When Darth Vader said “What is thy bidding, master?” apparently he was onto something. The phrase had a certain dated quality. Medieval even. And now, after hearing actual medieval remixes of popular Star Wars themes, those two things definitely go hand in hand.
We have Canadian composer Samuel Kim to thank for that. Kim has taken several famous Star Wars themes (most from John Williams, obviously) and given them a historic feel. What does that mean exactly? Well, imagine Robin Hood, King Arthur, any of those period adventures involving swords and chainmail. What kind of music do you imagine? You think flutes, violins, harps, etc., right? Very ethereal? Exactly. Here’s Kim’s work, which we first saw over on Nerdist.
Of the whole group, that’s our favourite. The melodic, repetitive melody of “Duel of the Fates” just works beautifully with this idea.
Here’s another.
Perfect again. A few more.
I have to admit this one didn’t work as well for me. I think it’s that the drums, meant to keep the menacing tone, take away from the whole charming, medieval feel.
Of course though, Williams isn’t the only one making Star Wars music these days. Kim tackles the work of Kevin Kiner, who did The Clone Wars, as well as Ludwig Göransson, who did The Mandalorian. Listen to this.
This track may be the most interesting one because it sounds very, very close to the actual Mandalorian theme. Probably because Göransson uses so many unique instruments and sounds to compose his work. You can read more about that here:
That’s just the tip of the Star Destroyer. For more of Kim’s Star Wars themes head to this link, which has the full playlist. It’ll transport you to a Star Wars that actually feels like a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away.
(Oh, and for more of that amazing cover artwork, head to artist Jake Bartok’s ArtStation.)