Music

I discovered the joy of making music in 1989 when the first Soundtracker program was released for the Commodore Amiga computer. This kickstarted a decade of intense musical creativity, culminating in some freelance work as a game soundtrack composer for several companies. Here’s an hour’s worth of my favourite tracks from that exciting time.

Track listing:
00:00 – The Final Odyssey Intro (from “The Final Odyssey” game, Vulcan Software, 1997)
00:52 – The Strangers Tutorial (from “The Strangers” game, Vulcan Software, 1997)
03:28 – Wasted Dreams Intro (from “Wasted Dreams” game, Digital Dreams Entertainment, 1999)
06:34 – Blockhead II Menu (from “Blockhead II” game, Applaud Software, 1998)
10:32 – Blockhead II Levels (from “Blockhead II” game, Applaud Software, 1998)
15:38 – Bertie’s Animal Kingdom Menu (from “Bertie’s Animal Kingdom” game, Applaud Software, 2000)
16:52 – The Haunted Theme (from “The Haunted” game, Alive Mediasoft, unreleased)
20:01 – Dark Light End Credits (from “Dark Light” movie, Midnight Pictures, 2000)
22:28 – Secret Agent
25:25 – Hot Dog
29:20 – Princess
31:54 – Sprint
33:40 – Stealthy
37:23 – Alley Cat
39:35 – Terrorstricken
41:20 – Zombie Genocide Main Titles (from “Zombie Genocide” movie, Midnight Picures, 1993)
42:16 – Zombie Genocide Attack (from “Zombie Genocide” movie, Midnight Pictures, 1993)
44:02 – Zombie Genocide End Credits (from “Zombie Genocide” movie, Midnight Pictures, 1993)
46:45 – The Fast Lane
48:46 – Creepy
50:37 – Strategy
53:51 – The Light at the End

Trivia: At the tail end of the Amiga’s lifespan, magazines previewed a highly anticipated adventure game in the style of “Myst” called “The Haunted”. It was never released. All you’ll find online about it are a couple of screenshots – and now, the theme music (at 16:52).

In the late 1990s I had some success getting music published in computer games. The Amiga titles The Strangers, Uropa 2: The Ulterior Colony, The Final Odyssey, Blockhead II, Bertie’s Animal Kingdom and Wasted Dreams all feature my work. I also put together studio-quality remixes of three tracks for a professional soundtrack CD called Immortal, published by Monteiro Music.

By the year 2000 my studio consisted of a PC equipped with a Yamaha SW1000 sound card and a Technics P30 digital piano. This signalled a new level of professional sound quality, which can be heard on the music of Encounter at Black Ridge and Saul’s Pupils.

In 2002 I shifted to the Apple Macintosh platform. I now use an iMac with the programs GarageBand and Arturia Storm. Don’t Look in the Attic was the first film to utilize this new equipment.

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MP3 Downloads

• The Human Race/Goldrunner (Remix) [3:25]
• Warrior [3:52]
• Burning Bright [5:04]
• Zombie Genocide 2004 [1:17]
• Don’t Look in the Attic — Suite [8:21]

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Reviews

“The music score is atmospheric, brooding and full of portent.”
– The Rumour Machine (on Don’t Look in the Attic)

“The young filmmakers managed to create some suspense largely through Darryl Sloan’s eerie soundtrack and the ‘there’s a monster behind you!’ type of audience-baiting.”
– Film West magazine (on Zombie Genocide)

“The credits loomed alongside a superb soundtrack reminiscent of past X-Files episodes.”
– Portadown Times (on Dark Light)

“Congratulations go to the film’s director, Andrew Harrison, and to Darryl Sloan who not only gives a fine, if somewhat scary, performance in the film but also produced the excellent soundtrack.”
– Portadown Times (on Saul’s Pupils)

“This feature begins with a banging Fulci-esque score.”
– The Rumour Machine (on Dark Light)

“If you’re well versed in the soundtracks of Tangerine Dream (Sorcerer, Firestarter, Thief) and Christopher Franke (Babylon 5, Universal Soldier), the music on this album bears similar, but not blatant, resemblance to those works … Dark Light opens with an early highlight – the 5 min opening theme that resembles the military regality of Christopher Franke’s Babylon 5 soundtracks, that sets the scene for sub-techno works, dramatic musical landscapes and sudden short bursts – the bits that make you jump! … If it’s heartracing drama you’re after, this album is well worth it.”
– Simon Slator (on the soundtracks to Dark Light and The Wages of Sin)

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Immortal (CD album)

Immortal is a CD compilation of game music from the Commodore Amiga era, professionally remastered by the original composers. It features three tracks by me, alongside videogame legends Allister Brimble, David Whittaker, Bjorn Lynne and others. Published by Monteiro Music. Click the picture below to visit the album’s official website.