Roll7’s upcoming figure skating shooter, Rollerdrome, is the first time we’ve featured a completely original soundtrack, featuring the amazingly retro futuristic synth beats of the amazing Electric Dragon. I spoke with Ian, the artist behind Electric Dragon, to discuss the process of working on the project and creating this brand new album.
Jemima Tyssen Smith: Hi Ian! I’m so excited to work with you while you create amazing new music for Rollerdrome. This is an exciting project for Roll7 as it’s the first time we’ve had a brand new soundtrack just for one of our games. What drew you to the project?
Electric Dragon: You have summoned me!
Haha – it’s true! Yeah, I’m actually the first one to contact you – we just wanted a track at first, didn’t we?
Well, that’s all – I didn’t know the full details of the game at the time, but what I found was extremely interesting for me, and I actually offered to do some original work on it. at that moment. Then I had a meeting with some of the people on the team and we talked in more detail about what was needed. I was so engrossed in the album I was working on and talking to the people at Roll7 really gave me a burst of inspiration. I think it all just comes together really well for everyone involved, really. I’ve always wanted to make a game soundtrack, and Rollerdrome is an incredible game to get into.
I think when you talk about the possibility of original tracks that we feel perfect because we wanted to have such a specific vibe to the soundtrack. Can you talk a little bit about that?
Yes, so the energy we’re after is a track with the power of a fusion wave but with a distinct 70’s flavor. It seemed quite difficult to balance as we also really wanted to avoid going too disco – the game has a dark area that needs to be echoed in the music. In the end, it actually came together quite naturally. I basically treated the soundtrack as if it belonged in the 70s – very BBC ‘Tomorrow World’, you know? And then I was inspired by a lot of real things: 70s pioneers like Vangellis, Wendy Carlos, Philip Glass, Giorgio Moroder, Tangerine Dream… so much inspiration from so many places!
Seeing all the great toolkits you have is truly inspirational – all of which are really cool stuff. What drew you to music and synthwave in the first place?
I used to have a Commodore 64 as a kid and my uncle bought me some software called ‘Utilisynth’. It’s very complicated, but I managed to make some great squirming noises, and I’ve been hooked ever since! I kept playing guitar, I DJed house music in the 90s, I even joined a death metal band for a bit… but in the meantime, I’ve gone back to synth.
And we’re glad you did! This project is obviously completely different from making an album that isn’t tied to a game and a concept – how has that worked for you?
Well, since the tracks need to match the gameplay, I can’t really do the analysis the way I could have done on a completely freestyle album, so it was a really fun challenge. . I also needed to strike a balance between backstory and thrilling gameplay – songs needed grit, but they also needed a sense of fun in them. I think those positive moments really help make the dark areas of the game darker, which I really like. One thing I love about this process – and how silly this may sound – is that the narrative really helped me choose the title of the song. I’ve always found song naming a bit difficult, so it’s a relief to have the content available to grab the title!
Finally, I have to ask – where does the name ‘Electric Dragon’ come from?
It’s from a 2001 Japanese movie – Electric Dragon 80,000 V. It’s about two opponents getting electrocuted and then ending up with superpowers… and they also play serious guitar solos.
Sounds so tempting! I’m adding it to my watchlist as we talk. Thank you so much for taking the time to chat with me today and for creating this epic soundtrack. I can’t wait for everyone to experience it in the game.
Me neither!
Rollerdrome will be available on PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 4 on August 16.
