Level with Emily Reese

Apr 26 2024 200 ep. 48 mins 265

Level with Emily Reese Podcast artwork

Emily Reese interviews people in the video game industry, including composers, audio directors, sound designers and developers.

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Level 256: Lennie Moore (Outcast - A New Beginning)

Apr 26 2024 101 mins

Composer Lennie Moore wrote such gorgeous music for Outcast - A New Beginning that it made me mad, no exaggeration. It's so pleasing harmonically with fantastic melodies and transitions, and outstanding musicianship from the soloists and performers. Live choir, live soloists, live orchestra - and you can tell. The music has breath and life. Come chat with us on Discord about game m

Level 255: Zac Tiessen(Vanitas + Viriditas)

Apr 12 2024 55 mins

We're so happy to have Zac Tiessen back on Level to talk about a new project he worked on with his fine artist brother, Josh Tiessen! Zac wrote music for a series of paintings called Vanitas + Viriditas. You can hear the music here (and elsewhere). It's really gorgeous music, with outstanding live performers like singer Julie Elven, the Budapest Scoring Orchestra and more. Come cha

Level 254: Dom Palombi's Game Night! Vol. 2

Mar 29 2024 67 mins

We loved having bandleader and drummer/percussionist Dom Palombi back to talk about his new album, Dom Palombi's Game Night! Vol. 2. There are about twice as many musicians on this album than on Vol. 1, with what Dom describes as more personal track choices than before. The musicianship is just beyond measure, and it's a fun, adventurous, delightful, funky romp through some great t

Level 253: Chase Bethea (Stardander School for Witches)

Mar 22 2024 46 mins

Composer Chase Bethea talks about his music for Stardander: School for Witches, a Harry potter-esque narrative turn-based battle adventure game where you learn spells and solve mysteries. The music is mysterious at times, with winding melodies and unexpected instrumentation. His mom sings too, which is great! You can support Level with Emily on Patreon. Join us on Discord. Find thi

Level 252: Thomas Brunet (Chants of Sennaar)

Mar 01 2024 82 mins

Composer Thomas Brunet talks about his absolutely stunning music for Chants of Sennaar in this episode. We love how spontaneous the music sounds, and the colorful, creative instrument palette. In addition to the wonderful music, Thomas and I talk about a new graduate program he's created for music and sound design in Bordeaux, France, as well as his love for and knowledge of Fr

Level 251: Erik Desiderio (Last Epoch In Concert)

Feb 16 2024 70 mins

A little more than two years ago, Erik Desiderio was on Level to talk about music he'd written for Last Epoch, which was in early access at the time. Erik is back to talk about all of the music he's written for the game since we spoke in 2022. Also, Last Epoch is about to get its official release, and the Game Music Ensemble of UCLA is going to play Erik's music from the game liv

Level 250: Dale North (Astral Ascent)

Feb 02 2024 54 mins

This is such gorgeous music by Dale North for Astral Ascent. Fully orchestral (a mix of real and samples), lush and full - and sometimes it ascends! Like the game! Definitely check out the conversation Sam and I had about it on Next Level. Come chat with us on Discord about game music, and see the video of my conversation with Dale North on the Level with Emily YouTub

Level 249: Lifeformed, Janice Kwan (Tunic)

Jan 18 2024 65 mins

I loved talking with Terence and Janice so much about their wonderful music for such a fabulous game. The music for Tunic is a glorious blend of synths and acoustic piano, with waves of (often) consonant sound. Plus, you get to play as an adorable fox! Terence and Janice live in Taiwan so I got to learn a bit about that tropical island too, and got to meet some cats which always

Level 248: Jon Everist (The Lamplighters League)

Jan 05 2024 49 mins

Composer Jon Everist's music for The Lamplighters League is a great blend of noir and adventure. The soundtrack paints such a perfect picture of the vibe of the game (which is a turn-based tactics game). So many wonderful solos and soloists, with an orchestra recorded live at Abbey Road Studios, and they all sound fantastic! Also, I swear I know what a trombone sounds like. Or I

Level 247: Cris Velasco (Lords of the Fallen)

Dec 15 2023 55 mins

It's always a joy catching up with composer Cris Velasco! This time around, we chat about his epic music for Lords of the Fallen, a souls-like action RPG with plenty of boss battles. He also clues me into another one of his recent scores, for a game called Fae Farm, He and I will talk more about that in a future episode, because it's delightful. Also couldn't be more different than