Week 37 and we've got a track for you from Australia from indie game producer and composer, Andrio. So whilst we get back to partying at SuperByte enjoy the track! Grab it here!
WT: How did you first come into contact with chip music?
Andrio: It was 2008 when I discovered the world of chipmusic and pixel art via the now defunct 8bitcollective. I was something like 12 years old at the time, and a pixel art friend of mine linked me to it. I posted pixel art for a year or so on 8bitcollective until I became inspired to write my own music. It was horrible at the time, but I have learned a lot since then, and yet I still have much to learn.
WT: Who or what would you consider your main influences musically?
A: SMILETRON comes to mind, as well as Henry Homesweet, TREYFREY, and Disasterpeace. I am also into Boards of Canada and Stars Of The Lid.
WT: Could you tell us a bit about what you use to create your music?
A: I am either using LSDJ on my Pro-Sound DMG, or FL Studio with Chipsounds, Massive and Peach. Not the best tools around, but they help get the job done. If my only passion was music, it would be a different story :P.
WT: As well as music you also make independent games. Does music, both your own and in general, influence what you create in any way?
A: It certainly does! I'm interested in the underlying audio systems that exist within games, ever since I was exposed to the mechanics of FEZ's audio system. The audio would change contextually, depending on where you were in the world and what was happening. It's so effective in evoking mood and atmosphere (things I really enjoy about video games) and yet so undervalued in a lot of independent games. That, along with other games such as Ocarina of Time, are what inspired me to create my first game, Melodisle.
WT: What went into writing your Weekly Treats track?
A: I decided to make a simple drum and bass track with FL, since that's something I have not really done in a long while, and figured it would be fun to do. I ran out of time working on it, though, so it did not turn out as well as I had hoped.
WT: What does the future hold for Andrio?
A: Everything! My mind is set on going to GDC (Game Developers Conference) next year, leaving Australia for the first time and having the opportunity to meet so many people I have dreamt of meeting. I am deeply passionate about creating games, so I will be fervently pursuing this in the future. I currently have many projects planned and in development. We will see how it goes. :)
