Pinar Toprak - Interview (engl.) - Spezial

JG: You were born in Turkey: Do you sometimes try to use musical elements from your home country in your music? Do we maybe hear some of these elements in the N3’s soundtrack?

Toprak: If the project calls for it I love to use ethnic elements in my music, especially Turkish, of course. However I don’t try per se. I believe that if you let who you are and where you have come from fuse with your music and don’t try so hard, even the subtle nuances will be enough to set the music apart. There are certain parts in N3’s score that I believe or at least I hope you can hear those nuances.

JG: You studied violin, voice, piano and classical guitar, too. After the composition was complete, did you take part in the recordings of the music, as well? Did you sing or play an instrument?

Toprak: The great voice you can hear throughout the score belongs to a dear friend and a mesmerising singer, Liz Constantine. Everything else was done in my studio and played by me.

JG: What kinds of instruments were used for the Ninety-Nine Nights soundtrack?

Toprak: Other than the traditional orchestra, there were lots of percussive loops and synth elements that I designed and programmed for the game. </font>

JG: Is the soundtrack meant to be released on CD, as well?

Toprak: As of now I haven’t heard of any plans to release it but you never know. It would be great though.

JG: You are scoring a video game, but what about video games in your free time? Are you a hardcore gamer or do you prefer watching games from a distance?

Toprak: I love playing video games but lately I don’t always have the time to play. I have an older brother who made me play with him since we were kids, starting with Commodore 64 and he keeps educating me.

JG: When she is not working, what does a 25 years old composer do in her free time?

Toprak: This is going to sound pretty predictable but I watch lots and lots of films. I have a long Netflix queue that never seems to get less for some reason. Other than that I try to enjoy my friends and family whenever I’m not working because when a project hits I usually isolate myself for a while.

JG: Excuse me, but I promised one of our editors to ask this question: Are you single?

Toprak: No I’m not but tell him I said hi :-).

JG: You finished the soundtrack of Ninety-Nine Nights in October and the game’s release is scheduled for spring 2006. What are your plans for the future? Is there something, where you say “I ever whished to do this”?

Toprak: There is always that “I wish I had done this or that”. I think that’s what makes us better for the upcoming venture. There are several projects that will begin shortly. Nothing I can mention at the moment though.

JG: If you weren’t a composer, what else could you have become? Is there another passion apart from music?

Toprak: With the risk of sounding lame and predictable I have to say I can’t imagine doing anything else with my life. There are certainly other spices that come and go but nothing has stuck with me as much as the pure pleasure of composing music.

JG: Again, thank you very much for your answers!

Toprak: Thank you for your questions. It’s been a pleasure.

For more information about Pinar Toprak and N3: Ninety-Nine Nights, make sure to visit these websites:

http://www.pinartoprak.com
http://www.n3-game.jp

Seite 1