Level with Emily Reese

By Emily Reese and Sam Keenan

Video Games

What's Level with Emily Reese about?

Great conversations about music in games, as well as voice actors, musicians, developers, audio directors, and more

Download our free app to listen on your phone

Level with Emily Reese episodes:

04.26.2024
Level 256: Lennie Moore (Outcast - A New Beginning)
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...
04.12.2024
Level 255: Zac Tiessen(Vanitas + Viriditas)
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...
03.29.2024
Level 254: Dom Palombi's Game Night! Vol. 2
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...
03.22.2024
Level 253: Chase Bethea (Stardander School for Witches)
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...
03.01.2024
Level 252: Thomas Brunet (Chants of Sennaar)
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...
02.16.2024
Level 251: Erik Desiderio (Last Epoch In Concert)
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...
02.02.2024
Level 250: Dale North (Astral Ascent)
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...
01.19.2024
Level 249: Lifeformed, Janice Kwan (Tunic)
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...
01.05.2024
Level 248: Jon Everist (The Lamplighters League)
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,...
12.15.2023
Level 247: Cris Velasco (Lords of the Fallen)
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...
12.01.2023
Level 246: Tom Salta (The Outlast Trials)
Composer Tom Salta talks about his extremely frightening music for The Outlast Trials, the third installment of the Outlast series. It's always a joy to have Tom on, and I manage to learn something new every time we talk! You can...
11.17.2023
Level 245: Jason Graves (Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II Warzone)
During our Next Level discussion about this very episode, our friend Sacha counted up how many times we've had Jason Graves on an episode of Level, and Level's friend, Top Score. Six times on Top Score, six times on Level,...
10.27.2023
Level 244: Steve Pardo (Cypher 007)
Composer Steve Pardo got to write music for one of the most musically famous franchises of all time in Cypher 007, the newest game from James Bond. And it's great! I love how the soundtrack fits seamlessly into the fabric...
10.20.2023
Level 243: Ross Tregenza (The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, Cyberpunk 2077)
Composer Ross Tregenza is back for a deep dive into the music and sound he created and composed for The Texas Chain Saw Massacre. We also talk about his music for Deathloop, which earned him a BAFTA nomination, and his ubiquitous...
10.13.2023
Level 242: Morla Gorrondona (Destiny 2, League of Legends, God of War: Ragnarok)
Voice actor Morla Gorrondona has created some iconic characters in games, from Eris Morn in Destiny 2 to Naafiri in League of Legends. It's such a pleasure to hear her talk about her process of creating a new person or...
10.06.2023
Level 241: Darren Korb (Hades)
Composer Darren Korb's music for Hades properly beloved. It's a great blend of metal with acoustic Mediterranean instruments to take you through the deep story of the game. Darren adds his voice acting talents to the game as well, voicing the...
09.29.2023
Level 240: Brian Schmidt and Marty O’Donnell on Xbox and Halo: Combat Evolved
The original Xbox launched on November 15, 2001. The person largely responsible for how audio worked in that original Xbox and what the Xbox would “sound” like was Brian Schmidt. We’ve had Brian on the show in the past, most...
09.22.2023
Level 239: Maclaine Diemer (Guild Wars 2: Secrets of the Obscure)
It's always a fascinating discussion with composer Maclaine Diemer. In this episode, we talk about Guild Wars 2: Secrets of the Obscure, the newest expansion in the MMORPG. The last time he was on Level to talk about Guild Wars 2,...
09.15.2023
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...
09.08.2023
Level 237: scntfc / Andy Rohrmann (Oxenfree, Oxenfree II: Lost Signals) PART TWO
This is Part Two of my chat with scntfc / Andy Rohrmann about his music for Oxenfree and Oxenfree II: Lost Signals. And it's another episode packed with music and back stories. We can't wait to have Andy on the show...
09.01.2023
Level 236: scntfc / Andy Rohrmann (Oxenfree, Oxenfree II: Lost Signals) PART ONE
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...
08.25.2023
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...
08.18.2023
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...
08.11.2023
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:...
07.07.2023
Level 232: Vinicius Barbosa Pippa (Composer, Music Editor, Score Supervisor)
Composer Vinicius Barbosa Pippa has held many jobs as a musician working in media. 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...
06.30.2023
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...
06.23.2023
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...
06.16.2023
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...
06.09.2023
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...
06.02.2023
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...
05.26.2023
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...
05.19.2023
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...
05.12.2023
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...
05.05.2023
Level 223: Logan ”Biggoron” Tucker (VGM Cover Artist)
I stumbled across Logan "Biggoron" Tucker's music in early April ahead of VGM Con (which would be worth your time if you can attend next year!). He regularly participates in the monthly video game music cover contest held at Dwelling of...
04.28.2023
Level 222: Lennie Moore (Mentors, Outcast 2)
Composer Lennie Moore talks about his newest passion project, a big band album called Mentors that pays tribute to his musical mentors, like record producer Arif Mardin, pianist Toshiko Akiyoshi and drummer Peter Erskine (who plays on the album). While we...
04.14.2023
Level 221: Wes Keltner, Ross Tregenza (The Texas Chain Saw Massacre)
Wes Keltner is the CEO of Gun Interactive, creators of the upcoming game The Texas Chain Saw Massacre. Ross Tregenza composed the music and worked on sound. The game is in the canon of the original film from 1974. We talk...
04.07.2023
Level 220: Chris Rickwood (Brawlhalla)
Composer Chris Rickwood gets to write in the style of some of the most famous franchises in games and other media like TV, anime and more for Brawlhalla, the free-to-play platform brawler from Blue Mammoth Games and Ubisoft. In this episode,...
03.31.2023
Level 219: Hrishikesh Hirway (The Red Lantern)
** The soundtrack to The Red Lantern is getting a vinyl release. Anyone who is a patron of Level with Emily by midnight (12:00 AM CDT) on April 17, 2023, will be eligible to win one of 5 records. ** Hrishikesh...
03.24.2023
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...
03.17.2023
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...
03.10.2023
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...
03.03.2023
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...
02.24.2023
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...
02.17.2023
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...
02.10.2023
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...
02.03.2023
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...
01.27.2023
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...
01.20.2023
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...
01.13.2023
Level 208: Jacob Geller (Video essayist)
I met video essayist Jacob Geller during my occasional appearances on The MinnMax Show to discuss the best game music of a given year. Meeting him led me on a journey through his videos, and I absolutely adore his videos....
01.06.2023
Level 207: Thomas Cipollone (Garbage Pail Kids: Mad Mike and the Quest for Stale Gum)
Composer Thomas Cipollone writes 8-bit scores for games that release on NES cartridges. He has to adhere to all the rules composers followed in the 80s, constricted heavily by the size of his audio files and the voicings he can...

What's Level with Emily Reese about?

Download our free app to listen on your phone

Level with Emily Reese episodes:

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

Level 255: Zac Tiessen(Vanitas + Viriditas)

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

Level 253: Chase Bethea (Stardander School for Witches)

Level 252: Thomas Brunet (Chants of Sennaar)

Level 251: Erik Desiderio (Last Epoch In Concert)

Level 250: Dale North (Astral Ascent)

Level 249: Lifeformed, Janice Kwan (Tunic)

Level 248: Jon Everist (The Lamplighters League)

Level 247: Cris Velasco (Lords of the Fallen)

Level 246: Tom Salta (The Outlast Trials)

Level 245: Jason Graves (Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II Warzone)

Level 244: Steve Pardo (Cypher 007)

Level 243: Ross Tregenza (The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, Cyberpunk 2077)

Level 242: Morla Gorrondona (Destiny 2, League of Legends, God of War: Ragnarok)

Level 241: Darren Korb (Hades)

Level 240: Brian Schmidt and Marty O’Donnell on Xbox and Halo: Combat Evolved

Level 239: Maclaine Diemer (Guild Wars 2: Secrets of the Obscure)

Level 238: David Housden (Disney Illusion Island)

Level 237: scntfc / Andy Rohrmann (Oxenfree, Oxenfree II: Lost Signals) PART TWO

Level 236: scntfc / Andy Rohrmann (Oxenfree, Oxenfree II: Lost Signals) PART ONE

Level 235: Doyle Donehoo (Aliens: Dark Descent)

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

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

Level 232: Vinicius Barbosa Pippa (Composer, Music Editor, Score Supervisor)

Level 231: Brent Meyer (Katoa)

Level 230: John Robert Matz (Tchia)

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

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

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

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

Level 225: Maclaine Diemer (Firmament)

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

Level 223: Logan ”Biggoron” Tucker (VGM Cover Artist)

Level 222: Lennie Moore (Mentors, Outcast 2)

Level 221: Wes Keltner, Ross Tregenza (The Texas Chain Saw Massacre)

Level 220: Chris Rickwood (Brawlhalla)

Level 219: Hrishikesh Hirway (The Red Lantern)

Level 218: Rob Kovacs (Straylight)

Level 217: Greg Nicolett (Potionomics)

Level 216: Alkemie Early Music Ensemble (Pentiment)

Level 215: Amos Roddy (Citizen Sleeper)

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

Level 213: Trevor Gureckis (Dead Space, 2023)

Level 212: Nicolas de Ferran (Scrap Riders)

Level 211: Garry Schyman (Forspoken)

Level 210: Jonah Senzel (Inscryption)

Level 209: Ego Plum (The Cuphead Show)

Level 208: Jacob Geller (Video essayist)

Level 207: Thomas Cipollone (Garbage Pail Kids: Mad Mike and the Quest for Stale Gum)