Level with Emily Reese (Emily Reese and Sam Keenan)

Composer Stephen E Cox talks about his music for the VR game Farpoint. You can see a playlist and support Level with Emily Reese on Patreon.

Composer Stephan Schütze talks about his music for Yonder: The Cloud Catcher Chronicles, and his new book about audio in VR and AR. You can see a playlist and support Level with Emily Reese on Patreon.

This is a panel from VGM Con with composer Andrew Benon for Chex Quest, a game that came out in boxes of Chex cereal from General Mills in 1996. Andrew, at the time, worked for a company in Minneapolis called Digital Cafe. General Mills also is located in Minneapolis (well, a suburb called Golden Valley, to be more precise). In any event, Andrew will tell you the story of the CD Rom cereal game, Chex Quest. VGM Con just happened here in Minneapolis over the weekend of April 1st 2022, and it was amazing - we cannot recommend this con highly enough. The musicians who performed were spectacular. It was incredible and if we didn’t see you this past weekend, we hope to see you there next year. You can see a playlist and support Level with Emily on Patreon.

Meena Shamaly is a singer, an instrumentalist, a composer, a radio host and a performance poet. While not a definitive list of his artistic talents, it's a list relevant to our conversation we had at the end of July. So, we talk about how he sang, played oud and served as an Arabic music and language consultant for Christopher Tin on Old World. We discuss his one-hour radio show on Australia's ABC called Game Show, where he talks about and plays video game music. We also talk about his poetry - he is a performance/spoken-word poet. It was great chatting with him! You can find a playlist and support Level with Emily on Patreon. Join us on Discord for free. Find us on YouTube and Twitter. Patrons have access to special Discord events and special guest playlists.

The music Amos Roddy wrote for Citizen Sleeper is too good for words. I love the music, I loved our conversation about it, and I've loved the game (not finished yet). I'm not alone - players raved about the entire package of gameplay, narrative, music, visuals and all the things that make it Citizen Sleeper. To list my favorite tracks would comprise the entirety of the album, which is a fun thing to discover as you listen through a soundtrack. Each passing track sounds like the joy of discovery. You can find a playlist and support Level with Emily on Patreon. Join us on Discord for free. Find this conversation on YouTube and Twitter. Patrons have access to special Discord events and special guest playlists.

Composer Jon Everist's music for The Lamplighters League is a great blend of noir and adventure. The soundtrack paints such a perfect picture of the vibe of the game (which is a turn-based tactics game). So many wonderful solos and soloists, with an orchestra recorded live at Abbey Road Studios, and they all sound fantastic! Also, I swear I know what a trombone sounds like. Or I used to think I did. PLAYLIST by Jon Everist for The Lamplighters League unless noted otherwise 00:00 The Lamplighters League (Main Theme) 02:38 Heist Prep 04:04 Nicastro Theme 07:51 The Lamplighters League (Main Theme) 12:38 Jungle Quiet 16:42 Nicastro Theme 20:43 Cloak and Dagger 21:35 The Lamplighters League (Main Theme) 23:00 Arctic Quiet 25:37 Arctic Quiet 28:18 Parisian Night 32:38 Spotted 35:58 The Undrawn Hand (Opening Cinematic) 38:09 Jungle Combat 41:06 The Tower 42:39 Marteau Theme 46:18 Light the Way (World Map Theme) 48:01 Heist Execution 48:42 Other Sprouts by Sam Keenan

Composer Trevor Gureckis scored about two hours of new music (not all of which is on the soundtrack) for the Dead Space remake. EA kept Jason Graves's original score intact, and Trevor scored the new cutscenes, battles and other content added to the game to fill out the story. And it's great. It's very Dead Space, and is unique to Trevor's style. At the time of recording, I was provided 3 tracks, and they were all quite different. I loved doing a deep dive on all 3 with Trevor, and we hope you enjoy the conversation! You can find a playlist and support Level with Emily on Patreon. Join us on Discord for free. Find this conversation on YouTube and Twitter. Patrons have access to special Discord events and special guest playlists.

Joel Schoch's music for the Far series of games is truly wonderful (Far: Changing Tides from 2022 and Far: Lone Sails from 2018). I can't recommend it highly enough. Joel does a laudable job scoring the open, watery worlds in both games. An abundance of live instruments but with respect for the, well, "simplicity" that the games present.

You can find a playlist and support Level with Emily on Patreon. Join us on Discord for free. Find us on YouTube and Twitter. Patrons have access to special Discord events and special guest playlists.

The original Xbox launched on November 15, 2001. The person largely responsible for how audio worked in that original Xbox and what the Xbox would “sound” like was Brian Schmidt. We’ve had Brian on the show in the past, most recently to talk about Game Sound Con, which he runs in LA every October. In the late 1990s, Brian was working for Microsoft and began working on the Xbox right away as he’ll tell you, and achieved many technological breakthroughs in this work. One of the launch games for Xbox in that winter of 2001 was Halo: Combat Evolved, with music by Marty O’Donnell. And that was an audio achievement as well, as Marty will tell you. We are so honored Brian and Marty wanted to share these stories on Level! You can support Level with Emily on Patreon. Join us on Discord for free. Find this conversation on YouTube and Twitter. Patrons have access to exclusive merch, Discord events and special guest playlists. PLAYLIST 00:00 Opening Suite from Halo: Combat Evolved by Martin O’Donnell and Michael Salvatori 1:37:12 Rock Anthem for Saving the World from Halo: Combat Evolved by Martin O’Donnell and Michael Salvatori 1:37:54 Other Sprouts by Sam Keenan

Hear a conversation with Inon Zur about his music for Syberia: The World Before. The game comes out in February 2022, but the soundtrack came out late last year. That gave me the chance to speak with Inon about all of the music, and the music in this game is special for several reasons. One of the main characters is a concert pianist and part of the game is set in 1937 with clear parallels to World War II - all of this sets the stage for some great music. You can support Level with Emily on Patreon.

Joel Corelitz composed more than 70 tracks for the game Eastward, scheduled for release later in 2021. The music, like the game, pays tribute to the 8-bit and 16-bit era of games, with Joel's musical voice and a modern twist at times. It's colorful, nostalgic, creative and enjoyable. Here's a link to the soundtrack! You can support Level with Emily on Patreon.

We've had composer Rob Kovacs on Level in the past to talk about his alter ego, 88bit. This time, he's here to discuss his Prophet 5 modern 80s soundtrack for the VR game Straylight, and I love every minute of it. The music is fantastic, and Rob sits at his piano during our chat to demonstrate some of the musical choices he made. It was so much fun! You can support Rob in many ways, whether on his Patreon, on Twitch, Bandcamp and many other places! You can support Level with Emily on Patreon. Join us on Discord for free. Find this conversation on YouTube and Twitter. Patrons have access to exclusive merch, Discord events and special guest playlists. PLAYLIST by Rob Kovacs for Straylight unless noted otherwise 00:00 Straylight 09:31 Straylight 10:26 Straylight 13:00 Petrushka, Tableau IV “La foire du mardi gras”: Danse des cochers et des palefreniers (1947 version) by Igor Stravinsky, conductor Riccardo Muti, Philadelphia Orchestra 14:12 Straylight 16:40 Straylight 19:40 Star Forge 21:37 Star Forge 23:26 Star Forge 24:40 The Last Campfire 27:12 The Last Campfire 30:02 The Last Campfire 31:56 Void Compass 34:08Void Compass 34:56 Void Compass 35:58 Void Compass 37:40 Devil Star 38:06 Devil Star 40:26 Devil Star 41:18 Devil Star 42:24 Devil Star 44:26 Devil Star 49:20 Devil Star 51:42 Marble Madness “Practice Race” - performed by 88bit/Rob Kovacs 54:18 File Select from Super Mario 64 - 88bit, Save Point Video Game LoFi - Super Mario 64 55:10 Cave Dungeon from Super Mario 64 - 88bit, Save Point Video Game LoFi - Super Mario 64 59:30 The Railgun Run 1:02:28 The Railgun Run 1:03:32 Ascent of the Juggernaut 1:07:40 Ascent of the Juggernaut 1:08:50 Ascent of the Juggernaut 1:09:24 Ascent of the Juggernaut 1:12:32 Ouroboros 1:13:16 Ouroboros 1:15:20 The End 1:16:16 The End 1:17:55 The End 1:20:26 Platform 1:24:42 The Last Campfire 1:28:04 Star Forge 1:29:10 Other Sprouts by Sam Keenan

Tim Wright -- aka CoLD SToRAGE -- composed music for the game Pacer, which is an anti-gravity racing game with elements of combat. It’s a spiritual successor to the Wipeout series which started in the mid-90s, and Tim wrote the music for 3 of the Wipeout games. It was a pleasure to speak with Tim! He has an extensive catalog available on Bandcamp that includes his Wipeout music, be sure to check it out. You can support Level with Emily on Patreon.

Here are two tracks from Inon Zur's upcoming score to Syberia: The World Before. The music is performed by the Budapest Film Orchestra and I can't wait to hear the rest of the soundtrack! You can support Level with Emily on Patreon.

Composer Cris Velasco talks about his music for the game Dauntless, a co-op action RPG that debuted in 2019. This release is Cris's third volume of music from the game. We talk about the evolution of the score over the last several years, and how he takes instruments from all around the world to create the sound palette for the game. It's always so great having Cris on the show!

You can find a playlist and support Level with Emily on Patreon. Join us on Discord for free. Find us on YouTube and Twitter. Patrons have access to special Discord events and special guest playlists.

Composers Mikolai Stroinski (The Witcher 3) and Garry Schyman (BioShock series, Torn) teamed up to write music for Metamorphosis, a 3D platformer based on Franz Kafka's 1915 novella. Find a playlist and support Level with Emily on Patreon.

Kristin Naigus plays dozens of instruments and has performed on dozens of soundtracks. Here's a fraction of her credits: Lara Croft and the Temple of Osiris, Aragami 1 & 2, ABZU, Farpoint, various Minecraft mythology projects like the Egyptian, Norse and Chinese Mythology packs, Moss: Books 1 & 2, Darksiders Genesis, Hades, The Pathless, Ori and the Will of the Wisps, Immortals: Fenyx Rising, Ambition: A Minuet in Power, Chicory: A Colorful Tale, Psychonauts 2, Return to Monkey Island, MultiVersus, and Horizon: Forbidden West. We had such a great conversation and I loved picking her brain about her artistry and her work! I can't wait to have her back on the show. You can find a playlist and support Level with Emily on Patreon. Join us on Discord for free. Find us on YouTube and Twitter. Patrons have access to special Discord events and special guest playlists.

We always love having composer Garry Schyman on the show. His music is so darn great. This time, we talk about his gorgeous orchestral score for Forspoken, the new RPG from Luminous and Square Enix. Recorded live in Nashville, the music is full of energy slathered in soaring melodies that take you somewhere with each new phrase. It's so fantastic. You can find a playlist and support Level with Emily on Patreon. Join us on Discord for free. Find us on YouTube and Twitter. Patrons have access to special Discord events and special guest playlists.

Here is a panel Emily did at this year's VGM Con. We hope to see you there again next year!! You can support Level with Emily on Patreon.

It's always a delight having Oleksa Lozowchuk on Level. This time, we're talking about his music for Horizon Forbidden West: Burning Shores. I love hearing him dig into his process for composing. We talk about the important soloists on the soundtrack: singers Julie Elven and Melissa Kaplan, along with cellist Blair Lofgren. Quick ask: we're getting close to monetization on YouTube, so send some friends over to our channel and watch our videos, including this one with Oleksa! And thank you, as always!

PLAYLIST by Oleksa Lozowchuk for Horizon: Forbidden West Burning Shores unless noted otherwise

00:00 To the Burning Shores 04:22 To the Burning Shores 06:02 Coldest Time of Year from Dead Rising 4 09:24 Titan’s Wake 11:22 To the Burning Shores 14:47 Steel Snare 17:16 Steel Snare 23:09 To the Burning Shores 25:08 For His Amusement 28:16 For His Amusement 30:17 The Idea of Home 35:25 Above and Below 36:18 Above and Below 39:56 Above and Below 42:10 Above and Below 44:18 Someone I Once Knew 46:10 Someone I Once Knew 48:02 Someone I Once Knew 49:28 Titan’s Wake 54:32 Titan’s Wake 1:00:18 The Idea of Home 1:02:52 The Idea of Home 1:04:18  Ruin’s Rise 1:07:01 Ruin’s Rise 1:08:14 Steel Snare 1:12:32 For His Amusement 1:13:10 Above and Below 1:13:30 Other Sprouts by Sam Keenan

Composer Ego Plum writes such fantastic music for The Cuphead Show (on Netflix). The show itself is an absolute delight and it's almost inexcusable if you don't watch it (the episodes are brief enough that you could binge all 3 seasons in a day). And with comedic animation like this, the music is intertwined with the visuals that you really need to just watch it. It's SO worth it. That's my endorsement. As for Ego's music - he fumbled through the restrictions of the pandemic like any composer, finding musicians capable of recording themselves as far away as Greece. It sounds so good and the energy he still managed to capture is electric. You can find a playlist and support Level with Emily on Patreon. Join us on Discord for free. Find us on YouTube and Twitter. Patrons have access to special Discord events and special guest playlists.

Composer Jason Graves has a new score out, and it's flipping scary. The fourth installment of The Dark Pictures Anthology, The Devil In Me follows a film crew trapped within a replica of H.H. Holmes's infamous Murder Castle, where he tortured and murdered more than two dozen unsuspecting tourists in town for the Chicago World's Fair in 1893. The antagonist in The Devil In Me slowly herds his victims into traps, and Jason's music reflects this slow terror walk. It's fantastic. You can find a playlist and support Level with Emily on Patreon. Join us on Discord for free. Find this conversation on YouTube and Twitter. Patrons have access to special Discord events and special guest playlists.

I love the Spiritfarer soundtrack. It was a pleasure to talk with Max LL about his music for Spiritfarer. We also talk about Jøtun and Sundered. All three are made by Thunder Lotus Games in Montreal in Quebec in Canada. It's worth repeating: I love this soundtrack. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do! Please consider supporting Level with Emily on Patreon!

Composer scntfc (C. Andrew Rohrmann) talks about two of his scores for games: Gibbon: Beyond the Trees is from 2022 - an ecological adventure game about Gibbons. As a player, you swing, slide and somersault through the trees while learning about these special creatures. Andy's music is heavy on struck percussion, rhythmic and full of energy to match the near-constant motion of the game. JETT: The Far Shore (2021) sounds entirely different to support the game's sci-fi story in space. The first track sums it all up, designed as an overture to the music in JETT. They're both so good and I was grateful to Andy for spending so much time with me to talk about these wonderful scores.

Composer Kenny Young talks about his music for Astro's Playroom, which comes on all PlayStation 5 consoles. It's a sequel to Astro Bot Rescue Mission, which was for PlayStation VR. Learn more and support Level with Emily on Patreon.

Oleksa Lozowchuk composed music for Horizon Forbidden West. The game isn’t out yet, nor is the soundtrack, but Sony Classical - the label for the soundtrack - released a 4-track EP of music from Forbidden West, including one of Oleksa’s tracks, “Eyes Open.” So Oleksa and I had a chance to talk about that.

But also, Sony released a State of Play video with about 20 minutes of gameplay, including a battle with a machine animal called a tremortusk. Oleksa wrote the music for that battle, and we chat about that track too. Support Level with Emily on Patreon.

Charles McGregor talks about his music and designing his game, Hyperdot. You'll find a playlist and you can support Level with Emily on Patreon.

Nicole Zalles is in her final year of medical school, she's a gamer, and she's a patron of Level. I talk with her about some of her favorite game music. See a playlist and support Level with Emily on Patreon.

Composer Wilson Brown is part of an audio studio called Antfood, and the studio is responsible for the delightfully chill soundtrack for the Minecraft-esque roguelite, Let's! Revolution! One of my favorite parts of the soundtrack is the percussion - a lot of organic sounds, like body percussion, Latin, South American and other world instruments, mixed with synthetic samples. It's a cold drink on a warm day or a warm drink on a cold one, take your pick. It's pleasing!

PLAYLIST by Antfood for Let’s! Revolution! unless noted otherwise

00:00 What An Adventure 07:26 Crowns & Loafers 11:21 The King’s Clutch 12:25 The King’s Clutch 14:51 The Woodlords 19:58 Aquila 26:44 The Woodlords 37:19 Bearded Dragon 41:01 Crowns & Loafers 48:48 The Friend 55:54 What An Adventure 59:20 Salty Wounds 1:00:24 Salty Wounds 1:05:03 The Gym For Tiny Critters 1:10:37 Civil Oaks 1:11:14 Other Sprouts by Sam Keenan

I loved talking with Zac Tiessen. He's a phenomenal guitar player (look him up on YouTube for sure). He's just composed the soundtrack for a StarCraft II mod called UED: First Light, a prequel to the StarCraft universe. Zac's music matches the epic expanse of the cosmos he scored, with an epic orchestral style and the vocal talents of Julie Elven. It was a pleasure to speak with him! You can find a playlist and support Level with Emily on Patreon. Join us on Discord for free. Find us on YouTube and Twitter. Patrons have access to special Discord events and special guest playlists. https://www.zactiessen.com/ (Website) https://uedfl.com/ (UED: First Light website) https://music.apple.com/us/artist/zac-tiessen/786236894 (Apple Music) https://open.spotify.com/artist/44VIiKcvL7jtY8hcWIraKc (Spotify) https://www.instagram.com/zactiessen/ (IG @zactiessen) https://www.imdb.com/name/nm9459340/ (IMDb)

A song by composer Robert Wolf is nominated for Best Original Song in the upcoming Game Audio Network Guild Awards on May 25, 2022. He composed "Immutable" for the game Arknights, a mobile tower defense/ tactical RPG from Hypergryph. Robert is a composer for Hexany Audio, a company that provides music and sound for many different game projects around the world. Robert also composes for Honor of Kings and Call of Duty Mobile. Visit the Level with Emily Reese YouTube channel to see our conversation.

You can find a playlist and support Level with Emily on Patreon. Find us on YouTube and Twitter. Patrons have access to the Level with Emily Discord server.

Composer Thomas Brunet talks about his absolutely stunning music for Chants of Sennaar in this episode. We love how spontaneous the music sounds, and the colorful, creative instrument palette. In addition to the wonderful music, Thomas and I talk about a new graduate program he's created for music and sound design in Bordeaux, France, as well as his love for and knowledge of French literature. Composer Thomas Brunet talks about his absolutely stunning music for Chants of Sennaar in this episode. We love how spontaneous the music sounds, and the colorful, creative instrument palette. In addition to the wonderful music, Thomas and I talk about a new graduate program he's created for music and sound design in Bordeaux, France, as well as his love for and knowledge of French literature. PLAYLIST by Thomas Brunet for Chants of Sennaar unless noted otherwise 00:00 Out Of The Cavern And Into The Light 06:11 The Cogs Of Science 14:06 Smell Of Rain 20:47 A Bit Of Fun 29:20 Envers 31:20 Envers 37:02 Envers 41:38 Out Of The Cavern And Into The Light 47:29 Forgotten Bonds 54:50 Temple Of Knowledge 59:23 The Call 1:01:00 Catch Me! 1:07:22 Gardens of Plenty 1:21:00 Bonds Reforged 1:21:32 Other Sprouts by Sam Keenan

Greg Nicolett's music for Potionomics is as colorful as the game, weaving in and out of various styles and palettes depending on characters and locations. The game is a 3D deck builder/management sim, where you (as Sylvia) brew and sell potions out of your own shop. And go on dates :) Much of the score was recorded with live orchestra, and there are a lot of soloists that stand out, like past Level guest Kristin Naigus and Greg Nicolett himself playing a fabulous trombone solo in Muktuk's Slumber. You can support Level with Emily on Patreon. Join us on Discord for free. Find this conversation on YouTube and Twitter. Patrons have access to exclusive merch, Discord events and special guest playlists.  

PLAYLIST by Greg Nicolett for Potionomics unless noted otherwise

00:00 Potionomics Main Theme/Uncle Oswald’s Bequest 04:14 Muktuk’s Calling 04:58 Busy Being Luna 07:52 Mint’s Quest for Adventure 08:34 Xid’s Theme

11:00 Boss Finn 11:54 Sylvia vs. Boss Finn 12:48 Sylvia vs. Roxanne 16:56 Potionomics Main Theme 19:42 Roxanne’s Invitation 22:53 Muktuk’s Slumber 30:02 A Binding Agreement 30:52 A Binding Agreement 32:50 Main Title Terminator 2 Theme from Terminator 2: Judgment Day by Brian Fiedel 34:38 Agushev Cocek by Mucca Pazza 36:08 The Cat Pirates 37:42 The Cat Pirates 38:25 The Cat Pirates 40:34 Sylvia vs. Roxanne 43:41 Date Night 52:02 Potions Don’t Sell Themselves 56:50 Owl’s Suspicions 58:54 Anubia Arrives 59:30 Other Sprouts by Sam Keenan

Composers Igor Nemirovsky and Kenny Wood talk about their music for Amoeba Battle. Find a playlist and support Level with Emily on Patreon.

Composer Chase Bethea talks about his music for Stardander: School for Witches, a Harry potter-esque narrative turn-based battle adventure game where you learn spells and solve mysteries.

The music is mysterious at times, with winding melodies and unexpected instrumentation. His mom sings too, which is great!

You can support Level with Emily on Patreon. Join us on Discord. Find this conversation on YouTube.

PLAYLIST by Chase Bethea for Stardander School for Witches unless noted otherwise

00:00 The Conjurations of Touchstone

3:46 Daily Activities 6:20 Daily Activities

9:28 Daily Activities Choice Reminder

11:26 Investigations

13:18 Stardander School Song Anthem

14:47 Trouble and Mystery

17:02 Fall Festival

23:16 Clearing the Forest

25:10 Clearing the Forest

27:56 Fae Reign Supreme

31:48 Protector of Renar City

36:16 The Inventor’s Imprudence

37:43 Cloaked in Rivalry

39:58 Cloaked in Rivalry

44:53 Twilight Patrol

45:48 Discovery Circle

46:18 Other Sprouts by Sam Keenan

Composer and Grammy-award winning producer Steve Levine talks about creating the music for HyperBrawl Tournament. Special thanks to Universal Audio #UAD for making the introduction to Steve. You can support Level with Emily Reese on Patreon.

** The soundtrack to The Red Lantern is getting a vinyl release. Anyone who is a patron of Level with Emily by midnight (12:00 AM CDT) on April 17, 2023, will be eligible to win one of 5 records. **   Hrishikesh Hirway is a composer, a recording artist, a podcaster (Song Exploder, Home Cooking, The West Wing Weekly) and all-around busy creator. He wrote the music for The Red Lantern, a narrative survival dog-sledding adventure, with warm, relaxing music to counter the cold landscape. Hrishikesh describes his music as "secular Christmas," and that is such a fantastic description; his music is a weighted blanket with hot chocolate while you listen to a favorite album during a winter storm. And if you like the soundtrack, you'll love his solo music. He used to record as The One AM Radio but now releases under his name. Much of his music is on Bandcamp, but you can find his music in the usual streaming spots too. You can support Level with Emily on Patreon. Join us on Discord for free. Find this conversation on YouTube and Twitter. Patrons have access to exclusive merch, Discord events and special guest playlists. PLAYLIST by Hrishikesh Hirway for The Red Lantern unless noted otherwise 00:00 Breathe In 05:29 “Everything Falls Apart” by The One AM Radio from Heaven Is Attached by a Slender Thread 09:41 “Promenade” by Rachel Grimes for Music for Egon Schiele 17:41 Cold Smoke 20:01 A Moment to Rest 22:48 A Warm Fire 25:29 Coming Home 30:35 Breathe In 32:29 Holiday Lights 48:49 Fresh Snow 50:54 I Think I See Something 53:50 There Are No Bad Dogs 56:09 “Cascade” by Hrishikesh Hirway 58:16 Always Have a Plan B 59:00 “Other Sprouts” by Sam Keenan

Mike Raznick composed music for AWAY: The Survival Series. In this game, you control a sugar glider as he is trying to make his way to safety in a new world. The game is narrated, like a nature documentary. And the music is absolutely gorgeous. If you buy the AWAY soundtrack on Bandcamp, Mike is giving all proceeds to the Audubon Society, dedicated to the protection of birds, so be sure to visit Mike Raznick on Bandcamp for the AWAY: The Survival Series soundtrack. Consider supporting Level with Emily financially on Patreon.

Composer Jason Graves talks about his music for Moss: Book II, a VR game where the player helps a mouse named Quill save her homeland from evil. The score has numerous solos for various wind instruments, like flute, oboe, English horn and Irish penny whistle. Jason also mentions the baby grand piano he bought and features in the soundtrack, and a couple different types of dulcimers are heard too. It's such lovely music!

You can find a playlist and support Level with Emily on Patreon. Join us on Discord for free. Find us on YouTube and Twitter. Patrons have access to special Discord events and special guest playlists.

Gareth Coker wrote a giant score for Ori and the Will of the Wisps, the sequel to 2015’s Ori and the Blind Forest. It’s fabulous, and we talk about several aspects of it. Find a playlist and support Level with Emily on Patreon.

Orchestrator and composer Eric Buchholz talks about what it means to be an orchestrator, and how that job fits into the pipeline of getting a soundtrack recorded. See a playlist and support Level with Emily on Patreon.

Joe Newman is a saxophonist who remixes and covers video game music. He's been a regular participant in Dwelling of Duels and recently released an album of some of his favorite submissions. By day, Joe is a lawyer in the video game industry (in consumer protection, if memory serves, he explains it in the chat). We talk about his music, playing the EWI, his passion for games and more! You can support Level with Emily on Patreon. Join us on Discord for free. Find this conversation on YouTube and Twitter. Patrons have access to exclusive merch, Discord events and special guest playlists.

PLAYLIST by Joe Newman unless noted otherwise

00:00 Bizarre Bazaar (Animal Crossing) from Joe Newman Has Joined Your Party! 09:10 After the Rain (Chill EWI cover) 16:52 Beach Jukebox from DLC 19:27 Escape from Salsa City (Sonic Adventure 2) 20:55 ¡Dios Mio! (Sonic the Hedgehog 3) from Joe Newman Has Joined Your Party! 23:43 Calamari Inkantation - Squid Saxes (Splatoon) from Joe Newman Has Joined your Party! 25:19 The Adventures of Bayour Bari in Shred City (The Adventures of Bayou Billy) from Joe Newman Has Joined Your Party! 34:30 Nothin New (feat. Rhonda Sauce) from The Wonder Weeks 36:44 Olivia from The Wonder Weeks 41:03 Sister Sadie by Horace Silver from Blowin’ the Blues Away 51:30 Verticals (Drymouth) from Joe Newman Has Joined Your Party! (The Unlicensable Stuff!) 57:26 Funky Monkey Ballin' Buddies (Super Monkey Ball) from Joe Newman Has Joined Your Party! (The Unlicensable Stuff!) 58:00 Other Sprouts by Sam Keenan

Composer Nainita Desai is all over my playlist these days, whether it's her game music or film music. Most recently, it's for Sam Barlow's new interactive film/game called Immortality. In Immortality, the player sifts through footage of 3 unreleased feature films, trying to solve the mystery of missing (fictional) film star, Marissa Marcel. As a result, the music shifts through several different moods throughout the experience. We also discuss Nainita's Emmy-nominated scores for 14 Peaks: Nothing Is Impossible and The Reason I Jump. You can find a playlist and support Level with Emily on Patreon. Join us on Discord for free. Find us on YouTube and Twitter. Patrons have access to special Discord events and special guest playlists.

We're so happy to have Zac Tiessen back on Level to talk about a new project he worked on with his fine artist brother, Josh Tiessen!

Zac wrote music for a series of paintings called Vanitas + Viriditas. You can hear the music here (and elsewhere). It's really gorgeous music, with outstanding live performers like singer Julie Elven, the Budapest Scoring Orchestra and more.

Come chat with us on Discord about game music, and see the video of my conversation with Zac on the Level with Emily YouTube channel. Find Level with Emily on Patreon.

PLAYLIST by Zac Tiessen from Vanitas + Viriditas unless noted otherwise

00:00 Sophia

04:53 Harbinger from Streams in the Wasteland

06:26 Memento Mori

09:54 Sophia

10:48 Qohelet

12:58 Sophia

18:49 The Kairos Stones

19:58 All Creatures Praise

22:02 Auguries of Innocence

25:41 Vanitas + Viriditas

30:48 Vanitas + Viriditas

38:21 Qohelet

39:39 In This Birch Grove

41:29 In This Birch Grove

42:18 In This Birch Grove

46:11 The Kairos Stones

48:05 Memento Mori

51:53 Auguries of Innocence

54:30 Vanitas + Viriditas

55:08 Other Sprouts by Sam Keenan

Composer Nick Roder talks about his music for Roadwarden, an illustrated text-based RPG released in September (2022). Since the game is text-based, the music functions a bit differently than game music often does, allowing Nick to stretch tracks out over longer periods of time. It's very melancholic music - deeply introspective, calm... maybe a bit sad, but also beautiful and lyrical. You can find a playlist and support Level with Emily on Patreon. Join us on Discord for free. Find us on YouTube and Twitter. Patrons have access to special Discord events and special guest playlists.

This is Part Two of my chat with scntfc / Andy Rohrmann about his music for Oxenfree and Oxenfree II: Lost Signals. And it's another episode packed with music and back stories. We can't wait to have Andy on the show to talk about more music in the future! You can support Level with Emily on Patreon. Join us on Discord for free. Find this conversation on YouTube and Twitter. Patrons have access to exclusive merch, Discord events and special guest playlists.

PLAYLIST / PART TWO by scntfc for Oxenfree (I) or Oxenfree II: Lost Signals (II) unless noted otherwise 00:00 Epiphany (I) 05:09 Lost (I) 06:36 music from the ARG for the cult Parentage 06:48 Lost (I) 11:14 The Beach, 7AM (Magnetophone) (I) 11:48 The Beach, 7AM (Magnetophone) (I) 13:38 The Beach, 7AM (Magnetophone) (I) 16:12 A Block A Rock A Grave a Cave (II) 17:42 A Block A Rock A Grave a Cave (II) 18:51 A Block A Rock A Grave a Cave (II) 20:15 Cleanslate (I) 23:27 Cleaned Slate (II) 24:48 Kanaloa (I) 33:03 Catbird Station (I) 34:48 Towhee Grove (I) 35:34 Epiphany Fields (I) 37:52 Epiphany Fields (I) 38:36 Baby Carrots (II) 39:30 Epiphany Fields (I) 41:26 Against The Rocks (I) 42:08 Against The Waves (I) 44:37 To The Summit (I) 47:49 Cold Comfort (I) 48:58 Cold Comfort (I) 50:48 Found (II) 53:35 Beacon Beach (I) 54:38 ***Changed Beacon Beach*** courtesy scntfc 58:08 Beyond the Space Gates by Morgan Kuhli from Infinite Psychic Translations 58:55 ***audio of Morgan Kuhli on the radio*** 1:00:17 Can You Hear The Quiet Flames by Morgan Kuhli from Infinite Psychic Translations 1:01:19 The Hanford Reach by Burn A Pale Fire (scntfc + Morgan Kuhli) from Undone 1:06:07 Arcadia Station (II) 1:07:07 Catchpole Station (I) 1:10:29 Best Friends from Virtual Virtual Reality + AR + 2 1:15:45 Towhee Grove (I) 1:16:42 Other Sprouts by Sam Keenan

I stumbled across Logan "Biggoron" Tucker's music in early April ahead of VGM Con (which would be worth your time if you can attend next year!).   He regularly participates in the monthly video game music cover contest held at Dwelling of Duels. Cover artists submit their piece anonymously and winners are chosen by the community. For TWENTY years, Dwelling of Duels has held this competition, and all submissions are archived on their site.   It was great talking with Logan about his style and how he got into making game music covers. You can find many of his covers on Bandcamp (name your price!) and also on the Dwelling of Duels site.   You can support Level with Emily on Patreon. Join us on Discord for free. Find this conversation on YouTube and Twitter. Patrons have access to exclusive merch, Discord events and special guest playlists.   PLAYLIST remixed/covered by Logon “Biggoron” Tucker unless noted otherwise 00:00 The Floor is Lava (from Mischief Makers) 06:02 Knight Moves (from Bomberman 64- The Second Attack!) 08:40 Flemoidian Funk (from Chex Quest) 20:33 The Wright Stuff (from SimCity 64), Biggoron + Luna Rabbit + Extrinzic 22:15 Verticals (Drymouth) by Joe Newman from Joe Newman Has Joined Your Party! (The Unlicensable Stuff!) 23:11 Verticals (Drymouth) by Joe Newman from Joe Newman Has Joined Your Party! (The Unlicensable Stuff!) 24:58 Khrono Kong (from Mario Party & Chrono Cross) by Biggoron + Joe Newman 26:50 Khrono Kong (from Mario Party & Chrono Cross) by Biggoron + Joe Newman 28:40 Obsidian Mile (from Blast Corps) 32:50 Obsidian Mile (from Blast Corps) 38:00 Toad's Turnpike (from Mario Kart 64) by Biggoron + Extrinzic 38:49 Ristar by Joe Newman with Biggoron 42:19 Toad's Turnpike (from Mario Kart 64) by Biggoron + Extrinzic 45:59 Stick Shift (from Out Run) 48:54 The Wright Stuff (from SimCity 64), Biggoron + Luna Rabbit + Extrinzic 55:48 Obsidian Mile (from Blast Corps) 56:26 Other Sprouts (by Sam Keenan)

Signs of the Sojourner is a narrative deck-building card game about communication. This is easily one of my favorite soundtracks of 2020 and one I know I’ll return to for years to come. It was a suuuuuuuch a pleasure to talk with Steve about his music!! You can support Level with Emily Reese on Patreon.

On occasion, I'm offered the opportunity to interview a composer about a film or tv series rather than a game. I tend to pass on those chances, but I couldn't refuse the opportunity to speak with composer Larry Goldings. I was familiar with his name as a jazz pianist and Hammond B3 organist, since my day job is as a jazz radio morning show host. He's recorded prolifically, and he's in my radio playlist on a weekly basis. He's a fantastic musician and I was taken with his music for the miniseries Self Made: Inspired by the Life and Madam C.J. Walker. So we talk about the music he composed for that show (which I thoroughly enjoyed watching), and numerous other aspects of Larry's life as a musician. Be sure to check out his Patreon page! See a playlist on our Patreon page.

Composer Vinicius Barbosa Pippa has held many jobs as a musician working in media. In addition to his work in games and film, he garnered an Emmy nomination for his work as a music editor on an animated show called Go! Go! Cory Carson. And he was the music supervisor on a different animated show that aims to introduce Star Wars to kids called Star Wars Galaxy of Adventures (definitely check this out if you haven't, they're fabulous shorts!). I loved chatting with Vinicius about his music, his projects, Portuguese and more! You can support Level with Emily on Patreon. Join us on Discord for free. Find this conversation on YouTube and Twitter. Patrons have access to exclusive merch, Discord events and special guest playlists.

PLAYLIST

by Vinicius Barbosa Pippa unless noted otherwise

00:00 Night Life 16:20 Lemon Tea 23:32 Clues 29:49 One Last Time 32:37 The Intercept 33:52 Blood Vow 43:58 Graveyard End Credits (From the film Graveyard) 48:16 Idee Fixe II 50:05 Dream Come True 50:31 Other Sprouts by Sam Keenan

Join us on Discord to discuss the episode!   This is music by John Robert Matz for Ambition: A Minuet in Power, an adventure game/interactive visual novel with all sorts of romance options, set during the ramp-up of the French Revolution in the 1780s.   John Robert’s music is also set in the 1780s, the height of the Classical era in music, and composers like Wolfgang Mozart and Joseph Haydn were popular in France even if they  weren’t of French origin themselves.   Two things: a neighbor started mowing their lawn right as we began our interview. The noise from the mower will stop eventually! And I forgot to hit record on the video, so when you view it on YouTube, it'll be about 20 minutes before the scene kicks in :)   You can find a playlist and support Level with Emily on Patreon. Join us on Discord for free. Find us on YouTube and Twitter. Patrons have access to special Discord events and special guest playlists.    

We’ve talked with composer Chase Bethea in the past about his music for the game Aground, but this soundtrack release is different, so we talked again. The Aground Deluxe Edition includes nine more tracks, and piano sheet music for three of the tracks. This interview took place on December 30th in 2020. You can support Level with Emily on Patreon.

Hear composer Jesse Harlin talk about his music for Mafia: Definitive Edition. The game is a remake of the first Mafia game, which came out in 2002, but with completely new music written by Jesse. We’ve had Jesse on the show twice before; once was for Yoku’s Island Express in 2018 and in 2016, Jesse was on Level to talk about his work on Mafia 3. That was mostly a blues score, but the score for Mafia: Definitive Edition is entirely orchestral. Support Level with Emily Reese and see a playlist on Patreon.

Imp of the Sun is a gorgeous 2D platformer from Sunwolf Entertainment, a company co-created by the game's composer, Jose Varon. The game was inspired by the landscape, history, culture, art and music of Peru, where the developers live. Jose got the chance to record instruments in a museum, some of which were 6,000 years old. And he highlights other instruments with roles in Peruvian culture, like pan flutes, the quena, various percussion, charango and other strummed instruments, wooden trumpets, and more. You can find a playlist and support Level with Emily on Patreon. Join us on Discord for free. Find us on YouTube and Twitter. Patrons have access to special Discord events and special guest playlists.

Composer Kristofer Eng's music for It Takes Two is fantastic. For the most part, it's cinematically orchestral, with other styles heard depending on the level in the game. The game is a 2-player puzzle/adventure platformer, where you play as the parents to a girl named Rose. Her parents are planning to divorce, and Rose doesn't want that to happen. It's a marvelous journey with beautiful and clever level design, all enhanced by Kristofer and the other composer on It Takes Two, Gustaf Grefberg. Additionally, Kristofer co-created a company called Elias Software, which makes adaptive music and audio software for games. You can find a playlist and support Level with Emily on Patreon. Join us on Discord for free. Find us on YouTube and Twitter. Patrons have access to special Discord events and special guest playlists.

In June 2018, we began interviewing five of the people responsible for audio in Half-Life: Alyx from Valve Corporation. 

The Audio in Half-Life: Alyx introduces you to each person involved in the creation of sounds in the game, and highlights their individual roles for bringing the game to life.

Mike Morasky wrote the music for Half-Life: Alyx. 

Roland Shaw made audio for the creatures and monsters, and for all of the physics objects like matchboxes and lockers and footsteps. 

Dave Feise did the ambiences, UI sounds, and some of the tools like the Combine fabricator and the hacking puzzles. 

Emily Ridgway wrote and processed the dialog from the Combine soldiers, and designed the speakers that float alongside a player’s ears on Valve’s VR Index headset. 

Lakulish Antani co-invented Steam Audio, a tool for game developers to make environments and the objects in them react with realistic sound.

All of the source audio for this documentary is available to patrons of Level with Emily. The source audio includes seven interviews with Mike Morasky, four interviews with Roland Shaw, four interviews with Dave Feise, three interviews with Emily Ridgway and three interviews with Lakulish Antani.

Level with Emily Reese would like to thank Mike Morasky for this incredible opportunity and experience, and to Lakulish Antani, Dave Feise, Emily Ridgway, and Roland Shaw for the conversations, and to Valve for allowing it all to happen.

Thank you to Nick Marinelli for transcription, to Nick and Chase Bethea for their feedback, and to producer Sam Keenan.

PLAYLIST composed by Mike Morasky for Half-Life: Alyx unless noted

Chapter 01

00:42 Exposing Hostile

07:58 Triple Laser Phaser from Portal 2

08:35 Cara Mia Addio from Portal 2

09:07 Scanning Hostile Biodats

Chapter 06

1:22:00 What Did It Taste Like

1:24:42 Vapor Trail by The Crystal Method from Vegas

1:25:20 Apprehension and Evasion by Kelly Bailey from Half-Life 2

1:26:25 Adrenaline Horror by Kelly Bailey from Half-Life

1:27:10 Echoes of a Resonance Cascade from Half-Life

1:28:28 B3PbIBONACHOCTb

1:29:12 Substation

1:30:21 Level-5 Anti-Civil Activities

1:32:24 Charger

1:35:44 Bozeman by Steel Pole Bath Tub from The Miracle of Sound in Motion

1:36:24 The Good Times by Steel Pole Bath Tub from Unlistenable

1:37:04 The Good Times by Steel Pole Bath Tub from Unlistenable

1:38:40 Quaranta Giorni

1:39:59 Quaranta Giorni

1:40:46 Quaranta Giorni

1:41:45 Terin #6

1:42:34 Terin #6

1:43:43 Quaranta Giori

1:44:32 Overload Protocol

1:45:43 Trans Human Crossfire

1:47:16 Extract. Resonate. Isolate.

1:48:11 A Gentle Docking

1:48:48 A Gentle Docking

1:49:59 Coetaneous (strings only)*

1:50:53 EMC2*

1:52:25 Music from the Vault*

1:53:07 Coetaneous (piano only)*

1:54:03 Coetaneous (for commentary)*

1:54:57 Lightning Dog

1:55:21 Lightning Dog

1:56:16 Lightning Dog

1:56:38 Lightning Dog

1:57:06 Rabid Lightning

1:57:24 Rabid Lightning

1:58:08 Rabid Lightning

1:58:50 Rabid Lightning

1:59:23 Sunset Vault

1:59:59 Sunset Vault

2:00:35 Sunset Vault

2:01:27 Sunset Vault

2:01:45 Xenfestation Control

2:01:51 Xenfestation Control

2:0219 Jeff

2:03:15 Elevatormuzik

2:03:35 Trash Compactor Waltz

2:04:25 Outbreak is Uncontained

2:05:40 Cauterizer

2:06:41 Scanning Hostile Biodats

2:08:40 Let Me Talk To Your Super-Advisor

2:10:51 Beasts of Prey

2:11:41 Beasts of Prey

Chapter 07

2:12:14 Valve Alyx

2:13:39 Hacking by David Feise

2:18:49 Icosahedron

2:19:58 Half-Life: Alyx Credits

*not part of the Official Sountrack

Composer Ed Critchley talks about his music for South of the Circle, a narrative adventure about an academic named Peter and his relationship with another lecturer named Clara. The game is set in the Cold War in the 60's in Antarctica. South of the Circle came out more than 2 years ago, which matters, because there were a couple of times Ed needed to listen to his tracks in order to know what I was talking about, understandably. I loved this soundtrack for its simplicity, and how remarkably consonant it is at times, under the weighty circumstances of the game. You can find a playlist and support Level with Emily on Patreon. Join us on Discord for free. Find us on YouTube and Twitter. Patrons have access to special Discord events and special guest playlists.

I spoke with YouTuber Stephen Sharer about his new app called Rocket Slide. Stephen's channel is full of family-friendly content, positivity and vibrant colors. It was a pleasure to speak with him about all the videos he makes. Support Level with Emily on Patreon!

Emily talks about upcoming episodes of Level with Emily Reese and what games she's currently playing. Find a playlist and support Level with Emily on Patreon.

Edward Patrick White talks about the music he composed for Gears Tactics, a new game in the Gears of War franchise that turned the third person shooter into a turn-based tactics game with an overhead view. Support Level with Emily on Patreon!

Composer Vincent Diamante's music for Sky: Children of the Light is gentle, gorgeous and uplifting. The palette is mostly orchestral, especially in the early volumes of the soundtrack (there are 4 volumes, currently). The game is from thatgamecompany, known for its brilliantly designed indie games such as Journey, Flower and Flow. Vincent composed for Flower, and that soundtrack remains one of my favorite game soundtracks of all time. There's likely an old Top Score episode with Vincent and me floating around out there in cyberspace about that score. I loved talking with Vincent again, loved learning about how he composed and recorded it, and loved meeting Copper. You can find a playlist and support Level with Emily on Patreon. Join us on Discord for free. Find us on YouTube and Twitter. Patrons have access to special Discord events and special guest playlists.

Wes Keltner is the CEO of Gun Interactive, creators of the upcoming game The Texas Chain Saw Massacre. Ross Tregenza composed the music and worked on sound. The game is in the canon of the original film from 1974. We talk about how they pieced together a handful of working chain saws to get the perfect sound from the machine, the same models used in the original film. And Wes had an instrument made specifically for the soundtrack (pictured on Patreon). He had an Apprehension Engine created. Invented by composer Mark Korven, the instrument is able to create a wealth of creepy sounds. You can support Level with Emily on Patreon. Join us on Discord for free. Find this conversation on YouTube and Twitter. Patrons have access to exclusive merch, Discord events and special guest playlists. I loved talking with these two creators about The Texas Chain Saw Massacre. And if you haven't seen the original, or if it's been a while, WATCH IT. PLAYLIST by Ross Tregenza for The Texas Chain Saw Massacre unless noted otherwise 00:00 And What Will Be Left Of Them 27:56 The Old Slaughterhouse 30:02 Blunt Headed Hammer 1:17:32 (audio from the trailer) 1:17:47 The Massacre 1:18:10 Other Sprouts, by Sam Keenan

Composer Chris Rickwood gets to write in the style of some of the most famous franchises in games and other media like TV, anime and more for Brawlhalla, the free-to-play platform brawler from Blue Mammoth Games and Ubisoft. In this episode, Chris and I talk about what it's like to take the Brawlhalla main theme and rework it in the style of other characters from places like Castlevania, Tomb Raider, Avatar: The Last Airbender, Street Fighter and so many more. You can support Level with Emily on Patreon. Join us on Discord for free. Find this conversation on YouTube and Twitter. Patrons have access to exclusive merch, Discord events and special guest playlists. PLAYLIST by Chris Rickwood for Brawlhalla unless noted otherwise 00:00 Fifth Anniversary Theme 07:10 Assassin’s Creed Crossover 09:15 Castlevania Crossover 13:26 Kung Fu Panda Crossover 16:04 Kung Fu Panda Crossover 16:34 Valentines (Tango) 18:38 Valentines (Tango) 20:48 Jotunn Winter (Battle Pass 3) 24:34 Valhalla Quest (BP7) 25:52 Valhalla Quest (BP7) 26:23 Avatar The Last Airbender Crossover 28:58 Miami Dome 31:57 Synthwave (BP2) 33:00 Synthwave (BP2) 34:36 Halloween 35:20 The Walking Dead Crossover 38:47 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle Crossover 58:28 Smite Theme from Smite 1:06:54 Galactic War 1:11:06 Lara Croft Crossover 1:11:43 Other Sprouts (by Sam Keenan)

Tom Salta is a composer I’ve interviewed many times for Level about his music for the Halo series, our first interview was for a game called From Dust, we’ve talked about PUBG before, and we’ve been together on panels and such. Rather than talk about his music today, we’ll talk about a series of classes he has online about writing music for games. You can see a playlist and support Level on Patreon.

Chase Bethea talks about his music for Questlike: Pocket, a mobile monster-hunter RPG with a rhythmic component to battle. Chase wrote four battle tracks for the game, all in the same time signature of 5/4, and all at 60 beats per minute to match battle tempo throughout the game. In addition to the four battle tracks, Chase also wrote the main theme. As always, it was a pleasure to speak with Chase about his music!

You can find a playlist and support Level with Emily on Patreon. Join us on Discord for free. Find us on YouTube and Twitter. Patrons have access to special Discord events and special guest playlists.

You’ve probably heard DB Cooper's voice at some point in your gaming life. I first heard her in BioShock 2 as the voice of the PA system. Most recently, she cast and directed the voices in Lake (in my intro to the episode, I mention she voiced characters in Lake, which is incorrect). And she is one of only two who voice ALL of the characters and sounds in the strategy roguelike deck builder Monster Train. And there have been many, many others. Currently, DB is on the Voice Over Team at ZeniMax Online Studios, the makers of The Elder Scrolls Online. You can support Level with Emily on Patreon.

During our Next Level discussion about this very episode, our friend Sacha counted up how many times we've had Jason Graves on an episode of Level, and Level's friend, Top Score. Six times on Top Score, six times on Level, and this marks the 13th ep dedicated to his music. Best part is, we know there will be many more! This time, it's all about battle royale and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II DLC called Warzone. The Warzone maps are DLC for Modern Warfare II players, and Jason's released a soundtrack of the music from them. It's always great having him on the show - I always learn something about his approach and I can't wait our next conversation! Come chat with us on Discord about game music, and see the video of my conversation with Jason on the Level with Emily YouTube channel. PLAYLIST by Jason Graves for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II Warzone unless noted otherwise 00:00 Welcome to Al Mazrah 5:10 Unearthed 10:54 Unearthed 14:06 Enemy Anthem 15:07 Welcome to Al Mazrah 15:35 Power Broker 21:22 Resurfacing 24:13 Perilous 27:10 Controlled Chaos 38:11 Welcome to Al Mazrah 38:42 Other Sprouts by Sam Keenan

Erik Desiderio is composing music for Last Epoch, an action RPG from Eleventh Hour games. Erik just released a music video with the performers from Last Epoch's Main Theme and you can view it here! Last Epoch has been in early access for quite a while, and Erik is busy filling in the music - 4+ hours of music, to be exact. He used the Scandinavian instrument called the tagelharpa (which you see in the video link above!), and he used fretless bass in a great way. You can support Level with Emily on Patreon!

Ego Plum talks about his music for The Cuphead Show, a new animated TV series on Netflix based on the 2017 game Cuphead. The music Ego composed for the TV series is inspired by the early jazz that accompanied cartoons in and around the 1930s, and that you heard in the original score for the game itself (props to composer Kris Maddigan and here is his interview about Cuphead). Netflix recently announced that The Cuphead Show is renewed for two additional seasons with Ego as the composer. You can support Level with Emily on Patreon.

Composer Thomas Parisch talks about his music for the Biped, a co-op action adventure game. See a playlist and support Level with Emily on Patreon.

Into the weeds, perhaps a bit too far, on a portion of a delightful track by Justin E. Bell called "Edgewater" for The Outer Worlds. On the Official Soundtrack, "Edgewater" includes both of the themes that are heard in the town called Edgewater. This video contains the second half of that full track from the OST, which is what I focus on for this demonstration. You can support Level with Emily Reese on Patreon.

Composer Austin Wintory talks about his music for Aliens: Fireteam Elite, a squad shooter from Cold Iron Studios. The game is a part of the Aliens universe, you know, the face-hugging, chest-exploding, H.R. Giger-designed Aliens. And the soundtrack is fabulous, with many subtle and less-subtle tributes to the famous film scores written by Jerry Goldsmith, James Horner and Elliot Goldenthal. You can find a playlist and support Level with Emily on Patreon. Join us on Discord for free. Find us on YouTube and Twitter. Patrons have access to special Discord events and special guest playlists.

League of Legends is an institution! And there are so many avenues within the League universe for music and fun. I spoke with Kole Hicks, Brendon Williams and Jason Walsh, all of whom write music for League or one of its many offshoots. It was a pleasure to speak with them! Find a playlist and support Level with Emily on Patreon.

Voice actor Morla Gorrondona has created some iconic characters in games, from Eris Morn in Destiny 2 to Naafiri in League of Legends. It's such a pleasure to hear her talk about her process of creating a new person or creature for a game. You'll hear samples of her acting in the show. Yay! 

You can support Level with Emily on Patreon. Join us on Discord for free. Find this conversation on YouTube and Twitter. Patrons have access to exclusive merch, Discord events and special guest playlists.

Video game music remix artist Lacey Johnson is a content machine! You can find dozens of remix videos of Lacey’s on YouTube, she’s got a Persona 4 album on Bandcamp and several more album projects planned (including Persona 3!) with dozens more YouTube videos scheduled. I got to meet Lacey in April at VGM Con here in Minneapolis. We were on a panel together and we chat about that briefly, but also her background, all the instruments she plays, we talk about Elden Ring, Kirby, Final Fantasy, Persona - and 80s music, including the B-52s. Patrons have access to a special 5-track playlist Lacey prepared of some of her favorite music! You can find a playlist and support Level with Emily on Patreon. Join us on Discord for free. Find us on YouTube and Twitter. Patrons have access to special Discord events and special guest playlists.

Mark Schimmelbusch - known as "Mahn" in the VGM world - talks about his album called The Old Blood: A Bloodborne Concept Album. This album was recently awarded best remix album at the 2022 VGM Con Remix Awards in Minneapolis. Mahn has remixed many other favorites from game music, and we enjoyed talking together about his musical adventures!

You can support Level with Emily on Patreon. Find us on YouTube, Twitter and Discord.

I loved talking with Terence and Janice so much about their wonderful music for such a fabulous game. The music for Tunic is a glorious blend of synths and acoustic piano, with waves of (often) consonant sound. Plus, you get to play as an adorable fox! Terence and Janice live in Taiwan so I got to learn a bit about that tropical island too, and got to meet some cats which always brings a smile! You get to see them in the YouTube video... PLAYLIST by Lifeformed and Janice Kwan for Tunic unless noted otherwise 00:00 Memories of Memories 07:19 Sunset Breakfast 14:32 Ghost Field 15:36 The Librarian - piano sketch 15:56 The Librarian 18:07 The Captain - piano sketch 18:24 The Captain 19:10 The Knight 20:52 Remember to Remember 22:21 Carbon Harvest 23:32 What They Kept From Us 25:02 Ghost Field 26:43 Ghost Field 28:19 Ocean Glaze 31:20 Ocean Glaze 32:01 To Far Shores 35:56 To Far Shores 45:51 Sageless 49:39 Flux is On 53:30 River, River (not for Tunic) 58:03 pull me in by Janice Kwan 1:01:16 The Cats Are Hungry 1:04:10 Hex Sequence 1:04:51 Other Sprouts by Sam Keenan    

 

Composer Maclaine Diemer's music for Salt and Sacrifice is grimy and unpolished. As producer Sam Keenan says, "You can make a cello sound a lot of ways, and he found a bunch of fun ones." Of course, Maclaine is best-known for his gorgeous, lush, epic orchestral music for Guild Wars 2. And this is definitely a departure from that in all the wonderful ways. I loved all the grit, and all of the guitar too. Maclaine, inspired by Led Zeppelin and Game Boy Star Wars. Loved it! Buy on Maclaine's Bandcamp!

You can find a playlist and support Level with Emily on Patreon. Join us on Discord for free. Find us on YouTube and Twitter. Patrons have access to special Discord events and special guest playlists.

Maclaine Diemer talks about his music for the newest expansion for Guild Wars 2 called End of Dragons. The music is inspired by traditional Korean music and instruments, a much needed educational dive into a rich tradition! Emily and Maclaine talk at great length about the special instruments he chose to use and the beautiful music for GW2: End of Dragons. You can find a playlist and support Level with Emily on Patreon.

Nick Marinelli talks about leaving MAGFest after so many years to run Video Games in Concert, a video game band booking agency. We also talked about how he achieved his most recent platinum trophy, which he got in Horizon Zero Dawn. You can see a playlist and support Level with Emily on Patreon.

Pentiment is a 2D narrative adventure murder mystery set in the early part of the 16th century. Director/desinger Josh Sawyer dreamed of making a historically accurate game set pre-Renaissance, and he asked Alkemie Early Music Ensemble to create a faithful musical score for the game. "Early music" at its simplest definition consists of music before the year 1600, when tonality wasn't how we westerners understand it today, and instruments were ancestors of what's common to find in an orchestra now (these instrumental developments continued well beyond the year 1600). And Alkemie's soundtrack is fabulous.   **And they've provided Level listeners with a coupon code to watch their most recent concert at any time!! YOU CAN WATCH their most recent concert online FREE, anytime, HERE by using the coupon code "Level"**   I spoke with co-founders and performers Sian Ricketts and Tracy Cowart, who are both professional early music scholars and professors; they're multi-instrumentalists and singers too. And I'm so grateful for them both, their bandmates and their music!   You can find a playlist and support Level with Emily on Patreon. Join us on Discord for free. Find this conversation on YouTube and Twitter. Patrons have access to special Discord events and special guest playlists.

Oxenfree and Oxenfree II: Lost Signals are fantastic games with phenomenal music. The games are scored by scntfc, a.k.a. Andy Rohrmann. And I can't ever get enough of Andy's music. I love these games so very much, from the art and story to the music. If you haven't spent time listening to these scores, treat yourself. You can support Level with Emily on Patreon. Join us on Discord for free. Find this conversation on YouTube and Twitter. Patrons have access to exclusive merch, Discord events and special guest playlists.

PLAYLIST / PART ONE by scntfc for Oxenfree (I) or Oxenfree II: Lost Signals (II) unless noted otherwise

00:00 To The Valley (II) 06:40 Beacon Beach (I) 09:58 Nightfall, Camena (II) 12:22 Berenson Creek (II) 14:15 Atwater Station (II) 16:28 Arcadia Station (II) 17:41 To The Island (II) 19:06 Atalanta Third (II) 23:33 20 Days Past (I) 27:20 Baby Carrots (II but not on OST) 29:22 Baby Carrots (II but not on OST) 31:14 Journey of a Bird by Morgan Kuhli from Infinite Psychic Translations 35:00 Blacklake (II) 37:37 Cleaned Slate (II) 38:27 Change the Station (II) 42:15 Garland (II) 43:36 Lift (II) 44:40 Lift (II) 46:52 Lift (II) 48:31 Epiphany Fields (I) 49:08 The Beach, 7AM (I) 50:01 To The Valley (II) 51:49 To The Island (II) 54:31 To The Valley (II) 55:22 The Stars Are On Their Side (II) 56:32 Ghosts Of The Pacific Northwest (II) 57:22 Ghosts Of The Pacific Northwest (II) 58:06 To The Valley (II) 59:07 Blacklake (II) 1:00:21 Garland (II) 1:04:20 Garland (II) 1:05:46 Transmissions (II) 1:08:20 Transmissions (II) 1:11:19 Exit (II) 1:12:33 Copper Creek (II) 1:14:35 The Caves (II) 1:16:28 Atalanta Third (II) 1:18:43 Galvanic (II) 1:19:22 Other Sprouts by Sam Keenan

   

French composer Nicolas de Ferran talks about his groovy music for Scrap Riders, a point-and-click adventure/beat-em-up about a biker gang in the 80s. The last time we had Nicolas on Level, he went by the nickname of Nicolas Diteriks, and we spoke about an orchestral score he composed for the game We Are Billions. The Scrap Riders score is very different stylistically, with a lot of 80s vibes and grooves playing off each other. And he gave us this fantastic audio from this voice memo he recorded one day as he was out on the street - you'll hear it. It's so good!! You can find a playlist and support Level with Emily on Patreon. Join us on Discord for free. Find us on YouTube and Twitter. Patrons have access to special Discord events and special guest playlists.  

The music for Loot River was composed by two brothers in Vienna, Austria - Markus and David Zahradnicek. Markus and David, who go by Wobblersound, are a full-service audio package, so for Loot River, they supplied not only the music, but the sound design and implementation.  

You can find a playlist and support Level with Emily on Patreon. Join us on Discord for free. Find us on YouTube and Twitter. Patrons have access to special Discord events and special guest playlists.

Composer Brent Meyer talks about his music for Katoa, a mobile game where you build and manage an underwater ecosystem. A portion of the money spent through microtransactions goes toward charities that support the climate. The main theme Brent wrote is a sweeping, melodic orchestral romp. Once you begin gameplay, the texture simplifies and the music becomes more ambient to support the visuals. I loved the gentleness of the more ambient tracks, and thoroughly enjoyed talking with Brent about his music, and our shared geography :) You can support Level with Emily on Patreon. Join us on Discord for free. Find this conversation on YouTube and Twitter. Patrons have access to exclusive merch, Discord events and special guest playlists. PLAYLIST by Brent Meyer for Katoa unless noted otherwise 00:00 Beings of Light (Katoa Main Theme) 03:21 A New World 11:53 Beings of Light (Katoa Main Theme) 15:17 Gaia 18:30 Beings of Light (Katoa Main Theme) 27:31 A Reef in Trouble 34:32 A New World 41:41 Ocean Lullaby 48:34 A Reef in Trouble 49:13 Other Sprouts by Sam Keenan

Ben Hanson and Kyle Hilliard are serious content creators in the world of video game media. They have a media empire of sorts here in Minneapolis at MinnMax, with weekly podcasts and videos, a vibrant Discord and a variety of events. They met years ago as colleagues at Game Informer magazine (published here in Mpls) and have been making media for game fans ever since. Ben graciously invites me to participate annually in a game-music-of-the-year podcast, and had me out for jucy lucy's a couple of weeks ago (along with the esteemed Janet Garcia!). You can find a playlist and support Level with Emily on Patreon. Join us on Discord for free. Find us on YouTube and Twitter. Patrons have access to special Discord events and special guest playlists.

Dylan Wiest is the director, drummer and sometimes-keyboardist in The OC Jazz Collective, a talented group of musicians from the legendary OverClocked Remix brigade. The ensemble released a new album in November, 2022 called Mode Seven: A Jazz Tribute to the SNES. If you've never dipped your toe into the OC Remix crowd, this is a fantastic start. Dylan, who goes by "Wiesty" in the OCR community, has been remixing video game music for more than a decade. Check out their prior album too, Chronology: A Jazz Tribute to Chrono Trigger, which in addition to Mode Seven can be downloaded FOR FREE on OCR's site. You can find a playlist and support Level with Emily on Patreon. Join us on Discord for free. Find us on YouTube and Twitter. Patrons have access to special Discord events and special guest playlists.

It's always a great time having John Robert Matz on to talk about his music. This time, we discuss Tchia, an open-world adventure of a young girl on tropical islands inspired by the real location, New Caledonia. The music is such a joy. John Robert captured a colorful, simple and memorable island vibe with his soundtrack. The game is fantastic too. This isn't some hundred hour open world sprawl either; it's digestible and easy to take breaks. Music is woven into the gameplay is unique ways, and you can play chromatic triads on your ukulele using the controller. You can support Level with Emily on Patreon. Join us on Discord for free. Find this conversation on YouTube and Twitter. Patrons have access to exclusive merch, Discord events and special guest playlists. PLAYLIST by John Robert Matz for Tchia unless noted otherwise 00:00 Main Theme 12:32 The Pilou 15:04 Weliwele Town 30:41 Underwater Reef 35:10 The World 37:22 An Audience with Meavora 42:03 Aemoon City 43:36 Weliwele Town 44:49 Song I - Ö ngo eka 48:03 Song I - Ö ngo eka 49:54 Song II- -Lapa ië 54:25 Song IV- -Chez nous à Weliwele 58:53 Sailing 1:00:57 Main Theme 1:01:38 Song II- -Lapa ië 1:02:43 The Maano 1:04:16 Hunahmi Arrival - Hunahmi Village - Meeting the Chief 1:05:51 Into the Banyan Tree - Echoes of the Past from Tchia: The Beach Sides 1:07:48 Gutu Island from Tchia: The Beach Sides 1:09:12 Madra Noj Lake 1:09:52 Tingeting Village 1:12:17 Tingeting Village 1:18:46 Forests from Tchia: The Beach Sides 1:20:14 A Day with Tre from Tchia: The Beach Sides 1:31:34 The Sea Race 1:32:46 The World 1:33:28 Other Sprouts by Sam Keenan

Composer Steve Pardo got to write music for one of the most musically famous franchises of all time in Cypher 007, the newest game from James Bond. And it's great! I love how the soundtrack fits seamlessly into the fabric of the stealthy Apple Arcade game.

Steve and I talk about how neat that is, how great John Barry's original music is and a lot more in this week's chat.

You can support Level with Emily on Patreon. Join us on Discord for free. Find this conversation on YouTube and Twitter. Patrons have access to exclusive merch, Discord events and special guest playlists.

PLAYLIST by Steve Pardo for Cypher 007 unless noted otherwise

00:00 The James Bond Theme (from Dr. No) by Monty Norman and John Barry, arranged by Steve Pardo 11:25 The James Bond Theme (from Dr. No) by Monty Norman and John Barry 15:34 The James Bond Theme (from Dr. No) by Monty Norman and John Barry, arranged by Steve Pardo 17:06 The John Dunbar Theme (from Dances with Wolves) by John Barry 17:30 (Main Title) I Had a Farm in Africa from Out of Africa by John Barry 21:07 Damp Echo 23:02 Decipher 29:02 Decipher 30:17 Back of the Neck 35:05 GoldenEye Watch Music by Grant Kirkhope 37:29 Bloody Martini 40:29 Broad Daylight 41:25 Escape 43:01 Escape 44:25 The Traitor 51:56 Ghost 53:17 cut chase scene music 55:55 Dark Hallways 59:28 The James Bond Theme (from Dr. No) by Monty Norman and John Barry, arranged by Steve Pardo 1:00:04 Other Sprouts by Sam Keenan

Composer Carlos Eiene began his career at age 14, uploading video game music covers to YouTube from his living room on piano and saxophone. He posted a video at the beginning of 2022 stating he would no longer be uploading game covers, but that he would be focusing on original composition. Carlos and I talk about some of his new music, and some of his old music, on this episode. Find him on YouTube, Spotify and elsewhere by searching insaneintherainmusic.

You can find a playlist and support Level with Emily on Patreon. Join us on Discord for free. Find us on YouTube and Twitter. Patrons have access to special Discord events and special guest playlists, including a special playlist from Carlos.

It's always a fascinating discussion with composer Maclaine Diemer. In this episode, we talk about Guild Wars 2: Secrets of the Obscure, the newest expansion in the MMORPG. The last time he was on Level to talk about Guild Wars 2, we spoke of the End of Dragons expansion. Maclaine's music for End of Dragons was heavily influenced by Korean traditional music (called gugak) with synth undertones. The music for Secrets of the Obscure is quite different, as you'll hear Maclaine discuss, driven by a tight timeline. It's beautiful orchestral music - a very traditional Western orchestra - with few soloists, just beautiful sweeping melodies and mysterious turns, colored by polytonality and the influence of Debussy. You can support Level with Emily on Patreon. Join us on Discord for free. Find this conversation on YouTube and Twitter. Patrons have access to exclusive merch, Discord events and special guest playlists. PLAYLIST by Maclaine Diemer for Guild Wars 2: Secrets of the Obscure unless noted otherwise 00:00 Secrets of the Obscure 07:46 Whispers of the Misplaced 08:59 A Future Carved in Jade from Guild Wars 2: End of Dragons 10:09 End of Dragons from Guild Wars 2: End of Dragons 19:38 Opening Titles from Jurassic Park by John Williams 20:50 Curious Allies 23:53 A Fractured Horizon 25:12 A Fractured Horizon 29:30 Memories Forgotten 38:04 The Beast Emerges by Maclaine Diemer and Michael Paraskevas 44:59 Amnytas in Peril 49:43 Curious Allies 53:41 The Wizards 1:03:57 Secrets of the Obscure 1:09:14 Malaise by Jaimee Jimin Park 1:10:17 Malaise by Jaimee Jimin Park 1:12:31 The Beast Emerges by Maclaine Diemer and Michael Paraskevas 1:14:36 Otherworldly Threats by Bobby Rose 15:44 Courage and Regret by Bryan Atkinson 18:15 These Ancient Halls 22:56 Memories Forgotten 23:24 Other Sprouts by Sam Keenan

Charlie Rosen talks about running The 8-Bit Big Band. See a playlist and support Level with Emily on Patreon.

This is music by Sergio Ronchetti for Eldest Souls, a boss rush souls-like game with beautiful pixel art and a fun battle style. So you’ll die a lot!! But the music is great incentive to keep slashing away at oversized, overpowered bosses. Please consider supporting us on Patreon!

Enjoy the chat with Justin E. Bell about his music for The Outer Worlds. Find a playlist and support Level with Emily Reese on Patreon.

Composer Trent Moriarty talks about his music for the Skyrim mod, Legacy of the Dragonborn. You can see a playlist and support Level with Emily on Patreon.

Ubisoft released an EP of music by Jesper Kyd, Sarah Schachner and Einar Selvik from the upcoming Assassin's Creed: Valhalla game due out in November. Here's a review of what they released.  

Composer Ben Nichols talks about three soundtracks: OMNO, a gorgeous adventure game (for which he received an Ivor Novello nomination); Before We Leave, a colorful world-builder; and The Falconeer, a dogfighting aerial combat fighter. So different from each other and delightful to discuss each one! You'll find a YouTube video on our channel (sometimes they post a few days after the audio version).

You can find a playlist and support Level with Emily on Patreon. Join us on Discord for free. Find us on YouTube and Twitter. Patrons have access to special Discord events and special guest playlists.

A little more than two years ago, Erik Desiderio was on Level to talk about music he'd written for Last Epoch, which was in early access at the time. Erik is back to talk about all of the music he's written for the game since we spoke in 2022. Also, Last Epoch is about to get its official release, and the Game Music Ensemble of UCLA is going to play Erik's music from the game live, with Erik conducting. This gave us many reasons to chat! That concert, by the way, will apparently be streamed? Unsure, check here and here! The concert is on Saturday, February 24th at 7 PM PST (UTC-8).

PLAYLIST by Erik Desiderio for Last Epoch unless noted otherwise

00:00 Last Epoch Theme 09:03 Keeper’s Camp 14:28 The End of Ruin 17:48 The Surface 19:22 Burning Forest 28:36 What She Left to Remember 31:54 Shadow’s Whisper 46:32 Eterra 48:30 The End of Ruin 50:32 Fires Before Dawn 57:40 The End of Time 59:58 The End of Time 1:06:04 Above the Black 1:08:20 Bastion of the Sun 1:09:17 In Preparation 1:09:54 Other Sprouts by Sam Keenan

Composer Thomas Cipollone writes 8-bit scores for games that release on NES cartridges. He has to adhere to all the rules composers followed in the 80s, constricted heavily by the size of his audio files and the voicings he can compose. And he does so brilliantly, with creative textures, great grooves and fulfilling melodies. We spoke about four of his scores, some of which have been released, some of which are still in the process of getting released: Garbage Pail Kids: Mad Mike and the Quest for Stale Gum, Full Quiet, Unicorn and Beyond the Pins. You can find a playlist and support Level with Emily on Patreon. Join us on Discord for free. Find us on YouTube and Twitter. Patrons have access to special Discord events and special guest playlists.

Andrew Prahlow talks about his music for Outer Wilds. Find a playlist and support Level with Emily on Patreon.