Eastern and Western cultures have their own way of doing things, from cooking food to movie genre preferences and video games. It’s safe to say that the differences are uncanny and you would think they wouldn’t mesh well together. Enter Ben Li and Koyo Sonae, this powerhouse duo who understands both Eastern and Western entertainment culture. This team is not only responsible for some cult favorite songs found in Resident Evil 2 and Devil May Cry 5 but individually have also done some incredible things.
So why is the East and West marriage so perfect in the gaming world? The Eastern gaming world has been known for years for its intricate gameplay, beautifully designed characters and virtual landscapes, along with its visually stunning in-game cinematics largely thanks to Japanese technology and talents. Needless to say, titles like Final Fantasy, Resident Evil, Capcom Versus have become household names all over the world and game characters like “Cloud” and “Yuna” are as famous as celebrities.
Western music has its deep roots for music both on and off screen – with Hollywood being at the center of it all, and with the birth of rock and roll. Los Angeles houses some of the best world-renowned post-production studios and infrastructure that isn’t seen anywhere else. Studios like Sony Pictures, Warner Brothers, and the world-famous Skywalker Ranch owned by George Lucas himself. LA is saturated with world-class composers, music producers, music editors, and music supervisors.
As such, Western-influenced music is taking over. You need the right team to bring both worlds in and have them marry beautifully. Working with composers like Jeff Rona, Casey Edwards, and Cody Matthew Johnson to bring together the epic compositions of recently released games Devil May Cry 5 and Resident Evil 2, along with the custom soundtracks. This composition team is magic when brought together. They were able to capture fans attention with Devil Trigger, composed by Casey Edwards and produced by Ben Li and Koyo Sonae, which has been played over 21 million times on YouTube.
During the game’s announcement, the song “Devil Trigger” top the charts on the no.1 spot on UK’s iTunes Rock Chart and no.4 on US’s iTunes rock chart. We are starting to see Eastern and Western styles brought together more often and we are here for it.
