Arcane executive music producer Alex Seaver (Mako) takes us inside the epic soundtrack for season 2

As a music enthusiast and lover of all things fantasy, I found myself utterly captivated by the interview with Alex Seaver aka Mako about Arcane season 2. His passion for creating music that complements visual storytelling is truly inspiring, and it’s clear that he puts his heart and soul into every project he takes on.

Music plays a significant role in Netflix’s successful animated series “Arcane”. This series, inspired by the popular video game “League of Legends” from Riot Games and produced by Fortiche Productions, showcases a unique style with its creativeness evidently displayed. The show has garnered praise for its stunning animation as well as its innovative soundtrack, consisting entirely of original compositions. The first season boasted 11 songs specifically created for the series, accompanied by an expansive score that beautifully portrayed the twin cities of Piltover and Zaun. The music and sound editing were so well-received that they earned “Arcane” — along with co-composer and songwriter Alex Seaver (known as Mako) — an Emmy nomination.

For the second season of Arcane, the storyline broadens. Arcane is a tale set in two cities divided by a river and a rigid social hierarchy, where magic and technology intertwine ominously, reflecting a society struggling with its internal disparities. The music plays a multifaceted role in this narrative, showcasing everything from the grandeur of Piltover’s halls to Zaun’s steampunk-inspired streets, the mysterious magic that enshrouds them both, and diverse themes for its expansive cast of characters. With his fellow composer Alexander Temple, Seaver faced a challenging task.

In the second season of Arcane, Seaver assumed a larger role that mirrored the expanding scale of the series. This time, he didn’t just act as a co-composer and songwriter; he took on the position of executive music producer as well. His responsibilities included supervising the numerous pop songs incorporated into the show. Arcane season 2 boasts over 20 songs in its soundtrack, with artists like Linkin Park, Woodkid, Imagine Dragons, Freya Ridings, Sheryl Lee Ralph, d4vd, Djerv and others making appearances. After Arcane concluded with its thrilling final act, we had a conversation with Seaver about the creation of the show’s powerful soundtrack, collaborating with numerous artists, his favorite moments from season 2, the secrets behind Riot’s success in adapting this video game, and more.

You can watch the full interview with Alex Seaver below, or scroll on to read some highlights, edited for length and clarity:

In your interview with Daniel Roman, could you clarify if your association with Riot Games precedes the production of ‘Arcane’? If so, when did this collaboration begin, and what were your initial feelings when you learned they were creating ‘Arcane’ and desired your involvement in it?

ALEX SEAVER: So I think I started 2015. I did an EDM remix for them, which turned out to be a song called “Piercing Light”, you can see like a Mako remix of it. Very EDM-y. Systematically over the years, I started writing a bunch of songs, did some Worlds anthems for them, we’ve done music videos together…I mean, as people have watched, Riot’s really expanded in terms of their love of music.

After that, possibly in 2018 or 19, Christian Linke, the producer of Arcane, invited me into a room and exclaimed, ‘take a look at this!’ What I saw was essentially the entire pilot episode of Arcane. My jaw fell open in surprise because I had no idea that this project was even being developed and I was left speechless by its exceptional quality. So, he asked me at the end, ‘would you like to join our team?’ To which I eagerly replied, ‘Absolutely, let’s get started!’

Never, never. Initially, video game adaptations weren’t something we expected to excel. However, from the very first episode, I could sense it was in capable hands and had potential. This feeling was almost unprecedented.

AS: Yeah, the biggest is that Christian asked me to executive music produce the soundtrack for season 2. My first question to him was ‘okay, cool…what does that mean?’ Season 1 featured, I think 11 songs, and we really invented this crazy process of like film scoring our songs to picture and just like weaving it all together. But I was only paying attention to the songs that I wrote. And I probably did maybe half of them. Season 2, when he asked me to kind of executive music produce it. it’s like, no, you’re responsible for making sure all the songs turn out at the quality that we need. Even the ones that I’m not writing.

This was an entirely novel experience because: I hadn’t previously harbored any ambitions towards leadership roles, and I didn’t possess what I considered to be typical leader-like qualities in my mind. However, the fascinating aspect was that this role allowed me to collaborate with some of the world’s most exceptional artists, individuals who were so proficient at their craft that my primary task was simply to share the story with them and gently steer them through the process. This proved to be an incredibly fulfilling experience for me. It also expanded my perspective on potential roles I could take in the future, given how much I enjoyed it. Moreover, I can understand why Christian finds it appealing, as he began his career in Riot’s music department and now oversees Arcane, having undergone a transformation to reach that position. The significant difference for me was assuming full responsibility for the soundtrack, and every moment of it was enjoyable.

It’s fantastic to maintain those strong feelings since it’s terrible to become accustomed to such experiences. I never grew accustomed to them either. Moreover, some situations were almost unreal, like working with an iconic artist such as Sting or collaborating with musicians I deeply admire, such as Stromae and Freya Ridings, who was featured in the first episode. The opportunity to work with Woodkid again and create music together was also extraordinary. In season 1, we exchanged files remotely. But in season 2, we jammed in Paris and worked in my studio, which felt surreal and made me think, “We’re really doing this right now?” There were numerous instances throughout the season that left me in awe.

Discuss an extraordinary experience, that moment with Mike Shinoda feels incredibly extraordinary, occurs when he invites you over to his place and announces, “Alright, I’m restarting Linkin Park, here are the initial tracks,” leaving you in awe, thinking something like, “Wow, I can hardly believe this is taking place.

Mike is a notable figure, particularly since I encountered him during the debut of the first season. He’s well-recognized within the League community, being a longtime gamer, and an ardent fan of Arcane from day one. Consequently, we crossed paths at the premiere, and he expressed his enthusiasm for collaborating with us, to which we eagerly agreed. As a result, our collaboration with him began swiftly.

We did an Arcane version of the song and then he’s got a Linkin Park version of the song, and he’s deeply involved in all of it, obviously. But the cool thing about him and many of the artists is that they were very gracious with allowing us to use some of this material in the way that the show needs. Like, Linkin Park’s “Heavy Is The Crown” is a start to finish banger, like it just goes. And the scene that we needed “Heavy Is The Crown” for in Episode 1…it has a big moment at the end, but it’s very cinematic, and it’s moody. And one thing that was really important to Christian is that…it can’t feel cool, it needs to feel scary. Because Caitlyn’s arc gets really twisted in this season, and so this song had to tee up that feeling. And so just working with Mike on that one was so much fun, and then seeing how it all came together, and Emily’s voice is insane. The whole thing was just such a beautiful collaboration.

Initially, I’d like to give a big shout-out to Alex Temple, the main composer for the series Arcane. He’s our go-to guy when it comes to the score, and he’s simply incredible! He’s my favorite composer working today, and I absolutely love his work. I even had the privilege of contributing to the score, particularly for season 2 where I focused on the songs. However, I also collaborated extensively with Alex in various scenes. Listening to his music each week was a truly remarkable experience. It’s one of the things I’ll miss the most about no longer working on Arcane.

From the start, it’s typically Fortiche and Christian (the Paris-based animation studio) who decide on the direction of the music early on. There are instances when we might adjust or reconsider certain elements, like thinking a piece is a song but changing our minds, but generally, their approach is already well thought out. For example, in season 2, you’ll notice that one song per episode emerges from a unique animation style. They experiment with different mediums for these musical moments, which requires extensive planning on their part. As a result, they have a clear idea of when they want to incorporate these elements, often placing them right after the opening credits. Our discussions with them about how to approach the music beats they’ve provided follow closely behind.

Initially, during Season 1, I found myself deeply engrossed in the tale of Jinx and Vi, as well as Powder’s relationship, which consumed a significant portion of my emotional energy since I composed numerous songs from their perspective. When Season 2 started, I was eager to delve into these stories, but then Caitlyn appeared and took me by surprise. I had fondness for Caitlyn, but she wasn’t a favorite in Season 1 for personal reasons. Alex Temple usually handled the music related to Piltover, so I didn’t write many songs about her. However, when Season 2 unfolded, I realized that Caitlyn was like a new muse for me. She went through an intricate, captivating journey and I had the opportunity to compose a lot of Caitlyn’s songs this season. She stood out to me as exceptional, and working on her songs was an enjoyable experience…it was almost like collaborating with a real person, such as an actress named Caitlyn. [Laughs] But that was a unique and special experience for me, immersing myself in her storyline.

“What’s fascinating to me is discovering the journeys of these champions – how they evolved into the powerful figures we see in the game. It feels like many of them are getting prequel stories told, and watching Vi transform from a girl who despises Zaun and the Enforcers into the champion she eventually becomes is quite intriguing.

In simpler terms, among all characters, Viktor is my absolute favorite in season 2. His tale is truly extraordinary. It’s fascinating to witness the transformation of Viktor, a character I’m familiar with from the game, into the one we see on screen, reaching his destination.

AS: The one I’ve been dying to talk about is Heimerdinger’s song in Episode 7, is one of my all time favorite moments from both seasons. I got to work with our voice actor, Mick Wingert, that plays Heimerdinger, and we wrote this really just heartfelt, beautiful but happy song for a very crazy episode. And we’ve never done that. We never had a character sing a song on screen. We localize the show in 25 languages, and so we translated and recorded 25 different languages for this song. So every single region is gonna hear Heimerdinger singing in their language. It’s unbelievable the scope of this thing, it’s so cool. This is one of the coolest projects we were working on. And Mick is like the most beautiful spirit, he’s such a cool guy. He has a wonderful voice, and that one is just like a hard left turn on the rest of the soundtrack that I’m really excited for.

AS: That’s a good question. I mean, like, this is just me personally speaking…I love Bilgewater. I just feel like that’s a dope region, but like it would be cool. I love the Freljord. I mean, I love so much of this stuff. There’s some that I didn’t know quite as well, for example we had to write a Shuriman chant, like from Shurima, in Episode 3. I worked with the lore team to invent a language, and I was just kind of diving into what that region was a little bit more and I was super interested in all that stuff.

Absolutely agree with Christian’s thought. The world of Runeterra is simply teeming with potential for storytelling. With a team like the one behind Arcane, there’s no end to the tales that can be spun into movies and TV series. I’m not sure what they’re currently developing, but everyone’s eagerly awaiting their next move!

I’ve been with Riot for approximately nine years now, and what keeps me there is the fact that it’s a team of individuals who are passionately dedicated to excelling at their craft. We share the same fervor for the things we admire, much like League of Legends fans do. Our goal is to create products as remarkable as the ones we adore, and this dedication often leads us to spend significant time perfecting our work, ensuring it’s not released prematurely.

Riot Games is known for taking bold steps and high risks, preferring not to create budget copies of existing projects. Instead, their focus is on creating unique versions of popular movies, games, or other ventures. For instance, Arcane and K/DA are examples of such risky projects that have been executed exceptionally well, making fans fall in love with them. It’s these daring and innovative qualities that make Riot special, and I enjoy working for them because it allows me to create unique content like theirs.

Sebastian Najand is one of the key composers and producers at Riot, with whom I have collaborated on numerous projects. We worked together on “RISE,” “Legends Never Die,” and most recently, “Gods.” He also contributed significantly to both seasons of Arcane, some pieces being our joint efforts. For instance, he created the cue for a significant fight sequence in which “Renegade” is played, and he also produced that song.

Originally, the artist behind that track is Djerv, hailing from Norway. In the second season of Arcane, we invited Djerv to create their own song titled “Rebel Heart,” which you’ll find in Episode 4. However, Seb utilized the original files from “Get Jinxed” and reworked them extensively, experimenting with various melodies. This process took a considerable amount of time due to the intricate visuals that initially seemed confusing during their preliminary stages. As we approached the final animatics, Seb found his groove. We tested numerous types of music, but Seb was particularly dedicated to this one. It was challenging to find the right balance since it involved breaking up Djerv’s song before returning to its original version. This sequence proved to be one of the most complex musically in the entire season.

Christian and Fortiche, they have a passion for music. Christian finds it frustrating when popular songs like AC/DC are repeatedly used in Marvel movies. He believes there are numerous talented musicians and writers who deserve recognition, and he aims to create something fresh with Arcane, both in the storyline and soundtrack. Fortunately, this process has been incredibly gratifying, and the artists they collaborate with are eager to contribute. In fact, they would gladly work on ten more seasons of this project. They’re hungry to delve deeper into songwriting that mirrors the depth of their storytelling. Unfortunately, there aren’t many projects or opportunities available for those who share this desire.

As a film enthusiast, I can’t help but shower praise upon Fortiche and Christian for taking such a daring leap with Arcane. With the news of its astronomical budget and high expectations circling around, the pressure is undeniably immense. Yet, they have the audacity to set aside significant portions of their episodes for songs, without even knowing what those songs will be! They trust in their team’s abilities to deliver, an enormous responsibility indeed. But it’s also a testament to their faith in us, believing that we can create something extraordinary given the chance. I believe their confidence stems from our harmonious collaboration – a unified effort geared towards telling this captivating tale as effectively as possible. And when you feast your eyes on Fortiche’s stunning visuals, it becomes crystal clear that our music will only benefit from such inspiration. Their artwork elevates our music to new heights.

AS: That is a good question. Nobody’s asked that. I don’t know, and I want one! I want to do one. Riot Games used to do these more often, at their Worlds events, they would do like a night before Worlds, a whole orchestral medley concert that would be all the champion themes that they had made. I mean, this is years ago, so we didn’t have that many songs back then. They’re a ton of work to put together, but they’re really cool and we should do it. I will send your question along. I am not the one that has the power to do these things, but I think it would be really special to, and I think people would really enjoy it.

Hey there! You can find me under the handle @itsmako. Currently, I’ve got a secret Netflix project in the works, set to debut next year – though I can’t spill the beans just yet! Truth be told, I’m enjoying a brief break after wrapping up my major projects. I’ve got some smaller gigs on the go, like working on individual tracks and collaborating on a few albums for other artists. But for now, I’m taking some time to unwind and relax before diving into my next big adventure. I’m yearning for something as thrilling as Arcane in my life, so while I wait for Christian to finish up his projects, I plan to explore new opportunities and see what other exciting ventures are out there. [Laughs]

A big appreciation goes out to Alex Seaver, also known as Mako, for taking time out to discuss the fascinating topic of Arcane with us! For those who loved this chat, don’t forget to check out the complete conversation on our YouTube channel.

9 episodes of season 2 for the series “Arcane” are now streaming on Netflix, with the first season available on Blu-Ray as well. Unlike most of its shows, Netflix is releasing a physical version for “Arcane”, given its popularity. In the literary world, the upcoming Arcane project is a novel titled “Ambessa: Chosen of the Wolf“, written by C.L. Clark, author of “Magic of the Lost“. This book delves into the history of Ambessa Merdada, the formidable Noxian warlord, and is set to be released in early 2025. For audiobook enthusiasts, you might recognize the voice narrating it as a familiar one.

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2024-11-27 00:42