Old World


 

A BRIDGE TO THE PAST

Mohawk Games’ second title Old World is set in the cradle of civilization, and needed a score that combined elements of traditional Arabic music with contemporary post-classical sounds. So Christopher spent many hours learning about traditional Arabic music, even taking lessons from composer colleagues of Arab descent, to ensure that every note he wrote was respectful of their musical traditions. And to add extra authenticity to the project, many of the tracks were written in collaboration with various Arabic composers and instrumentalists. The result is a colorful tapestry of sounds and harmonies from the Middle East, married to the forms and techniques of classical composition.

 


Released October 29, 2021
Tracklist
1. I Lift My Eyes
2. The Augur Speaks (Rome)
3. War Elephant (Carthage)
4. Festival of Dionysus (Greece)
5. The Gardens (Babylon)
6. Zealot King (Assyria)
7. Persepolis (Persia)
8. Trade Routes (Egypt)
9. I: Tahmilah
10. II: Mawwal
11. III: Tarab - Pt. 1
12. IV: Tarab - Pt. 2

COLLABORATIONS
The Old World soundtrack was an international collaborative effort, with musicians from Beirut to Budapest, Zurich to Dubai, Istanbul to Melbourne collaborating with Christopher. Joining Abeer Nehme are Meena Shamaly (oud and vocals), Layal Watfeh (vocals), Camille El Feghali (ney and qanun), Orkun Şan (kemane), Jamie Papish (percussion), the Budapest Scoring Orchestra (strings), and Christopher's regular collaborators Sandro Friedrich (winds) and Alex Williamson (additional music and arrangements, production).
STAR POWER
The main title song "I Lift My Eyes" is a setting of Psalm 121 in Arabic, and performed by the legendary Lebanese singer Abeer Nehme. Abeer recorded her solo with Christopher at his private studio in Santa Monica, then stayed long enough to shoot a music video for the song, before returning to Lebanon. Christopher's longtime collaborators the Angel City Chorale provided backing vocals, and the music video was shot by rising star director Tayo Amos.

GRAMMY-nominated
The Old World soundtrack was nominated for a GRAMMY Award in the newly established 'Best Score Soundtrack for Video Games and Other Interactive Media' category at the 65th Annual GRAMMYs. It was also selected as the Best Original Score for a Video Game in 2021 by the Movie Music UK Awards.
BACKGROUND
Mohawk Games was founded by Christopher Tin’s former college roommate, friend, and longtime collaborator, Soren Johnson. Their previous two collaborations were Civilization IV and Offworld Trading Company--a partnership which yielded Christopher his first Grammy Award for the song "Baba Yetu".

 

 

 

 

 

STREAMING

VINYL, CDS, AND DOWNLOADS

 

 

 

 

 

REVIEWS

The musical score by Christopher Tin is unassailably excellent...
Cog Connected<
At the very least, you get to enjoy Christopher Tin's majestic soundtrack.
WorthPlaying
With a wonderful soundtrack from Christopher Tin, the music sounds great and gives you the feeling of being on the throne and managing these epic moments.
GameTyrant

The exceptional soundtrack from composer Christopher Tin... is full of evocative orchestral and choral compositions.
PC Gamer
... a beautiful soundtrack, composed by Christopher Tin and inspired by cultures worldwide.
SCREENSHOT