4Players: First of all: Please introduce yourself with some examples of your work?!Jesper Kyd: My name is Jesper Kyd and I am the composer of soundtracks such as Hitman: Contracts, Hitman 2: Silent Assassin, Hitman 1, Freedom Fighters, Brute Force & Messiah. I have also composed music for films such as Night All Day (
Movie-Website) directed by award-winning German director Basil Schlegel, featuring Ilia Volok (Air Force One, U-Turn, Swordfish) and George Tasudis (Metropolis, City Of Angels, The West Wing).
4P: How do you become a composer especially for game music? Does the Amiga demo scene influence you to found JKP (Jesper Kyd Productions)?JK: In some ways it did. After the Amiga scene I wanted to find a way of continuing to produce music on a creative and experimental level, and videogame soundtracks are the best outlet for free form music composition. I have also loved playing games since I got my first computer. My appreciation and understanding of game development and music allowed me to enter the demo scene and later write music for interactive media.
 | Jesper Kyd at work... |
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4P: Do you often play computer games? Do you think the music score is necessary for an intense atmosphere?JK: I play games regularly. I think it’s very important for a composer to be passionate about the project he/she writes for, whether it’s a game or a film. Without passion the score may sound over produced and lack soul.
I believe a quality music score greatly enhances the atmosphere in a game world, especially if it’s implemented in an intelligent and thoughtful way. A predictable, mediocre or generic score is not going to enhance even the best game. It will add just enough to the atmosphere to make the game work, but will not draw you into the game like a score that affects your emotions.
4P: How do you get the inspiration for the score in each game? What influences have the greatest effects on your work?JK: There are many elements that can inspire a score. First of all, if the game is really unique,
I get a feeling right away that there is a huge opportunity here to do something great with the atmosphere, music style and music implementation. So I work on coming up with ideas that are untraditional and unconventional. Also, the storyline of the game corresponds to what can be done with the music atmospherics.
 | The Brute Force (Xbox) Soundtrack is composed by Jesper Kyd, too. |
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As far as influences are concerned, movies and film soundtracks also inspire me as well as numerous genres of music. I listen to everything from dance music to classical.
4P: When in the development of Hitman: Contracts did you begin your work? How did you interact with the developers? Did you have a directly influence on the game design?
JK: I talk to the game designers in-depth about all my ideas for implementing their vision of the game, especially at the beginning of the music writing process, where music style/atmosphere is established. At this stage it’s very important to be in touch with the developers on a regular basis in order to pinpoint and solidify the exact plan of action.
