Interview: The Beats of inFAMOUS 2 – Drummer Brian “Brain” Mantia
With the breadth of talent involved with the inFAMOUS 2 soundtrack headed by the prolific Jonathan Mayer, I thought it would be nice to interview Brian Mantia, one of the two drummers on the soundtrack along with also well known New Orleans second line drummer Stanton Moore.
Brian “Brain” Mantia has played with “some of rock’s more cult/fringe artists (Praxis, Primus, Tom Waits, Buckethead, Godflesh), as well as more mainstream/renown ones (Guns N’ Roses).” Brain describes the soundtrack closely resembling the album from the great Miles Davis – Dark Magus (a live jazz album).
During the production inFAMOUS 2 musicians were forced to go past the creativity, brutal percussion, ad-hoc instruments, and de-tuned strings for unique sounds. This combination of sounds led to a more organic sound rather than the electro bass sounds of the first game.
Brain, what were the events leading up to your involvement with a video game soundtrack?
I was at NAMM with Marc Senesac one of the engineers at Sony, we were looking at percussion instruments and he asked me if I would be interested in talking with Jonathan Mayer about a video game they were working on. He wouldn’t tell what game it was though… anyway I had met Jonathan before, we went to see Billy Cobham together!
What gigs are you normally used to playing?
Everything man! I’ve been a studio musician my whole life so I’m used to flippin’ the script!
Was it difficult finding the right patterns and beats to fit into a symphonic soundtrack?
Not really I’ve always been a fan of composers like Stravinsky, Debussy, Bartok, and Varese!
What did you learn about the process of making music for a video game as opposed to a band setting?
Well for one I was mainly working with at least one other person whether it a guitar player or a bass player etc… I’d have them jam a bunch of shit… then I’d just start drinkin’ and chopping in pro tools!
Were your initial expectations going into the project fulfilled afterwards or were they completely changed? Why or why not.
I had zero expectation going into this project but in the end it was better than having the spice and meeting the Kwisatz Haderach!
What was it like trading fours so to speak with Stanton Moore and how did your style and his style of drumming and percussion feed combine with one another?
Well we never did it together in the same room at the same time… but I did do it through the computer! I’d hear beats and grooves Stanton had goin’ and I’d just elaborate on them… he’s killer at that New Orleans second line shit!
Can you describe the types of “Junkyard” ad-hoc instruments you used and the sounds that interested you the most?
Jonathan brought some crazy stuff in like pieces metal he had found in a junk yard, but the secret was that we blew most of that shit through a distortion box and re-amped it! That distressed vibe is the infamous sound!
What were your interest levels in video games before jumping on this gig?
I was always interested in doing the music ever since I worked on interstate 76.
Have you heard of Infamous before?
Yes, my nephews were into it!
How do you perceive video game music today in contrast to what was only possible in the earlier days of video game music?
Well like anything else there is a progression… put it to you this way, game scores have come a long way since Super Mario… (big ups to king kupa)
Since inFAMOUS 2 is set in a fictional New Orleans, what did you feel you added to the music considering Stanton Moore’s New Orleans background?
Like I said I just stole all of Stanton’s ideas and blew them through a big muff!
In an interview about your work with the soundtrack it seemed like you brought the “balls and chunk” so to speak. How do you feel about this statement?
Yeah I’ve always been a tough guy… my favorite move is Rocky 3!
What was it like working with SCEA music manager Jonathan Mayer and prolific multi-media composer Jim Dooley (Epic Mickey, Pushing Daisies) on the Infamous 2 soundtrack and how much freedom were you left with to improvise with Stanton Moore?
Jonathan Mayer is god… the guy can play drums, compose music, produce for Sony and drink more then any other mutha f-er in the room.
Jim Dooley is like Ghandi… he never eats or sleeps… he is making music 24/7 and his outfits are mind-blowing.
When a music director asks you to perform based on directional phrases for example playing something exciting, relaxed, or calculated, how do you respond with your approach and mindset.
I put on a movie like Ong-bak 2 if I want something exciting or Sleepless In Seattle if I need it to be relaxed… seriously!
What albums and artists do you think are best related to the score of Infamous 2 and how would you describe the soundtrack?
Dark Magus by Miles Davis.
In addition, it has been confirmed that the Hero Edition of the game will feature a collector’s edition soundtrack featuring bonus tracks, what can we expect from those?
Chaos… chaos never died!
What are your plans after recording the soundtrack to Infamous 2?
Working on a movie called Detention by Joseph Kahn with my partner Melissa Reese!
Thank for you for your time Brain!
The inFAMOUS 2 OST will be released with the special Hero Editions of the game when it ships June 7 during E3 2011. There’s no word whether it will be a digital album or physical disc copy as of yet.
