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Jesper Kyd
Composer
Biography
British Academy award winner Jesper Kyd [pronounced 'yes-per kid'] writes captivating electronic and symphonic music for video games and movies. Kyd's dedication to produce memorable, immersive scores that transcend traditional repertoires has gained him international critical acclaim from the arts and entertainment industry. Spotlighted as a 'Rising Star' by The Hollywood Reporter and hailed as a 'Leading Game Composer' by Electronic Musician, his powerful blend of ambient, electronic and classical orchestrations enhances the emotional and dramatic impact of numerous cinematic productions including the multi-million selling Hitman video game series (IOI/Eidos) starring Agent 47 and the highly acclaimed action/adventure Freedom Fighters (IOI/Electronic Arts). He is currently scoring next generation titles for Eidos and Ubisoft.
Jesper's most recently released project, the stylish musical score for Hitman: Blood Money is nominated for 'Best Video Game Score' in the 2006 MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs). Featuring a dynamic live orchestral score recorded with 90 musicians of the Budapest Symphony Orchestra and 60-piece Hungarian Radio Choir, Kyd's latest opus captures the cool, dark cinematic flair of Hitman by combining evocative choral performances with his brooding orchestral and electronic hybrid music styles. Described by IGN as "A rousing combo of organic orchestration and electronic manipulation" and "Surreal and beautiful" by Official Xbox Magazine (UK) the Hitman: Blood Money Original Soundtrack is available through Sumthing Else Music Works / Sumthing Distribution.
His unique fusion of DJ-style and minimalist electronica, surreal choir vocals and foreboding percussion grooves featured in Hitman: Contracts also garnered global attention as one of the truly groundbreaking original soundtracks. In 2005 he won the Academy award for 'Original Music' from the British Academy of Film and Television Arts at the BAFTA Games Awards, as well as 'Best Cinematic / Cut-Scene Audio' at the Game Audio Network Guild (G.A.N.G.) Awards. "Many have tried to turn a video game soundtrack into a musical experience. But few have succeeded in creating a coherent, satisfying listening experience as well as Jesper Kyd," noted EQ Magazine, and IGN affirmed, "Jesper Kyd can't be beat!" The album is available on iTunes and at major record stores.
Jesper's heroic and densely atmospheric music for the epic action/adventure Freedom Fighters developed by IOI, the makers of the Hitman series, quickly established him as one of the leading, innovative A-list composers in interactive entertainment. Described by Film Score Monthly Magazine as "Vangelis on steroids" his score for Freedom Fighters won GameSpot's 'Best Original Music Award' and was nominated for 'Best Use of Soundtrack' at the Billboard 2004 Digital Entertainment Awards, as well as two nominations for "Best Original Vocal Song - Choral" ('Main Title' and 'March of the Empire') at the 2004 G.A.N.G. Awards.
The Hitman 2: Silent Assassin score, recorded with 110 musicians of the Budapest Symphony Orchestra and Choir, is regarded by many critics as some of the best music ever recorded for the genre; UGO called the score a "Full on symphonic masterpiece" and IGN attested, "The music of most big budget action movies won't move you like the music of Hitman 2." Similarly, Kyd's mix of cinematic themes, urban soundscapes and ethnic instrumentation for the first Hitman video game, Hitman: Codename 47 is revered as a classic amongst Hitman fans; "The theme song to the original Hitman is arguably one of the best pieces of video game theme music so far this decade," MP3.com declared. Both soundtracks are available as a collector's 2-disc set from the Hollywood film soundtrack label La-La Land Records. In 2004, the music of Hitman 2: Silent Assassin was performed by members of the Prague Symphony Orchestra in front of a sold-out prestigious Gewandhaus concert hall in Leipzig, Germany, during the historic 'GC' Symphonic Game Music concert, the first event series of its kind outside of Japan.
Kyd's other credits include the CGI movies in Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory (Ubisoft) directed by Andy Davis (The Fugitive, Under Siege, Collateral Damage), electronic dance music tracks for Microsoft's Xbox action sci-fi shooter Brute Force, remixes and original tracks for Konami's smash-hit Xbox music game Dance Dance Revolution: Ultramix 2 and the contemporary Anime soundtrack for Robotech: Invasion, the video game based on the popular franchise developed by Vicious Cycle and Take 2 in association with Harmony Gold. His upcoming projects include music for Epic Games' Unreal Tournament 2007 and the original score for the massive multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG), The Chronicles Of SpellBorn. For Spellborn, Kyd steered away from the generic orchestra music archetypes commonly associated with RPGs and has instead crafted a more emotional and personal experience by mixing choirs with acoustic instruments, sound design elements and organic, electronic music. Perhaps his most affecting and experimental score to date, Kyd's multi-layered approach to scoring Spellborn breaks new ground for the fantasy and role-playing genres just as he did for the action and stealth genres before.
For more information visit www.jesperkyd.com.
Profile
Birth: 1972, Copenhagen, Denmark
Music Composition
- Soul Rift (2008) (Audio)
- Soul Rift Main Theme (Formerly "Catwalk")
- Reactor
- Dreamseed Collateral (2007) (Audio)
- Dreamseed Audio ID (Short Version)
Additional Details
Genres: Action, Crime, Drama, Sci-Fi, Thriller, Mystery, Adventure, Animation, Horror, Short, War, Documentary, Fantasy, History, Music
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