INDEX
Balancing Purpose and Musicality in Anime Music Production
Anime music seems like a very important part of your career. When you compose for a story, what kind of feedback does that process give you as a creator?
Rasmus: When I first started making anime music, I actually encountered the same “wall” I faced when I began producing dance music. That is, understanding the context and purpose, while making sure the music itself doesn’t become too dominant.
Rasmus: n anime and film, the real “star” is the story. If I push my own vision too much, I fail the fundamental purpose of composing for the anime itself. So working on anime music has taught me the importance of always keeping the purpose in mind.
Going through this experience has actually made producing dance music a bit easier. Balancing the track’s purpose with my own musical expression has become more manageable.
When you produce house tracks versus composing for anime or games, how does your approach differ?
Rasmus: The biggest difference is immediacy versus context. In house music, you often need a groove that works instantly — even within a single bar — and the track must stand alone as a complete piece.
In contrast, composing for anime or games requires leaving “space” for dialogue or sound effects. Often, you’re working with unfinished visuals or plot outlines, so the ability to read and respond to context becomes crucial. In that sense, there are more factors to consider than when making a house track, and the range of things you can fully control is limited.
If you had no restrictions or “purpose” at all, and could just do whatever you wanted, what kind of music would that be?
Rasmus: That would be a “nightmare” for any creator [laughs].
A nightmare? [laughs]
Rasmus: Yes, it’s like giving a painter an infinite canvas with no borders. You wouldn’t know where to start, and it would be overwhelming.
That said, I’m actually planning to take on that kind of “boundaryless project” now. In recent years, pursuing orchestral arrangements has become really important to me.
In 2024, I released the neoclassical-leaning album Where Light Touches: “A NIMA Story”. That project was an experimental exploration using Dolby Atmos, and it was an incredible experience. For my next project, I want to take it even one step further.
Rasmus: Specifically, I want to fuse the cinematic grandeur of film music with my foundational roots in house, along with vocals, creating a work that connects the weight of a story with the immediate emotional power of dance music. It should be a piece where the different facets of my musical journey come together into one cohesive flow.
In other words, if I follow my emotions without boundaries right now, the music would be a grand, fully blended reflection of all my roots to date.
