.maxloh.com.
