Interview with Jesper Kyd

The music for Freedom Fighters has received very good reviews and was nominated in various categories for this year's G.A.N.G. Awards. How important are such things?

It’s always a thrill to know that people appreciate your music, especially as I try to create unique and experimental scores that stand out from the crowd. There is a lot more commitment and investment required from the composer to create something different, to avoid the stereotypical ”Hollywood” orchestral sound. Winning the GameSpot Best Soundtrack Award this year was a big surprise and the album release for Freedom Fighters continues to grow in popularity with gamers and non-gaming audiences alike.

After receiving so much positive attention from the fans and reviewers of the Hitman: Contracts game I am starting to get a feeling that the gaming press and gamers are more demanding than most game producers, since gamers seem to want less generic game music. In my opinion, 90 % of game music is generic and predictable, so the producers who are making the decisions about which artists/composers/musicians to hire must become more critical about the music in their titles in order to improve the overall quality of the final product.

In Japan game music is widely released and is much more common in record stores. Do you think it will be the same in the rest of the world in a couple of years?

If game music improves, then certainly. But releasing a lot of generic game scores is going to slow down the progress we have been making in recent years. It's important that more quality scores are released to the public.

The Hitman Contracts CD is now available in record stores including HMV, Virgin, Best Buy, Amazon & Walmart. It is actually the first game soundtrack to be promoted in Walmart, the largest retailer in the US.

How was it to compose music for C64 games? Was it was more creative back then?

I never composed music for any C64 games, just C64 demos. My first game was actually an Amiga title and yes, the creative freedom made it very exciting. Developers didn't expect a certain music style. They just asked the composer to come up with some music that fit the game’s look and feel. Today games are much bigger undertakings with development teams of 50+ people. Today’s games are also much more cinematic and so we as composers are now competing with the Hollywood experience. Developers often request a certain sound, and I feel it's my job to deliver what's expected and then push it as far as I can on a creative/experimental level. I try to avoid working on projects that might require me to write a generic sounding score that is not going to have any room for interesting music.

When it comes to game music, you're representing Denmark, and Norway has Björn Lynne. Do you have any idea why Sweden, which has many success stories in music, doesn't have any famous game music composers? Do you know of any promising Swedes?

Sweden has a lot of great musicians, arguably more than Denmark or Norway, but I think it’s simply that they just don't work in the video game industry.

You're also composing music for films. What is the big difference from making game music?

When writing music for films, you have to pay close attention to what happens on the screen 100% of the time and so it's difficult to fit lots of crazy ideas into a film score. For games I like to add lots of subconscious elements in order to further develop the game’s atmosphere. My job as a game composer is to immerse the player in the world and enhance the vision of the director and producers. By simply creating music for what's expected in a certain game genre is a huge missed opportunity, since the music should try to make you want to stay longer in the game.

Which do you prefer; classic C64 tunes or modern, orchestrated compositions?

I used to prefer listening to C64 music and was heavily influenced by some of those early pieces. Now, I am creating a lot of orchestral music and enjoy listening to classical music for orchestration ideas.

What is your musical background, and how did you end up in the games industry?

I started creating music on the C64 as well as synths when I was 14. Before that I did quite a bit of classical composition studies as well as piano, guitar and note reading classes. I am mostly self-taught though. I think it may have something to do with my background in the C64, Amiga and Sega Genesis (Megadrive) scene, where I produced music using programs that didn't come with manuals. I entered the game business when my friends and I decided it was time to start creating something else other than demos!

Do you know of any differences between American and European game developers when it comes to music philosophy?

When working with US companies I sometimes have to be careful not to go crazy with over-using electronics and dance beats. European and Canadian developers seem to respect and enjoy these type of influences more. Although I have had great experiences composing for both electronic/orchestral styles (I recently recorded with a 140-piece orchestra and choir for an unannounced project), I personally believe it's more challenging to create a memorable electronica score than a traditional orchestral score.

You composed the music for the game Minority Report. Was it frustrating having to rely on the original score from the film?

Oh no, since I didn't use any references from the film score. I was asked to come up with my own ideas.

Wouldn't it be awesome to perform a game music concert on a big stage?

Sure. I actually performed music from Hitman: Contracts during a live DJ session at the game’s official launch party in Europe. Also, in August a special Hitman suite was performed in concert by members of the Prague Symphony at the 2004 Games Convention in Leipzig, Germany.

Which composer do you find most interesting in today's game music scene?

To be honest I don't pay too much attention to game music. My favorite games don't use music to the fullest effect. Instead I pay attention to film scores. It's always amazing to me that many small independent films have such great music. I find this ironic considering game music audio budgets are equal if not bigger than these indie movie scores.

Which of your own soundtracks is your favorite?

I tend to enjoy the score I worked on most recently so that would be Robotech: Invasion.

Finally: Any greetings in Danish?

Skål!

Interview Conducted by Johan Köhn & Niklas Lundqvist [2004-12-08]