Video game music can bring back an entire era before you’ve touched a controller. If a familiar menu theme still stops you in your tracks, Ryan’s conversation with composer Grant Kirkhope offers a way into the work behind that memory.
How does someone end up making those sounds for a living? The path involves years in bands, an unexpected combination of musical skills and recordings sent through the post. It’s a career beginning that may sound familiar even if you’ve never worked on a game.
Then comes a different challenge: adding music to a world whose fans already love what they hear. Where do you find room to create? A shift from Nintendo 64 sounds to a full orchestra makes the possibilities especially worth hearing.
Topics: video game music, Grant Kirkhope, game nostalgia, composing, orchestral soundtracks
Originally aired on2026-11-04
