How Thunderdrum collaborated with Tiggs Da Author to compose the unique ‘Ukombozi’ score for ‘Assassin’s Creed: Shadows’
How Thunderdrum collaborated with Tiggs Da Author to compose the unique ‘Ukombozi’ score for ‘Assassin’s Creed: Shadows’
Words by Jim Ottewill
Composer team Thunderdrum reveal how they created the ‘Ukombozi’ score for ‘Assassin’s Creed: Shadows’ and the secrets behind their eclectic collaboration with Tiggs Da Author…
For the best part of two decades, the ‘Assassin's Creed’ game franchise has been one of the world’s most popular, capturing the heads and hearts of millions of players. Its status and loyal community are something that composers Thunderdrum were well aware of when they were commissioned to score the latest instalment, ‘Assassin’s Creed: Shadows’.
“When you’re working on a game like this, with such historic and cultural significance, the fanbase is intense,” says Thunderdrum’s Hugo Brijs. “They look at and study every single detail. Before it came out, we wondered if our score would connect. But we’re made up with how well it seems to have landed.”
Working as Thunderdrum, also featuring Alex Cameron Ward and Félix Rebaud-Sauer with Hugo, the trio called on artist Tiggs Da Author to join them in creating their official soundtrack contribution, titled ‘Ukombozi’. Made up of eight original tracks sonically shaped to fit the game’s world, their music sits next to an orchestral score from the Flight, plus a soundtrack for the character of Naoe from Japanese band TEKE::TEKE. Tiggs sings in Swahili as part of Thunderdrum’s psychedelic rock backdrop to enhance the cinematic story sequence and open gameplay.
“The trust that was put in us by the Ubisoft team was amazing,” Hugo says. “But for it to be so successful, both musically and with the fan reception, has been even better.”
“It almost felt like a gift for us to get a brief that was so close to what we love and the kind of music we’ve had a history making,” continues Felix. “At the beginning of the project, it was about finding out how far we could push it - and luckily, we were urged to keep on pushing it by the Ubisoft team, which made it so magical.”
The project came to Thunderdrum through a chance meeting with Ubisoft Music Supervisor Bénédicte Ouimet at the Festival Sœurs Jumelles in France. Felix and Alex had a conversation with her, and it turned out that they were musically aligned.
“We had this really lovely chat about music and what we were into, then at the end of the festival, she got in touch saying there was a project we might be interested in working on,” Felix says. “When we received the initial pitch, the rock element really resonated with us - it’s a psychedelic sound we’ve been experimenting with for years.”
Tiggs’ involvement in the project stemmed from Thunderdrum’s search for an East African artist to represent one of the game’s protagonists, the legendary African samurai Yasuke. The artist was a great fit, not only with his history in sync and reputation as a songwriter, but also his fluency in Swahili.
“Tiggs has been on my radar for years as a friend of ours worked with him on one of his early tracks,” says Hugo. “When we became involved and knew we needed a Swahili-speaking vocalist, we reached out to our network, Tiggs’ name came up, and we thought it could be a really brilliant union. That’s how it came together.”
“It was one of the hardest things I’ve worked on, but one of the most exciting. I’m super proud of it.”
Tiggs has had significant experience within sync alongside releasing his own artist material. Previously the second most-synched artist on Sony’s roster, and nominated for Music Week’s Sync Artist of the Year award, his tracks have featured in campaigns for Apple, Google, FIFA, Sky Sports, and many more.
“I’m always open to new sounds and projects,” says Tiggs, speaking from a Tanzanian cafe via Zoom. “I enjoyed the challenge of writing for this, even though I’m Tanzanian and I speak Swahili, I’ve never written music in this language. So, translating the lyrics from English to Swahili and making them rhyme was a whole other challenge. It was one of the hardest things I’ve worked on, but one of the most exciting. I’m super proud of it.”
‘Ukombozi’ stemmed from a detailed brief from the Ubisoft team, then Thunderdrum responded by experimenting in their studio. The composers would have an idea of the story behind the scenes and how the music was expected to feature, an understanding that would help them map their creative journey.
“The core is very band-oriented, so it made sense to start from a jamming space,” Alex explains. “Once the tracks and instrumental elements were in place, that’s when Tiggs would come to the studio, and we’d play him the songs.”
An essential keystone in their collaboration’s success stemmed from working in the same studio. Without sharing the same physical space, some of the intricacies of the brief could have either been lost or tougher to translate.
“Even just trying out an idea and the Thunderdrum guys being able to tell me straight away to alter it or try something else, we need something with more energy, something that represents the character and his mindset, it really made a difference,” Tiggs says.
“We feel very lucky to have connected with Tiggs for this,” Hugo adds. “We work with a lot of artists, and one of the hardest aspects can be how they are not the driving force behind the project; someone else is ultimately calling the creative shots. Tiggs managed to navigate this space of being the Yasuke character and staying true to himself as an artist, it was amazing to witness.”
Part of the appeal of the ‘Ukombozi’ soundtrack is how it can be enjoyed outside of the gameplay. From the distinctive opening ‘NGUVU NI UMOJA (Shadows Theme)’ to the more reflective ‘UKOMBOZI Pt II’, different sonic and cultural worlds from East Africa to Japan via Western electric guitars intertwine to offer an immersive listening experience for non-gamers to enjoy.
“This seems to be increasingly happening and is a space that we are super comfortable working within,” says Alex on the appetite for the scores to work as stand-alone pieces. “We love being able to straddle these different musical styles, to create music that helps emphasise what these gaming worlds are all about. Tarantino’s placement of music to create these intense moments was definitely a source of inspiration.”
Thunderdrum and Tiggs were just one team working on the soundtrack. Elsewhere, composer duo The Flight were tasked with orchestral themes and in-game composition, while Japanese band TEKE::TEKE created ‘Kage no Iro’ to score the journey of Naoe, the shadow warrior. Rather than picking out particular moments, Tiggs is proud to have played a part in bringing this huge project to life.
“When I recorded it, I didn’t have the final version of the songs; there were just some of the tracks there,” he explains. “Then the guys went away and added all of this instrumentation to it. It was on hearing the finished project, which for me was a proper moment, I just thought, wow - this sounds huge.”
“Tiggs managed to navigate this space of being the Yasuke character and staying true to himself as an artist, it was amazing to witness.”
‘Ukombozi’ project has left Thunderdrum and Tiggs inspired and hungry for more. The former are currently working on an exciting secret project, whereas Tiggs is looking to set up writing camps in Tanzania to continue and create new musical conversations. It’s Tiggs’s willingness to stay open to fresh projects that he believes has helped him advance in a musical world that is far removed from where he started off.
“Just be fearless and always willing to explore new collaborations and styles,” he advises emerging artists looking to embrace sync songwriting. “It doesn’t matter what genre of music you’re making, when you enter projects like this, you can always tap into something you have inside - artists need to collaborate more, that’s what it’s all about.”
Thunderdrum see their ability to focus on their unique offering as an important differentiator. By being themselves and committing to their artistry, they have been able to make their mark in a busy and competitive composer and soundtrack space.
“It’s often over-said, but be yourself because everyone else is taken,” says Hugo. “The more we have focused on what we are as a team, what we bring, what our skills are, what makes us interesting and different, the more work we have landed and the better response we’ve had to our music as it’s been totally us. When you spread yourself too thin, you can slide under the radar as you don’t stand out.”
Another actionable piece of advice is leaving the studio and meeting other professionals, composers and connections. Without attending the festival in France, the project may have never come their way.
“If Felix and I hadn’t gone to this festival, then we wouldn’t have met the music supervisors at Ubisoft, and I don’t think this project would have happened,” says Alex. “Doing so meant we connected with them as people and were able to show we spoke the same musical language. It’s also part of the enjoyment of having a career as a composer, chatting to and getting inspired by other creatives. It’s a really wonderful part of doing this for a job.”
Listen to the album here.
