Interviewer: What appealed to you about this collaboration; Have you wanted to do something like this for a long time? And what was your inspiration for the track; How did you integrate sounds from Call of Duty whilst maintaining your signature sound?
Oliver: It felt like a dream come true when I heard that Activision wanted me to create an official anthem for their new Warzone map, Vondel! I wanted to create something in my techno-focused alter ego HI-LO’s style, mixed with sound bites from the game, like the Captain Price vocal liner/sample and elements/sounds from their soundtracks, and with a cinematic feel to it, more on the melodic techno side of things. That same evening I came up with that spooky arpeggio lead melody for the big break, the epic cinematic bridge into the Captain Price vocal, leading into the big drop with the heavy chugging bass sequencer, where I end up adding some super epic strings the next day.
I also integrated certain tonal FX and sounds from the ‘Kill or Capture’ soundtrack, that blended very well over my track, including the syncopated strings in the first drop. I’m really happy how well this track turned out and I want to give a big shout out to the Activision team for having such a clear and good direction/vision for this collaboration from the start, and for utilizing my strengths as a composer and producer to the fullest without compromising me at all, while delivering on point well-constructed feedback during this whole creative process, resulting in something truly fresh and authentic, that we all can be proud of and that will most likely resonate well with fans of my music and fans of the game.
Interviewer: If you could assemble a DJ supergroup – based on who you think the best Call of Duty players are – who would make the cut?
Oliver: There are a lot of DJ friends that I haven’t played with yet, but from the ones I’ve played with I would assemble fellow Dutchies Mike Cervello, Sven Fields and Afrojack, so we can communicate in Dutch. Or maybe replace Afrojack with Alan Walker to get a bit more kills haha, sorry Nick!
Interviewer: You’re getting ready for a Call of Duty game night with your DJ supergroup, what’s on your playlist to get you pumped?
Oliver: Sound of Vondel of course! And probably some more peak time techno, some hard techno/trance/rave stuff, and maybe some heavy hitting DnB.
Interviewer: What is your favorite loadout?
Oliver: I like running an assault rifle together with a sniper rifle, nowadays the TAQ-56 (Scar) and the Intervention or the SPX-80. Tactical: Stun Grenade. Lethal: Proximity Mine or Frag Grenade. Perks: Overkill, Bomb Squad, Fast Hands, Ghost.
Interviewer: Lastly, tell us about your funniest clutch moment?
Oliver: Winning Warzone solo games with only like two, three, or four kills must’ve been quite frustrating for the spectators at the end with 10+ kills haha, sorry not sorry. Although I’ve never won a Warzone solos game with only one kill, that’s still on my bucket list haha.
Sound of Vondel is available to stream on Apple Music, Spotify, and YouTube today. Operators dropping into Vondel will also be able to listen to the track in-game.
Stay frosty.
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