Mixtape’s all-star soundtrack is jam-packed with deep cuts from some iconic real-world bands. Hidden throughout the playlist are also a couple of tracks from mysterious bands or musicians that don’t exist in the real world. We know now the details about who composed those tracks (and why).All of Mixtape’s Fictional Bands Are Actually The Game’s Director and His CollaboratorScreenshot: Beethoven and DinosaurAfter Mixtape launched to very positive reviews from some high-profile outlets, the indie game got a ton of attention very quickly. As some players began diving back in for multiple playthroughs or beginning to curate copies of Rockford’s playlist on their own music streaming service of choice, some people started to notice something interesting about the protagonist’s mixtape. Not all of the bands actually existed.That revelation, which was discussed on Triple Click by Kirk Hamilton, led to a lot of fans and gamers wondering about who actually composed those songs and what made the team decide to use these tracks instead of other tracks from the 70s, 80s, or 90s.VICE was able to follow up with Mixtape’s director, Johnny Galvatron and get the answer. Although Extreme Music is listed in the game’s end credits, the team confirmed that the credit was specifically for the use of Beethoven’s 9th. As for every mystery artist and song on Rockford’s list: They were all composed and performed for Mixtape by Johnny Galvatron and Josh Abrahams.As for the choice to use original compositions from himself and Abrahams for certain levels, Galvatron explained that:“Sometimes we needed more control over the score. For example, when the trio fly through the woods together we have an adaptive score that changes and loops if you remain in different areas, and we wanted the music to crescendo as you leap out over a cliff. We don’t alter the licensed songs in Mixtape, we usually let them play out as intended. We made our own tracks if we needed a complicated set of stems.Other times the story required something softer, something more atmospheric to let the characters or the narrative take the lead for a beat.”Gamers who want to learn more about the creative process behind Mixtape can check out our original interview with Johnny Galvatron, former lead vocalist for punk band The Galvatrons, and current video game Creative Director of Mixtape at Beethoven & Dinosaur, and Woody Woodward, Producer on Mixtape.Be sure to check back in the near future for more Mixtape and other indie game news and updates.Mixtape is available now on Nintendo Switch 2, PlayStation 5, Windows PC (via Steam and Epic Games Store), and Xbox Series X|S.The post The True Identity of Mixtape’s Handful of Fictional Bands and Musicians Revealed appeared first on VICE.