Level with Emily Reese

Level 218: Rob Kovacs (Straylight)

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

Level 217: Greg Nicolett (Potionomics)

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

Level 216: Alkemie Early Music Ensemble (Pentiment)

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.

Level 215: Amos Roddy (Citizen Sleeper)

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.

Level 214: Jason Graves (The Dark Pictures Anthology: The Devil In Me)

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.

Level 213: Trevor Gureckis (Dead Space, 2023)

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.

Level 212: Nicolas de Ferran (Scrap Riders)

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.

 

Level 211: Garry Schyman (Forspoken)

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.

Level 210: Jonah Senzel (Inscryption)

Composer Jonah Senzel talks about his music for Inscryption. He wrote in a handful of different styles, from music heavy with sound effects to the simplest, slow chip-tune chords. The game also is a bit of a mash-up of styles - a deckbuilder with escape room elements and a bit of horror.

It was great chatting with Jonah 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.

Level 209: Ego Plum (The Cuphead Show)

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.