Interview conducted by James Mielke of EGM.

EGM ("E"): How do you keep re-inventing classic FF musical themes like the Chocobo theme, the prelude and the battle fanfare?
Mr. Uematsu ("U"): It's basically like changing clothes; I try to arrange the composition differently each time while preserving the basic melody line. I really enjoyed creating arrangements for the Chocobo melody.

E: Elliot Goldenthal is composing the score for The Spirits Within. Did you consult with him to capture the feel of the series? What do you think of his score for the film?
U: I've never met Elliot Goldenthal. Unfortunately, I haven't had the opportunity to listen to the score yet, but I'm confident that it's a brilliant piece.

E: What music are you listening to these days? What do you think of Britney Spears?
U: To list all my favorite types of music is impossible within the allotted space, so I'll list the CDs that are presently in my car: Chick Corea, Paul McCartney, Rikki, Altan, Lou Christie, Camel, Michael Nyman, Mike Oldfield, etc. I've heard of Britney Spears (she's a popular female singer, correct?), but I've never listened to her music.

E: Why did you choose Rikki to sing 'Suteki da ne'?
U: One day, one of our staff let me listen to "Miss you Amami," Rikki's album released on an indie label. The album is a masterpiece, and her voice is amazing on that album; that's what made me choose her. It would be nice if more of this type of remarkable Japanese music were released overseas.

E: Final Fantasy fans chose 'Aerith's Theme' as the re-orchestrated B-side to 'Suteki da ne.' Did you enjoy writing lyrics for that classic piece? Were you pleased with their choice?
U: I'm not responsible for the lyrics; I requested that Emiko Shiratori, who sang the FFIX theme song, "Melodies of Life," write the lyrics. The title of the new song is "Pure Heart." I heard in the past that "Aerith's Theme" was popular among the fans, so I wasn't surprised by their choice. But in my opinion, I think there were compositions other than "Aeris' Theme" that would have been easier to make into songs.

E: Do you feel competitive with any of your game-music composer peers? Have any recent game soundtracks impressed you?
U: I wouldn't say competitive, but in the past, I was definitely more conscious of other composers. But recently, instead of wasting time worrying about that, I've come to realize that I'm able to produce truly unique pieces by creating sounds that originate from personal experience and inherent, natural skills. But it is also true that when I come across phenomenal game music, I envy the composers' talent. Extraordinary game music has been composed in recent years, but the majority of game music still lacks revolutionary ideas Dragon Quest's Koichi Sugiyama created the RPG = classical music template, and Super Mario's Koji Kondo created the ultimate compatibility of music with characters and gameplay; no composer has yet emerged to surpass their impact on game music.

Speaking of game music, I've worked on two albums called "Ten Plants1" and "Ten Plants2." With these albums, I had ten game music composers come together, focus on a chosen theme, and write songs other than game music. I'd like to make this a worldwide phenomenon, not just limited to Japan. It would be wonderful for game music composers to be able to forget about national, racial, and copyright issues and simply congregate freely and create a work of art. For those game music composers who are reading this, is this something that would interest you?

E: Do you play rhythm-action games like Dance Dance Revolution and Samba de Amigo? Would you like to work on such a title? Your 'Mambo de Chocobo' remix was a catchy rhythmic piece that would lend itself to a music game.
U: Because of my age, it has become difficult to play games that require quick reflex skills. It's not that I'm not interested in that type of music, but there are so many other things I'd like to do that I haven't had time to pursue that particular direction.

E: The last three Final Fantasies have featured close to 100 tracks each. Will FFX have a similarly huge soundtrack?
U: For FFX, there will be approximately 70 tracks.

E: Final Fantasy IV and Chrono Trigger are finally being released for PlayStation in the U.S. Do you still look back fondly on your earlier work?
U: There are embarrassing aspects to earlier works, as I was inexperienced and lacked technical knowledge, but I'm delighted that people around the world have a chance to enjoy my earlier work.

E: Have you begun working on the soundtrack for FFXI? Now that a new FF game comes out every year, is your workload bearable? You must be incredibly busy! Does the PlayStation 2 audio hardware allow you to explore new ideas and more complex arrangements?
U: I haven't started working on FFXI yet. The schedule over the past several years has been extremely tight, and I'd really like to take some time off. Shifting from the PS1 to PS2 does not affect music composition. Whether notes increase or sound quality improves (something to look forward to), the important thing is whether the music will capture the heart of the player. I believe that what will accomplish this is not the power of technology, but an inspiring melody.

E: Your previous FF soundtracks have always taken center stage, but now the voice-acting will be playing on top of your score. Are you happy about the addition of spoken dialog?
U: With the addition of dialogue, I was able to cut down on the number of tracks. Until now, it was up to the music to enhance the drama of a scene, but with the inclusion of emotionally charged voices, there is no longer a need to continue playing the music throughout the game. In FFX, the music, sound effects, and spoken dialogue are all balanced to tell the story to the player in the most effective way.