Composer Nima Fakhrara has a reputation for building his own unique instruments, which is why the deveopers of Detroit: Become Human brought him in to create the soundtrack for Connor, an android programmed to hunt down other androids who have become suceptible to a virus that causes them to feel human emotions.
In our conversation, Nima told me he approached the score by considering, "how would an android compose music?' And he started by creating Connor's main theme almost as if it's the sound of computer code.
Unlike other games with multiple composers, Quantic Dream's Music Supervisor, Mary Lockwood, wanted the three soundtracks for the three playable characters to be unique, so there was little communication between Nima and the other two composers: Philip Sheppard and John Paesano, but each of them had the freedom to create music that best suited their characters.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KUIUFUC5dsw">
Nima says he likes to create a unique instrument for every soundtrack he works on to give it its own distinct identity, and for Detroit, he had a custom-built 20 foot long "guitar," that provides a visceral underpinning to many of the tracks. Nima's other instruments are more conventional, but played in unique ways, including un-amplified electric violins and violas.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mew_Mms3UWI">
The best part of working on Detroit, Nima told me, was being able to blow the dust off some of his vintage synthesizers, and having the trust of the audio team at Quantic Dream that he would create the perfect musical voice for Connor. The Detroit: Become Human soundtrack is available from Playstation.
Episode tracklist:
all tracks by Nima Fakhrara
Detroit: Become Human: Now; Investigation; Hostage; I Trust You; Deviants; Your Choice; Analylsing; They All Look the Same; What's Your Mission; Wake Up
Follow Nima on Twitter
Follow Kate on Twitter
Subscribe to Music Respawn in Apple Podcasts!
Thanks to Dick Roberts for production assistance and
Adrianna Perez, White Bear PR
