Level 238: David Housden (Disney Illusion Island)

It’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…

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Level 235: Doyle Donehoo (Aliens: Dark Descent)

Composer 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,…

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Level 234: Antfood/Wilson Brown (Let’s! Revolution!)

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…

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Level 233: Oleksa Lozowchuk (Horizon Forbidden West: Burning Shores)

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…

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Level 231: Brent Meyer (Katoa)

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…

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Level 230: John Robert Matz (Tchia)

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…

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Level 229:Sander van Zanten (Deliver Us the Moon, Deliver Us Mars)

I 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…

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Level 228: Grant ”Stemage” Henry (Card of Darkness, Narrowband)

Grant “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…

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Level 227: Mustin (Producer, The OneUps, remixer)

Mustin‘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…

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Level 226: Joe Newman (Composer, Remixer, Saxophonist)

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).…

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Level 225: Maclaine Diemer (Firmament)

It’s another delightful chat with composer Maclaine Diemer about Firmament from Cyan Worlds, the creators of Myst and Riven. The score is entirely synth with the exception of two or three other instruments, including an esraj and a Fender IV (technically a Squire, which only matters to people who know the difference). It’s atmospheric, ambient…

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Level 224: Peter Chapman (Workin’ Moms, Guacamelee)

Composer Peter Chapman talks about his music for the Netflix comedy Workin’ Moms, which just aired its 7th and final season in April. Peter worked with composer/singer Maylee Todd to create music for the series. The music has this energetically fresh, crisp and clean vibe, although there are many examples of grit and grime as…

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