How to Get the Sound of Mortal Kombat 1
Few video games are as recognized for their soundscapes like the classic fighting juggernaut Mortal Kombat. The series’ newest release, reboot Mortal Kombat 1, features a moody, techno-influenced soundtrack that might just be the inspiration your next ad, indie game, anime, or live-action production needs. Here are some tips for how to crib Mortal Kombat’s sound using Universal Production Music’s extensive, curated music and sound effects library. We offer flexible and affordable music licensing solutions to meet your content creation needs.
Look to Rave Culture
There’s a reason the bellowing refrains of “Mortal Kombat!” and “Finish him!” have been a mainstay of dance DJ sets for years. Since its arcade origins, Mortal Kombat’s soundtracks have been known for pulsating techno rhythms, industrial noise, heavy metal guitar riffs, and eerie electronic sounds. As a product of the early 1990s, it was clear the game shared a lot of aesthetic DNA with rave culture. Fighting is, after all, a dance.
The most famous song in the Mortal Kombat oeuvre is ironically the theme from the game’s first campy film adaptation in 1995. “Techno Syndrome” by The Immortals is an enduring rave-era classic of racing electronic beats, instantly spiking a viewer’s adrenaline. The soundtrack for Mortal Kombat 1, featuring the work of San Francisco-based DJ Zhu, shares this spirit.
“I’m a pretty visual person. I’m very inspired by rave culture; this is something that I’ve been a part of, I’m embedded in,” Zhu told Billboard.
After you register to find your next sound, you’ll be able to search powerful synthwave tracks that evoke the Cage Mansion stage of the game, or epic battle tracks that sound like the main theme of the 2023 evolution of the game.
Add Global Flair
Though Mortal Kombat takes place in a fictional realm, its aesthetics are heavily influenced by Chinese culture. John Tobias, who handled art and story for the first several iterations of Mortal Kombat, has said he drew mostly from Chinese mythology and tales about Shaolin monks, as well as the Chinese kung fu films Zu Warriors and The Swordsmen by Tsui Hark.
Including modern music that uses Eastern instruments in a techno-heavy soundtrack will lend your project a sense of exoticism and adventure. For a similar feel to Mortal Kombat 1’s Second Chance end credits theme, check out our hype eastern hip-hop tracks.
Keep It Moving
Video games have had such a big influence on movie aesthetics in the last few decades in part because of their intoxicating sense of movement, taking their audiences from set piece to set piece. Music can help to create this feeling of flying through otherworldly environments. Trap tracks with snappy beats and baselines are especially good for underscoring this vibe.
Partnering with Universal Production Music can help you get inspired with the right gaming sound for your next production.