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Great conversations about music in games, as well as voice actors, musicians, developers, audio directors, and more
Episodes
Friday Sep 01, 2023
Friday Sep 01, 2023
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
Friday Aug 25, 2023
Friday Aug 25, 2023
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, Alien, in the theater in 1979. I've told many friends about the story of his experience that night - hilarious. And much later in our conversation, we chat about how he was one of the first in the world (yup) to see Star Wars, an equally engaging tale.
If you've played Warhammer, you've likely heard Doyle's music. This score is just as epic yet in the most delicate way possible - the dynamic range alone can put you in that terrifying universe.
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 Doyle Donehoo for Aliens: Dark Descent unless noted otherwise
07:18 They Keep Coming
08:26 Main Theme
13:00 That’s Just Creepy
16:52 Desperate Escape
26:20 Running Battle
28:31 Industrial Disaster Aftermath
31:37 Alien First Encounter
35:37 The Queen Must Die
40:08 Check Those Corners
50:25 Revelations in the Dark
54:48 Desperate Escape
1:05:48 Running Battle
1:06:20 Other Sprouts by Sam Keenan
Friday Aug 18, 2023
Friday Aug 18, 2023
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
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
Friday Aug 11, 2023
Friday Aug 11, 2023
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
Friday Jul 07, 2023
Friday Jul 07, 2023
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 Life16:20 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
Friday Jun 30, 2023
Friday Jun 30, 2023
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
Friday Jun 23, 2023
Friday Jun 23, 2023
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
Friday Jun 16, 2023
Friday Jun 16, 2023
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 all.
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 Sander van Zanten for Deliver Us the Moon (Moon) or Deliver Us Mars (Mars) unless noted otherwise
00:00 Prelude (Moon) 07:08 First Light (Moon) 12:06 Light At The End Of The Tunnel (Moon) 12:56 Uprising (Moon) 16:46 Renaissance (Moon) 20:42 Warnings And Alarms (Moon) 22:40 Prelude (Moon) 24:37 Spirit (Mars) 30:10 Spirit (Mars) 35:54 Home (Mars) 37:52 Home (Mars) 34:50 Sarah’s Song (feat. Nola Klop) (Moon) 48:30 Sanctuary (Mars) 50:01 Sarah’s Song (Moon) 53:40 A Spark Of Life (Moon) 57:40 Autumn Falls (Mars) 59:20 Hummus On Flatbread (Mars) 1:03:56 Odysseus (Mars) 1:06:02 Rupture (Mars) 1:17:42 The Great Escape (Mars) 1:18:20 Other Sprouts by Sam Keenan
Friday Jun 09, 2023
Friday Jun 09, 2023
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 of original projects: his original soundtrack for Card of Darkness, a mobile game from the creator of Adventure Time and a solo project he released in 2016 called Narrowband.
I loved talking with Grant about (some of) his original music! We also briefly chat about his music for the League of Legends spinoff called Hextech Mayhem.
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 Grant “Stemage” Henry unless noted otherwise
00:00 Card of Darkness (Title Theme)
01:55 Slellin Realm from Card of Darkness
07:42 (underscore) Paradise City by Guns N’ Roses from Appetite for Destruction
11:57 One Thing Leads to Another by The Fixx from Mirando las Nubes
13:02 Borateen by sElf from Subliminal Plastic Motives
13:46 Borateen by sElf from Subliminal Plastic Motives
20:30 Mercury from Narrowband
21:54 Best of Times
23:00 Astronaut from Narrowband
24:48 Red Ribbon from Narrowband
26:08 Barossa from Narrowband
28:10 Amulet from Narrowband
32:39 The Hushed Wall from Card of Darkness
35:16 The Baxlan Delves from Card of Darkness
36:14 Slellin Realm from Card of Darkness
37:14 Slellin Realm from Card of Darkness
38:41 Card of Darkness (Reprise)
40:29 Card of Darkness (Reprise) by Vince DiCola from Card of Darkness - The Remixes
41:23 Mount Lavalgrave from Card of Darkness
42:06 Mount Lavalgrave by Tee Lopes from Card of Darkness - The Remixes
45:37 Hextech Mayhem Theme by Riot Forge and Stemage from Hextech Mayhem
47:02 Extra Wardenary by Riot Forge and Stemage from Hextech Mayhem
48:52 Kraid by Metroid Metal
54:32 Main Theme from Tchia by John Robert Matz
55:48 Main Theme from Tchia by John Robert Matz
1:09:14 Singularity from Devolver Digital Cinematic Universe
1:10:50 Red Ribbon from Narrowband
1:11:40 Other Sprouts by Sam Keenan
Friday Jun 02, 2023
Friday Jun 02, 2023
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 matter of months (about 4 months). Mustin delivered, with the assistance and approval of his son, his daughter, and their "people," as he puts it.
Mustin also co-founded The OneUps about 20 years ago, the 2nd longest-running video game music remix band in the world. He's got an album out called 20 of the favorite remixes he made for the band.
And he did the same with his favorite remixes for another collective he's part of called Bad Dudes.
I loved chatting with Mustin - another one of those chats that flew by. Please buy and/or stream his music to help support this community we love!
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 Mustin unless noted otherwise
14:08 Blue Bomber Forever (Mega Man 3)
15:37 Blue Bomber Forever from (Mega Man 3)
16:39 Not So Lonely Nova (Katamari Damacy) on Origins
18:23 I Got Soul (Animal Crossing)
20:25 B.A.M.F. (Chrono Trigger) on Bad Dude
24:44 Show Me What You Got (EarthBound) on Bad Dude
28:30 All You Need Is Love (Yellow Submarine) by The Beatles
28:58 Cross Over Time and Space (EarthBound) by Keiichi Suzuki and Hirokazu Tanaka
29:57 There is No Turning Back Now (EarthBound) on Bad Dude
31:09 There is No Turning Back Now (EarthBound) on Bad Dude
32:41 There is No Turning Back Now (EarthBound) on Bad Dude
33:33 There is No Turning Back Now (EarthBound) on Bad Dude
33:54 KR44441D (Metroid) on Bad Dude
35:39 KR44441D (Metroid) on Bad Dude
36:50 KR44441D (Metroid) on Bad Dude
44:07 Game Over (Super Mario World) on Mario Mixtape
48:41 Ground BGM (New Super Mario Bros.) on Mario Mixtape
50:13 Delfino Plaza (Super Mario Sunshine) on Mario Mixtape
50:52 Piranha Plant’s Lullaby (Super Mario 64) on Mario Mixtape
52:31 Dire, Dire Docs (Dr. Mario) on Mario Mixtape
56:31 Ground BGM (New Super Mario Bros.) on Mario Mixtape
57:54 Attack of the Airships (Super Mario Galaxy) on Mario Mixtape
59:15 Attack of the Airships (Super Mario Galaxy) on Mario Mixtape
1:02:13 Athletic Theme (Super Mario Bros. 3) on Mario Mixtape
1:12:53 Forest of Illusion (Super Mario World) on Mario Mixtape
1:13:32 Other Sprouts by Sam Keenan