Level with Emily Reese

Level 157: Peter McConnell (Psychonauts 2)

Peter McConnell is such a master of cinematic music. He recently scored Psychonauts 2, a game released by Double Fine Productions. At the time I interviewed Peter, I had only gotten a few hours into the game and the soundtrack wasn’t out yet, so I hadn’t even heard all of the music. I finished the game, and now that I’ve heard all of the music in Psychonauts 2, I can tell you that it’s so fantastic. I wish I could put it all in this episode. And the game is great too. The game is a breath of fresh air in its treatment of dark issues in a light way. Please consider supporting Level with Emily on Patreon!

 

 

Level 156: Joel Corelitz (Eastward)

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.

Level 155: Sergio Ronchetti (Eldest Souls)

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!

Level 154: Jason Graves (The Dark Pictures Anthology: Little Hope)

We love getting caught up with Jason Graves to hear what he's composed lately! He's been working on The Dark Pictures Anthology, composing for the first chapter, "Man of Medan" and now for "Little Hope." It was fun to speak with him about the stark differences in those 2 soundtracks, and how he created the spooky soundtrack for "Little Hope." Support Level with Emily and see a playlist on Patreon!

Level 153: Kenny Young (Astro's Playroom)

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.

Level 152: Oleksa Lozowchuk (Horizon Forbidden West)

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.

Level 151: The Soundlings (Knockout City)

The Soundlings, a composition duo of Sonny Rey and Matt Naylor, just did the music for Knockout City, which is, at its essence, multiplayer dodgeball, just out at the end of May. The music is energetic and colorful, with a lot of great live musicians and the three of us had a great time talking about their music! You can support Level with Emily on Patreon.

Level 147: League of Legends (Kole Hicks, Brendon Williams, Jason Walsh)

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.

Level 150: Kyle Athayde (the Kyle Athayde Dance Party)

I stumbled across Kyle Athayde and his band in a unique way. I first discovered Kyle as a jazz vibraphonist while listening to one of my current favorite jazz pianists, a guy named Sullivan Fortner. Sullivan’s newest album is a duo album with Kyle on vibes (called Tea For Two). I hadn’t heard of Kyle, so I went to YouTube and typed in Kyle Athayde. His band, the Kyle Athayde Dance Party,  came up with a bunch of video game covers, and there were also links to videos of his days as a professional Smash Bros player. So I immediately emailed him and scheduled an interview. It was great fun talking with Kyle about games and jazz! You can support Level with Emily on Patreon.

Level 149: Tom Salta (Masterclass)

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.