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Music of Grand Theft Auto V

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The music for the 2013 action-adventure video game Grand Theft Auto V, developed by Rockstar North and published by Rockstar Games, was composed by The Alchemist, Oh No and Tangerine Dream in collaboration with Woody Jackson. The game is the first entry in the Grand Theft Auto series to make use of an original score. In collaboration with each other, the musicians produced over twenty hours of music which scores the game's missions. Some of the works produced by the musicians throughout the game's development influenced some of the in-game missions and sparked inspiration for further score development. Grand Theft Auto V also has an in-game radio that can tune into sixteen stations playing more than 441 tracks of licensed music, as well as two talk radio stations. The composers of the score wanted it to accompany the licensed music, as opposed to detracting from it.

The game's music has been released on three official soundtracks: The Music of Grand Theft Auto V, released alongside the initial launch of the game, consists of three volumes comprising the score, and selections from the in-game radio; The Cinematographic Score — GTA 5, an electronic album released in March 2014, comprises tracks composed and produced by Tangerine Dream founder Edgar Froese; and Welcome to Los Santos, released with the Microsoft Windows version of the game, features songs from the in-game radio station "The Lab", produced by The Alchemist and Oh No. Critical reception to the soundtracks was positive, as reviewers felt that the music connected appropriately with the gameplay.

Production and composition

"Welcome to Los Santos"
"Welcome to Los Santos", the game's main theme, was composed by Oh No. He collaborated with several other musicians to produce original music for the game.
Problems playing this file? See media help.

Grand Theft Auto V is the first game in its series to use an original score.[1] Music supervisor Ivan Pavlovich summarised the original score idea as "daunting", because it was unprecedented for a Grand Theft Auto game.[2] Like most previous series entries, the game uses licensed music tracks provided by an in-game radio as well. Pavlovich hoped that the original score would enhance the licensed music use, not detract from it.[3] He further noted the balancing act between the score's "ambient subtext and tensions" and the game's onscreen action.[4] To work on the score, Rockstar engaged The Alchemist, Oh No and Tangerine Dream with Woody Jackson, who had previously worked on Red Dead Redemption, L.A. Noire and Max Payne 3's music.[5] The team of producers collaborated over several years to create more than twenty hours of music that scores both the game's missions and dynamic gameplay throughout the single-player and multiplayer modes.[6][7]

Early in the game's development, the music team were shown an early build before starting work on the score. Their work was mostly complete later in development but they continued composing until its final build was submitted for manufacturing. Edgar Froese, Tangerine Dream's founding member, initially rejected the offer of producing music for a video game. After he was flown to the studio and shown the game, he was impressed by its scale and cinematic nature, and changed his mind. Froese's first eight months of work on the score produced 62 hours of music.[2] He recorded with Tangerine Dream in Austria but further work was conducted at Jackson's United States studio, which The Alchemist and Oh No used as well.[3]

File:Flying Lotus, Wavves & DJ Pooh on GTA V.jpg
Flying Lotus (left), Nate Williams and Stephen Pope of Wavves (top right), and DJ Pooh (bottom right) in a recording studio, working on Grand Theft Auto V's music

Jackson’s initial role was to provide score for Trevor’s missions, and he took influence from artists such as The Mars Volta and Queens of the Stone Age. When he learnt that the team would be building off each other’s work, he voiced concern that the finished product could be disjointed. After sharing his work with the team, he was particularly impressed by Froese's contributions. "Edgar evolved the music, made it into a whole other thing", Jackson said.[2] Froese had interpolated funk sounds with Jackson’s hip-hop influences. Froese and Jackson then sent their work between The Alchemist and Oh No, who heavily sampled it. The Alchemist opined, "We were sampling, taking a piece form here, a piece from there ... We pitched stuff up, chopped it, tweaked it. Then we chose the tracks that worked and everyone came in and layered on that".[2] DJ Shadow then mixed the team's creations together and matched it to the gameplay.[2] Pavlovich considered "how to make the hip-hop and rock score not sound like they were instrumentals of songs on the radio, but rather something unique to the score" a challenge.[4]

Pavlovich found that while Rockstar assigned the team missions to write music for, some of their random creations influenced other missions and sparked inspiration for further score development. He discussed a "stem-based" system used to make music fit dynamic game factors where the team would compose music to underscore outcomes players could make immediately after completing missions.[2] Each of these stems, Froese reflected, included up to 62 five-minute WAV files, which were sent to Pavlovich in New York. "He then created, very professionally, a mix down for each of the eight stems needed for a mission and sent out the material to the other artists involved", Froese elaborated.[4] Oh No drew from scenes within the game to make his work feel contextually pertinent with the action onscreen. The iconographic introduction of Los Santos early in the game, for example, inspired him to "create a smooth West Coast vibe that embodied" the city.[4] He supplied horns, electric and bass guitars, and percussion parts to fit with the car chase scenes. "We wanted everything to set the right tone", he explained.[4]

The Rockstar team wanted to synergise the game world's depiction of California with the radio stations by licensing tracks that imparted an appropriate "Cali feel".[2] Pavlovich noted that Los Angeles' cultural saturation of pop music necessitated the Non-Stop-Pop FM station; he said that "the first time you get off an airplane in L.A. and you hear the radio and the pop just seeps out ... We wanted that. It really connects you to the world".[2] He felt that greater discernment was required for licensed music choices than in Grand Theft Auto IV because Grand Theft Auto V's music plays a pivotal role in generating Californian atmosphere.[2] Music "reflects the environment in which the game is set", he said.[3] Initially, the team planned to license over 900 tracks for the radio but they refined the number to 241.[2] The tracks are shared between fifteen stations, with an additional two talk-back stations[7] and a radio station for custom audio files on the PC version.[8] Some tracks were written specifically for the game, such as rapper and producer Flying Lotus' original work composed for the FlyLo FM station he hosts.[7] Pavlovich noted how the team would first develop an idea of what each station would sound like, and then select a DJ to match the station’s genre, such as Kenny Loggins who hosts the classic rock station Los Santos Rock Radio.[2] He felt that to strike a balance between the radio and the score was a meticulous process, and cited a scenario where players would drive to a mission objective while listening to the radio, with the score taking over once players left the vehicle and proceeded to the mission's next stage.[3]

Soundtracks

The Music of Grand Theft Auto V

Untitled

The Music of Grand Theft Auto V was released digitally on 24 September 2013 in three volumes, including an original score composed for the game in addition to selections from songs that were licensed for the in-game radio. The retail version of the soundtrack was released on 9 December 2014 for CD and vinyl through Mass Appeal Records.[10]

In the context of the game, The Music of Grand Theft Auto V was well received. Jim Sterling of Destructoid considered the game's sound design "impeccable", directing praise at the score.[11] The staff at Edge wrote that the licensed music "enrich[es] Los Santos' already remarkable sense of space" and considered that the original score enhanced the atmosphere of the gameplay,[12] retrospectively noting

"...it's only in replaying GTAV's missions that you come to appreciate the complexity and power of [Rockstar's] bespoke, dynamic score, whose rhythms do so much to achieve that age-old videogame goal of creating the sensation of playing a movie."[13]

Carolyn Petit of GameSpot also thought that the score "lends missions more cinematic flavour",[14] while Jeff Gerstmann of Giant Bomb said that the score helped enhance dramatic tension during missions.[15] Keza MacDonald of IGN commented that the licensed music had been selected well, and agreed that the original score "builds tension" on missions.[16] Alex Young of Consequence of Sound considered the score "dynamic to say the least", praising the music for its appropriation within the gameplay. He concluded that the team have "craft[ed] an entertaining blend of musical tastes that everyone can get on board with".[17] Tshepo Mokoena of The Guardian deemed the soundtrack "inaccessibly trendy at points, but varied enough".[18] The album peaked at 11 on Billboard's Top Soundtracks charts in the week of 12 October 2013.[19]

Volume 1: Original Music[20]
No.TitleLength
1."Welcome to Los Santos" (Oh No)2:34
2."Smokin' and Ridin'" (BJ the Chicago Kid featuring Freddie Gibbs & Problem)3:32
3."Old Love / New Love" (Twin Shadow)3:53
4."Change of Coast" (Neon Indian)3:12
5."Nine is God" (Wavves)4:57
6."Bassheads" (Gangrene)2:45
7."Stonecutters" (Flying Lotus)4:18
8."High Pressure Dave" (HEALTH)3:15
9."What's Next?" (OFF!)2:09
10."Garbage" (Tyler, The Creator)3:28
11."Nowhere to Go" (Nite Jewel)3:59
12."R - Cali" (A$AP Rocky)2:19
13."Colours" (Age of Consent)4:23
14."Hold Up" (Marion Band$ featuring Nipsey Hussle)3:52
15."Life of a Mack" (100s)3:24
16."The Set Up" (Favored Nations)4:03
17."Don't Come Close" (Yeasayer)3:28
18."Sleepwalking" (The Chain Gang of 1974)3:38
Total length:63:17
Volume 2: The Score †[20]
No.TitleLength
1."We Were Set Up"3:31
2."A Legitimate Business Man"2:57
3."A Haze of Patriotic Fervor"5:30
4."Los Santos at Night"1:43
5."North Yankton Memories"4:02
6."The Grip"3:10
7."Mr. Trevor Philips"4:25
8."A Bit of an Awkward Situation"4:42
9."No Happy Endings"5:19
10."His Mentor"1:27
11."(Sounds Kind of) Fruity"4:44
12."Minor Turbulence"4:33
13."Chop the Dog"4:11
14."A Lonely Man"3:32
15."You Forget a Thousand Things"3:36
16."Impotent Rage / Am I Being Clear Now?"2:08
17."Fresh Meat"4:03
18."Therapy and Other Hobbies"0:57
19."Rich Man's Plaything"4:06
20."The Agency Heist"3:22
21."Hillbilly Crank Dealers' Blues"5:19
22."Welcome to Los Santos (Outro)"1:11
Total length:78:40
Volume 3: The Soundtrack[20]
No.TitleLength
1."The Kill" (Flying Lotus featuring Niki Randa)3:25
2."I Am a Madman" (Lee "Scratch" Perry)5:48
3."Jasmine" (Jai Paul)4:10
4."I Get Lifted" (George McCrae)2:44
5."What You Wanna Do" (Kausion)4:08
6."Can't Hardly Stand It" (Charlie Feathers)2:48
7."Life of Crime" (The Weirdos)2:19
8."Es Toy" (Mexican Institute of Sound)3:15
9."Gabriel (Soulwax Mix)" (Joe Goddard featuring Valentina)4:28
10."I'd Rather Be With You" (Bootsy Collins)4:57
11."Hollywood Nights" (Bob Seger)5:00
12."From Nowhere (Baardsen Remix)" (Dan Croll)4:27
13."Say That Then" (Problem featuring Glasses Malone)2:52
14."I Ain't Living Long Like This" (Waylon Jennings)4:45
15."Nobody Move, Nobody Gets Hurt" (Yellowman)3:43
16."All the Things She Said" (Simple Minds)4:16
17."Harm in Change" (Toro y Moi)3:59
18."This Mystic Decade" (Hot Snakes)3:03
19."Mirror Maru" (Cashmere Cat)4:02
Total length:74:16

† All songs written and composed by Tangerine Dream, Woody Jackson, The Alchemist and Oh No. All songs layered, mixed and arranged by DJ Shadow from the original interactive in-game score.

The Cinematographic Score — GTA 5

Untitled

The Cinematographic Score — GTA 5 was released on 24 March 2014, limited to 2000 copies. The album was composed and produced by Tangerine Dream founder Edgar Froese, while his wife Bianca Acquaye provided the cover art and acted as executive producer.[21] Froese agreed to work on the game despite his distaste for the medium, intrigued by Grand Theft Auto V's philosophy of "working against the establishment", describing it as "a social game".[22]

Track listing[21]
No.TitleLength
1."Place of Conclusions"5:15
2."Streets of Fortune"4:54
3."Mission Possible"4:15
4."Downtown Los Santos"5:06
5."Blaine County Sunrise"5:26
6."Burning the Bad Seal"5:18
7."Beyond the Weakest Point"6:10
8."Sadness, Grief and Hope"4:38
9."Diary of a Robbery"5:36
10."Draw the Last Line Somewhere"6:13
11."The Dangerous Mile"5:42
12."Living on a Razor Edge"5:17
Total length:63:50

Welcome to Los Santos

Untitled

Welcome to Los Santos (also known as The Alchemist and Oh No Present Welcome to Los Santos) was included with the Microsoft Windows version of Grand Theft Auto V, which was released on 14 April 2015. The album was put onto a fictional in-game radio station called "The Lab" to fit with the rest of the in-game music. A retail version of the album was released on April 21 through Mass Appeal Records.[23] David Jeffries of AllMusic felt that the album "captures the excitement of flipping the radio dial in the game".[24] Pitchfork Media's Clayton Purdom praised the album's variety of artists and genres, calling it "music blooming out of a club you are supposed to want to go into".[25] Andrew Matson of NPR spoke positively of most of the album's tracks, though felt that some were "unconsidered, and ... never jells as a result".[26] The album peaked at 18 and 41 on Billboard's Top Soundtracks and R&B Albums charts, respectively, in the week of 9 May 2015.[27][28]

Track listing[24]
No.TitleProducer(s)Length
1."Play It Cool" (Gangrene featuring Samuel T Herring and Earl Sweatshirt)The Alchemist3:53
2."Trouble" (Ab-Soul featuring Aloe Blacc)Oh No3:45
3."Speedline Miracle Masterpiece" (Tunde Adebimpe featuring Sal P and Sinkane)The Alchemist, Josh Werner, Sinkane4:10
4."Welcome to Los Santos" (MC Eiht and Freddie Gibbs featuring Kokane)Oh No3:51
5."K.Y.S.A." (Phantogram)The Alchemist, Josh Carter, Bass Drum of Death (add.), Jake Portrait (add.)4:20
6."Fast Life" (Vybz Kartel)Oh No, Josh Werner3:30
7."20's 50's 100's" (King Avriel featuring A$AP Ferg)Oh No, Evian Christ (add.)4:23
8."Lock & Load" (MNDR featuring Killer Mike)The Alchemist4:20
9."Born Bad" (Popcaan featuring Freddie Gibbs)Oh No, Josh Werner3:28
10."California" (E-40 featuring Dâm-Funk and Ariel Pink)Oh No3:55
11."Leave" (Wavves)The Alchemist3:15
12."Fetti" (Curren$y and Freddie Gibbs)The Alchemist4:39
13."Wanderer" (Little Dragon)Little Dragon4:36
14."Bad News" (Action Bronson and Danny Brown)The Alchemist2:46
Total length:54:51

References

  1. ^ Robinson, Andy (12 November 2012). "GTA V will introduce a musical score for missions". Computer and Video Games. Future plc. Archived from the original on 15 November 2012. Retrieved 13 November 2012. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Corriea, Alexa Ray (3 October 2013). "The accidental excellence of GTA 5's soundscape". Polygon. Vox Media. Archived from the original on 3 October 2013. Retrieved 6 October 2013. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  3. ^ a b c d Stutz, Colin (26 October 2013). "Rockstar Music Head on 'Grand Theft Auto V': We've Topped What's Come Before (Audio)". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on 27 October 2013. Retrieved 19 December 2013. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |website= (help); Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  4. ^ a b c d e Hatchman, Jonathan (26 November 2013). "Know The Score: The Music of Grand Theft Auto V". Clash. Archived from the original on 14 August 2017. Retrieved 3 April 2014. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help); Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  5. ^ R* Q (31 August 2013). "GTAV Soundtrack Interviews and Details... Plus "Sleepwalking" by The Chain Gang of 1974 from the Official Trailer". Rockstar Games. Archived from the original on 11 October 2017. Retrieved 1 September 2013. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  6. ^ Stuart, Keith (12 November 2012). "Grand Theft Auto V preview: the inside story". The Guardian. Guardian Media Group. Archived from the original on 31 July 2013. Retrieved 29 August 2013. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  7. ^ a b c Shamoon, Evan (28 August 2013). "Inside the 'Grand Theft Auto V' Soundtrack". Rolling Stone. Jann Wenner. Archived from the original on 14 August 2017. Retrieved 29 August 2013. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  8. ^ R* L (15 April 2015). "Self Radio: Creating Your Own Custom Radio Station in GTAV PC". Rockstar Newswire. Rockstar Games. Archived from the original on 11 October 2017. Retrieved 6 April 2016. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  9. ^ a b The Music of Grand Theft Auto V (album liner notes). Various Artists. Mass Appeal Records; Rockstar Games. 2014.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  10. ^ R* Q (3 November 2014). "The Music of Grand Theft Auto V: Limited Edition Soundtrack CD and Vinyl Box Sets Coming this December". Rockstar Newswire. Archived from the original on 11 October 2017. Retrieved 4 November 2014. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  11. ^ Sterling, Jim (16 September 2013). "Review: Grand Theft Auto V". Destructoid. Archived from the original on 11 October 2017. Retrieved 16 September 2013. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  12. ^ Edge Staff (November 2013). "Play: Post Script". Edge (259). Future plc: 89. {{cite journal}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |journal= (help)
  13. ^ "The Ten Best Games Of The Generation". Edge (272). Future plc: 74–81. November 2014. {{cite journal}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |journal= (help)
  14. ^ Petit, Carolyn (16 September 2013). "Grand Theft Auto V Review: City of Angels and Demons". GameSpot. Archived from the original on 11 October 2017. Retrieved 16 September 2013. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  15. ^ Gertsmann, Jeff (16 September 2013). "Grand Theft Auto V Review". Giant Bomb. Archived from the original on 11 October 2017. Retrieved 4 October 2013. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  16. ^ MacDonald, Keza (16 September 2013). "Grand Theft Auto V Review". IGN. Archived from the original on 11 October 2017. Retrieved 16 September 2013. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  17. ^ Young, Alex (11 October 2013). "Album Review: Various Artists – The Music of Grand Theft Auto V". Consequence of Sound. Archived from the original on 11 October 2017. Retrieved 3 April 2014. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  18. ^ Mokoena, Tshepo (12 December 2014). "The Music of Grand Theft Auto V box set review – driving music revved up to its limits". The Guardian. Guardian Media Group. Archived from the original on 11 October 2017. Retrieved 15 March 2015. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  19. ^ "Movie Soundtracks: Top Soundtrack Album Charts". Billboard. Eldridge Industries. October 2013. Archived from the original on 11 October 2017. Retrieved 12 October 2017. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  20. ^ a b c Sources that refer to the contents and general information of The Music of Grand Theft Auto V include:
  21. ^ a b "Tangerine Dream - The Cinematographic Score GTA 5 (CD, Album)". Discogs. Zink Media. Archived from the original on 28 June 2016. Retrieved 28 June 2016. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  22. ^ Pertou, Jacob (7 April 2014). "Jacobs TD Blog Presents An Exclusive Interview with Edgar Froese!". Jacob Pertou. Archived from the original on 28 June 2016. Retrieved 28 June 2016. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  23. ^ "New Music Coming to GTAV: The Alchemist and Oh No Present Welcome to Los Santos". Rockstar Games. 6 March 2015. Archived from the original on 11 October 2017. Retrieved 9 July 2015. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  24. ^ a b Jeffries, David. "Welcome to Los Santos - The Alchemist, Oh No". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 11 October 2017. Retrieved 9 July 2015. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  25. ^ Purdom, Clayton (17 April 2015). "Various Artists: The Alchemist and Oh No Present: Welcome to Los Santos". Pitchfork Media. Archived from the original on 11 October 2017. Retrieved 9 July 2015. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  26. ^ Matson, Andrew (12 April 2015). "Review: The Alchemist & Oh No, 'Welcome To Los Santos'". NPR. Archived from the original on 11 October 2017. Retrieved 10 October 2017. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  27. ^ "Movie Soundtracks: Top Soundtrack Album Charts". Billboard. Eldridge Industries. May 2015. Archived from the original on 11 October 2017. Retrieved 12 October 2017. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  28. ^ "R&B/Hip-Hop Albums". Billboard. Eldridge Industries. May 2015. Archived from the original on 11 October 2017. Retrieved 12 October 2017. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)

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