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…
Read moreIt’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…
Read moreIt’s been far too long since we had composer David Housden on the show. Last time, we talked about Thomas Was Alone and Volume. David’s music for Disney Illusion Island is quite different from those scores, as you’d expect. Complete with cartoon humor and sweeping melodies, it fits perfectly. The game is a multiplayer platformer/Metroidvania…
Read moreThis 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…
Read moreOxenfree 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…
Read moreComposer Doyle Donehoo wrote a fantastic score for the newest game in the Alien franchise, called Aliens: Dark Descent. His music shares several hallmarks but is uniquely his music, and his fandom for this franchise runs so deep it comes off as a gorgeous, if not appropriately creepy, love letter. Doyle saw the first film,…
Read moreComposer 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…
Read moreIt’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…
Read moreComposer 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…
Read moreComposer 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…
Read moreIt’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…
Read moreI love these games! And Sander van Zanten‘s music does a fantastic job capturing the wonder, loneliness and splendor of being in space. If you haven’t played Deliver Us the Moon, I highly recommend it. And then play Deliver Us Mars! The gameplay is so engaging and Sander’s music is a great part of it…
Read moreGrant “Stemage” Henry is a composer, a session guitarist and a remixer. In 2003, Grant created Metroid Metal (you can still download all the tracks, just follow the link), and so began his lengthy career in the VGM remix community. Grant and I don’t talk too much about remixing, but we focus on a couple…
Read moreMustin‘s remixes and albums lift my spirits, and I hope they do for you too! Mustin has an ability to capture juuuuust the right sound to make a track pop and nail the nostalgia. His latest album, Mario Mixtape, resulted from a challenge issued by his son: to create a Mario remix album within a…
Read moreJoe 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).…
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