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‘We were only slightly influenced by the Cantina music’: the underworld sounds of Star Wars Outlaws


Cody Matthew Johnson explains how he has scoured every sonic corner, from spider monkeys’ chatter to gamelan, to write tunes a space travelling street thief would hear

Cody Matthew Johnson, composer, songwriter, and producer on Star Wars Outlaws Photograph: Knocking Bird“The galaxy is far-reaching, there are canonically thousands (some say millions) of planets, and the in-world music over the last 40 years only scratches the surface of possibilities. “All sounds, textures and instruments were on the table, including spider monkeys, seals, vintage carbonphone microphones, cimbalom, yaylı tambur, hulusi, shakuhachi, gamelan arranged in a drum set …” he says of this maximalism. Photograph: UbisoftFor example, he explains in great detail, you need to consider the sympathetic, resonant buzz from a sitar, the aggressive attack of a plectrum on a saz and bouzouki, combined with the playing style of flamenco nylon string guitar and charango.

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