Gareth Coker

Game Music

ARK: Survival Evolved OST to be Release by Sumthing Else Music

August 28, 2017 | Brenna Wilkes | Comments Off on ARK: Survival Evolved OST to be Release by Sumthing Else Music Share this

Sumthing Else Music Works, in collaboration with indie game developer, Studio Wildcard, are set to release the orchestral soundtrack to the upcoming launch of the dinosaur survival adventure game, ARK: Survival Evolved.

Composed by Gareth Coker (Ori and the Blind Forest), Studio Wildcard chose him for his melodically-driven themes and motifs and saw fit to pair him up with the Philharmonia Orchestra at Abbey Road Studios in London.

Gareth’s mind-blowing sense of melody and uncanny expertise at reinforcing specific themes and emotions through his music helped shape the identity of ARK: Survival Evolved from the very beginning.

Starting with that iconic main theme written for our first announcement trailer, Gareth continued to deliver a huge and varied score that brought to life every part of the game, be it the beach, the mountains, the jungles, the desert, the caves, the EPIC boss battles and even the out-of-this-world science-fiction climax of ARK‘s End Game.

The score was so good, that we had no choice but to send Gareth to Abbey Road to record the entire thing with the 93-piece Philharmonia Orchestra! – Jesse Rapczak, Co-Founder and Co-Creative Director of Studio Wildcard

Coker’s critically acclaimed soundtrack for Ori and the Blind Forest was honored with several big awards, including the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences award for Outstanding Music Composition and SXSW Gaming Award for Excellence in Musical Score, and his success in the field led to him being awarded recognition as an Associate of the Royal Academy of Music

The official soundtrack album for ARK: Survival Evolved will be released August 29 via digital and streaming outlets worldwide through Sumthing Else Music Works https://www.sumthing.com.
Events, Game Music

Gareth Coker Returns for Ori and the Will of the Wisps!

June 12, 2017 | Ryan Paquet | Comments Off on Gareth Coker Returns for Ori and the Will of the Wisps! Share this

On June 11, 2017, during E3, XBOX announced the sequel to the critically acclaimed Ori and the Blind Forest. The new game will be called Ori and The Will of the Wisps, and the best part is that Gareth Coker is returning to score the game. Gareth Coker was on hand for the presentation to play the piano accompaniment for the trailer too! You can watch the teaser trailer featuring his music below:

Gareth Coker has already made the teaser music available on his bandcamp site. You can listen to it here, and you can hear that both the Nashville Music Scoring Orchestra, and Aeralie Brighton whose vocals graced the first score have also returned.

<a href="http://garethcoker.bandcamp.com/track/ori-and-the-will-of-the-wisps-teaser-music">Ori and the Will of the Wisps – Teaser Music by Gareth Coker</a>

The game itself looks absolutely stunning but I’m not gonna lie, I’m more excited about the music. Are you excited for Ori and the Will of the Wisps?
Game Music

IAM8BIT Records to release Ori and The Blind Forest on Vinyl LP

April 30, 2016 | Ryan Paquet | Comments Off on IAM8BIT Records to release Ori and The Blind Forest on Vinyl LP Share this

On April 27, 2016 composer Gareth Coker tweeted that he was going to soon announce something related to Ori and The Blind Forest’s music, I hoped it would be a physical soundtrack release and iam8bit Records posted details of the release on their website. You can read my full review of the soundtrack here if you missed it, and also check out details of the digital release of the soundtrack to Ori and The Blind Forest: The Definitive Edition.

The soundtrack to Ori and the Blind Forest swept the awards circuit this past year, with good reason. This game has it all: A charming story of friendship, breathtaking visuals that feel like living painting, and a score as lovely as it is emotionally moving. So it’s no surprise that composer Gareth Coker’s carefully crafted masterpiece is a sensory treat when emanating from a turntable – soothing, fantastical and, at times, strikingly sentimental.

Coupled with artist Aya Kakeda’s hand-painted jacket art, not only is the cuteness, charm and allure of Ori and the Blind Forest preserved, its mythology expands, tantalizing in its detailed and soulful brushwork. As with all new iam8bit vinyl releases, the audio is mastered specifically for optimal vinyl audio quality. ***Please note that you may experience additional surface noise with glow-in-the-dark vinyl. For the best audio quality, select the blue/purple edition.

iam8bit

The album is available for pre-orders at iam8bit’s website for $35.00 and will start shipping in Q3 2016. Will you be adding this to your vinyl LP collection?
Game Music

Materia Collective releases new album: NIBEL: Ori and the Blind Forest Remixed

March 21, 2016 | Ryan Paquet | Comments Off on Materia Collective releases new album: NIBEL: Ori and the Blind Forest Remixed Share this

Materia Collective is back with Nibel: Ori and the Blind Forest Remixed. They have previously released two massive collections SUCCESSOR: Final Fantasy VIII Remixed and MATERIA: Final Fantasy VII Remixed. Materia Collective is a video game music record label which pays homage to great video games in the form of collaborative music projects. They have released two sound samples for the album which you can preview below.

Last year, Moon Studios treated the gaming community with a stunning visual and aural experience: Ori and the Blind Forest. The vibrancy embedded in the story, landscape, and music makes the gameplay a stunning and captivating experience. There’s no subtlety in the game’s approach to conveying emotion. The artistic team embraced saturation, resulting in the lush and rich environments of Ori. In turn, Gareth Coker’s score matches the artistic appeal: it’s a breathtaking work with uniqueness in both texture and melodic approach.

Artists of the Materia Collective have performed a new feat. In just three days, more than 50 composers, arrangers, instrumentalists, vocalists, and all-around artists have created a musical homage to celebrate the one-year anniversary of the 2015 indie favorite Ori and the Blind Forest.

The Materia Collective is excited and honored to present the culmination of passion, dedication, and talent. NIBEL: Ori and the Blind Forest Remixed is a licensed 37-track album, presented as a tribute to the art, beauty, and magic of Ori and the Blind Forest. We hope you will enjoy it!

Materia Collective

The album is available for digital purchase for $9.99 on Loudr and iTunes and it also available on Spotify here. What do you think of Materia Collective’s take on the music of Ori and the Blind Forest?
Game Music

Ori and The Blind Forest Definitive Edition Soundtrack Released!

March 12, 2016 | Ryan Paquet | 1 Comment Share this

On March 11, 2016 Moon Studios the creators of Ori and The Blind Forest released the “Definitive Edition” of the game and with it composer Gareth Coker has released more music.

This album contains the following material:

– New tracks from Ori : Definitive Edition (Tracks 1 – 8)
– Music from the 3 trailers that Moon Studios have released for the game. (Tracks 8 – 10)
– Music that was not released on the original soundtrack. (Tracks 11 – 20)
– A selection of music that was unused or cut from the original game. (Tracks 21 – 26)
– A selection of music from the original Ori prototype. (Tracks 27-29)

“Owning this alongside the original album (purchasable at iTunes, Amazon, etc.) gives you just about all the music content in the game .

Thank you so much for all your support for Ori in the last year, it means the world to all of us, the musicians, engineers, everyone who worked on the score, and most definitely not least, Moon Studios.”

Gareth Coker, Composer of Ori and The Blind Forest

I reviewed the first release of the soundtrack and for me it was the best soundtrack released in 2015. You can revisit my review for the original soundtrack here and read why it is such a solid achievement for video game music which features the Nashville Music Scoring Orchestra, and brilliant vocals by Aeralie Brighton. You can also check out Sebastian Urrea’s review of his most recent soundtrack to The Mean Greens which is not the soundtrack your plastic army men need, but the one they deserve.

<a href="http://garethcoker.bandcamp.com/album/ori-and-the-blind-forest-additional-soundtrack">Ori and the Blind Forest (Additional Soundtrack) by Gareth Coker</a>

Gareth Coker has the album available on his bandcamp page for Name Your Price. I have already listened to the album and it is a gorgeous companion to the original soundtrack. If you own the original game you can purchase The Defnitive Edition on Xbox One’s store as an add on for $4.99. If you don’t own the game you can get it for $19.99. PC users will have to wait a little bit longer to get their hands on it.

Have you played Ori and The Blind Forest? What did you think of the music in the game?
Game Music, Reviews

Not the Soundtrack Your Green Army Men Need, but the One They Deserve: Mean Greens: Plastic Warfare OST (Review)

January 18, 2016 | Sebastian Urrea | Comments Off on Not the Soundtrack Your Green Army Men Need, but the One They Deserve: Mean Greens: Plastic Warfare OST (Review) Share this

Did you ever use to play with those little plastic army men when you were little? Maybe setting them up in all sorts of unexpected places around the house, ready to wage the next big battle against the opposing side? If you did, or even if you just like team-based shooter games, Mean Greens: Plastic Warfare might be right up your alley. It’s a new game that basically brings that old plastic army men war scenario to life with fun multiplayer gameplay and some beautiful graphics. To round it off, the game features a pretty fantastic soundtrack; read on to learn more!

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Events, Game Music, Music Production

Maestros of Video Games Panelists Announced for PAX Prime

August 27, 2015 | Shawn Sackenheim | Comments Off on Maestros of Video Games Panelists Announced for PAX Prime Share this

Those attending PAX Prime this weekend will have another chance to sit in and listen to five video game composers regale them with their experiences and stories. Held at the Sphinx Theatre, Sheraton at 5:30pm, the 60-minute ‘Maestros of Video Games’ panel marks its return in 2015 with Gareth Coker (Ori & the Blind Forest, Ark), Sarah Schachner (Assassin’s Creed series), Jason Graves (Until Dawn, The Order: 1886), Cris Velasco (Bloodborne, God of War) and Grant Kirkhope (Yooka-Laylee, just about every Rare game).

From 7-9pm at the Westin join the composers for a meet & greet and autograph signing session. Don’t forget to bring your transforming cleavers, plush Banjo dolls, commemorative wrist blades, and dying tree spirits. Pens will probably be provided.