Matt Fagaly contributed to this interview.
For anyone listening to anime original soundtracks for the last few years, Kevin Penkin is a name that has climbed to the top of the charts. Working on recent shows like Made in Abyss and The Rising of the Shield Hero, Penkin's wide range of compositions from large and bombastic to more somber outings has made his work an immediately noticeable presence in any anime production. This is no different for Tower of God where Penkin helms the music production for the series. Penkin's music aims to set the deeply mystic and fantastical tone of Tower of God, from chants of a bellowing chorus to synths, ambient wubs and big-ass drums.
Crunchyroll had a chance to send some questions to Penkin and ask him about creating the musical atmosphere in Tower of God, reading his first manhwa, what genres of music he incorporated into the soundtrack, what is currently on his Spotify playlist, and much more!
Having to come up with music for an entire animated series has to be really intimidating! What is the first step you take when tackling a new soundtrack?
Thankfully with new projects, especially one as inspiring as Tower of God, there’s a bit of a creative rush at the start with quite a few ideas to try out. However, at some point, I’ll run out of steam with that, which means I’ll start checking in with the team to discuss what to do next. I sometimes have a bit of a “dog-chasing-cars” mentality during this phase.
What sort of research do you conduct before taking on a new project? Did you have a lot of “homework” for Tower of God?
I got a lot of the reading material ahead of time, similar to Made in Abyss. I felt it was really important to establish the world, not just the characters. This was also my first manhwa. So trying to find a sound that truly represented what a unique world and art style SIU created was really important to me.
How did you become involved with the Tower of God project?
I had a conversation with the Associate Producer, Saechan, who felt I would be a good fit for Tower of God. After talking at length about what the series entailed, I became quite passionate about what musical ideas could be achieved in the soundtrack, and immediately asked to sign on.
When composing the soundtrack for Tower of God, did you set music to specific scenes or did you write for general themes, moods, and characters?
We didn’t have any music synced to picture this time. However, I did write for characters, scenarios or even just something inspired by the cool looking panels. The team was incredibly accomodating with some (somewhat) unconventional stylistic approaches to the music.
In our previous interview, you talked about The Rising of the Shield Hero’s soundtrack, and how you went for a spiritual-baroque-JRPG-symphonic-rock style, whereas Made In Abyss was more about a spacious atmosphere that reflected small characters traversing through a large world. What sorts of musical genres did you take as inspiration for the Tower of God soundtrack?
The soundtrack is quite eclectic. The first couple of tracks I wrote covered some fun combinations such as harps with Dubstep wubs or Bulgarian choirs with Drum & Bass. What I found worked really well for Tower of God was aggressive and sudden changes in texture or style. This is something I feel the sound director, Takayuki Yamaguchi completely understood and nailed in the music selection for the series!
From Made in Abyss to Florence, the style of your music is as diverse as the projects it appears on. But would you say there’s a set of techniques you try to incorporate consistently? Do you think there’s a consistent sound that ties all of your work together?
On all projects, I find it fun to try and translate visual stimuli into musical parameters. On Abyss, as you mentioned, the visual idea of very big and very small was distilled into a small number of musicians being recorded in a very large studio. I found Tower of God’s minimal but bold use of color in the panels really appealing. It gave me the idea to do rapid changes in texture/genre throughout the soundtrack, while also trying to write spectrally “clean” music. What I mean by that, is that I tried to write compositions where the high, mid and low ranges are quite distinct.
Could you walk us through the start-to-finish process of creating this soundtrack? What happens between the time you are brought on to the project and the final product?
When I was brought onto the Tower of God project, I immediately started sketching some conceptual music. I initially wrote 13 tracks that I presented to the team, and thankfully they accepted the approach. From there, I continued to write freely, but at the same time, we started to work closely with the sound director to make sure that we were successfully hitting all the thematic and story points that they needed.
I also felt that Tower of God was the perfect project to try some collaborations with other composers. I worked with some friends who put their unique spin on a couple of tracks, such as the Drum n’ Bass track heard in episodes 2 and 3, which was a collaboration with the artist feeding|ear.
This time, we also recorded in the Czech Republic and the UK. The string orchestra was recorded in the incredible Dvořák Hall (located in Prague) and we worked with some unbelievable soloists in London.
Finally, we mixed everything (shout out to Matt Templeman who mixed the OST) and sent it all to the team in Japan ready to be mixed into the episodes.
How has Tower of God been different from other projects you’ve been a part of?
There’s a couple of things that really stood out to me about this project. I’ve never had the chance to stretch my legs in quite the same creative way I was able to here. I feel like I’ve been gearing up to write this music for 10 years. From collaborating with good friends, to intense string recordings in the Dvořák Hall, it was a really transformative experience.
You’ve talked before about how games like Metroid Prime, Windwaker, and Super Smash Bros. helped spur your artistic passion. Are there any anime or video games that have produced the same spark for you?
Do you mean just anime? Assuming so, then Earth Maiden Arjuna, Ghost in the Shell, Spirited Away and Howl’s Moving Castle.
What kinds of music have you been listening to on your own time lately? What’s been playing on your Spotify?
Bon Iver’s 2019 release i,i, Myth & Roid’s Museum, and occasionally K-Pop...!
I have to ask–what is your biggest guilty pleasure song?
"Circle of Life" from Lion King. It’s an absolute banger of a tune with the best opening to a song, EVER.
Is there anything you would like to say to fans of the Tower of God comic or fans of your work?
Tower of God was a total labor of love. I hope you all enjoy it because it was super intense to write, however hopefully with positive results. I’m sending you all lots of love from Australia, and keep safe during this difficult time in the world.
Source: Latest in Anime News by Crunchyroll!
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