Jesper Kyd Jakobson(/ˈdʒɛspərˈkɪd/;Danish:Jesper Kyd Jakobson[ˈjespɐˈkʰytˈjɑkʰʌpsʌn];born 3 February 1972) is a Danish composer andsound designerwho has worked on various video game, television, and film projects. He has composed soundtracks for theHitmanseries,Assassin's Creedseries,Borderlandsseries,Darksiders IIandState of Decay,among many others. His scores use orchestra, choir, acoustic manipulations and electronic soundscapes.[1]
Jesper Kyd | |
|---|---|
 Kyd in 2013 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Jesper Kyd Jakobson |
| Born | 3 February 1972 Hørsholm,Denmark |
| Genres | |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1986–present |
| Labels |
|
| Website | jesperkyd |
Biography
editEarly years
editKyd started playing the piano at an early age. Later, he took several years of training in classical guitar, note reading, choir singing and classical composition for piano. However, he is mostlyself-taught.[2][3]Kyd started using computers for composing on aCommodore 64at age 14,[4]and later anAmiga.[5]He and Mikael Balle became members of thedemogroupSilents DK, and later started collaborating with a group ofcodersknown as Crionics.[6]They eventually made theAmigademosceneproductionHardwired.[7]Kyd also created and scored the first wild demo,Global Trash 2,together with Mikael Balle.
Kyd then left the demoscene and started to work as a game musician. He and others created the computer game developerZyrinxand a game calledSub-Terraniafor theSega Genesis.The team then relocated toBoston.Kyd composed music for two additional Zyrinx titles,Red ZoneandScorcherand the music for two externally developed games,AmokandThe Adventures of Batman and Robinfor theSega Genesis.Zyrinx dissolved when their game publisher Scavenger went bankrupt.
Freelance
editMany former Zyrinx members returned to Denmark to startIO Interactive,but Kyd moved to New York City and set up his own sound studio inManhattancalled "Nano studios".[8]He then worked as a freelance video game musician.
The soundtrack toHitman:Codename 47was based on urban soundscapes and ethnic instrumentation. He then recorded the soundtrack ofHitman 2: Silent Assassinwith 110 musicians of the Budapest Symphony Orchestra and Hungarian RadioChoir.[9]He recorded the score for the action/adventureFreedom Fighterswith the Hungarian Radio choir. It was described byFilm Score MonthlyMagazineas "Vangelison steroids ". He used modernelectronicaand symphonic and choral music inHitman: Contracts.Kyd followed up withHitman: Blood Money,also performed by the Budapest Symphony Orchestra and Hungarian Radio Choir.
Kyd then provided a cinematic middle eastern-based score for Ubisoft'sAssassin's Creed.He then wrote music for several games in the Assassin's Creed and Borderlands franchise. Kyd also wrote the soundtrack for the action/adventureDarksiders II,notable for being his first entirely non-digital score.[10]
Kyd composed the soundtrack ofWarhammer 40,000: Darktide,which released in 2022. Kyd sought to create a score that would fit a retro-futuristic setting, and avoided using orchestral elements and guitars, which were typically found in otherWarhammergames. The score was inspired by "cyberpunk culture and sci-fi manga," with the main instruments including drum machines and modular synths.[11]
Influences
editJesper Kyd's influences include composers such asOttorino Respighi,Igor Stravinsky,Jean-Michel Jarre,Vangelis,Mike Oldfield,John Williams,Jerry Goldsmith,and bands such asRöyksopp,the Knife,Pink Floyd,andUnderworld.[12][13][14][15][16]
Works
editVideo games
editFilms
edit| Year | Title |
|---|---|
| 2000 | Night All Day |
| 2006 | Sweet Insanity |
| Death of a Saleswoman | |
| 2007 | La Passion de Jeanne d'Arc(1928, new score) |
| 2008 | Staunton Hill |
| 2010 | A Perfect Soldier |
| 2015 | Chronicles of the Ghostly Tribe |
| 2018 | Tumbbad |
Short films
edit| Year | Title |
|---|---|
| 2000 | Organizm |
| 2001 | The Lion Tamer |
| Going with Neill | |
| 2002 | Day Pass |
| Paper Plane Man | |
| Pure | |
| 2003 | Cycle |
| 2006 | Impulse |
| Virus | |
| 2010 | The Auctioneers |
| 2011 | Somnolence |
| Assassin's Creed: Embers | |
| 2023 | RAID: Call of the Arbiter[25] |
TV series
edit| Year | Title |
|---|---|
| 2009 | The Resistance |
| 2012-13 | Métal Hurlant Chronicles |
Awards
edit| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | BAFTAAward for Best Original Music[26] | ForHitman: Contracts |
| 2005 | G.A.N.G. Award for Best Cinematic/Cut-Scene Audio[27] | |
| 2009 | G.A.N.G. Award for Music of the Year | |
| Hollywood Music in Media Award[28] | ||
| 2018 | Nile RodgersGlobal Creators Award[29] |
Nominations
edit| Year | Title |
|---|---|
| 2004 | G.A.N.G Award for "Best Original Vocal Song – Choral" |
| Billboard Digital Entertainment Awards nomination forBest Use of Soundtrack | |
| 2006 | MTV's Video Music Awards in the Best Video Game Score category[30] |
References
edit- ^"Jesper Kyd | About".jesperkyd.com.Retrieved21 September2014.
- ^"I Like To Know Which Music School Jesper Went To".Official Jesper Kyd forum.IP.Board.Archived fromthe originalon 13 July 2011.
- ^Köhn, Johan; Lundqvist, Niklas (12 August 2004)."Jesper Kyd interview with Spelmusik".Spelmusik.net.Archived fromthe originalon 13 April 2008.Retrieved19 June2018.
- ^The Silents (31 March 2003)."Jesper Kyd collection".Pouet.net.Retrieved19 June2018.
- ^"Jesper Kyd".Amiga Music Preservation.14 December 2000.Retrieved19 June2018.
- ^"Crionics".Pouet.net.Retrieved19 June2018.
- ^Crionics & The Silents (6 December 2012)."Hardwired".Pouet.net.Retrieved19 June2018.
- ^"Making Tracks: 7 Questions for 'Assassin's Creed', 'Borderlands' and 'State of Decay' Composer Jesper Kyd".Forbes.
- ^Weedon, Paul (6 October 2014)."Jesper Kyd interview: Assassin's Creed, Hitman and more".Den of Geek.Dennis Publishing Limited.Retrieved19 June2018.
- ^Staff (8 November 2012)."10 questions for Jesper Kyd – the composer behind Assassin's Creed, Hitman & Darksiders 2".Official PlayStation Magazine.Future Publishing Limited.Archived fromthe originalon 17 July 2013.Retrieved17 July2013.
- ^"How Jesper Kyd forged the grimdark rustpunk of Warhammer 40,000: Darktide".Laced Records.Retrieved23 October2023.
- ^"Jesper Kyd: Music Transcends All Platforms".Plarium.Archived fromthe originalon 19 May 2017.Retrieved19 June2018.
- ^Dodd, Adam (19 April 2014)."Jesper Kyd On Composing For 'State of Decay' and" Metal Hurlant Chronicles "".Bloody Disgusting.Retrieved19 June2018.
- ^Williamson, Steven (13 April 2006)."Jesper Kyd: Unreal Tournament 2007".Hexus.The Media Team.Retrieved19 June2018.
- ^Nguyen, John (29 November 2010)."Composer Jesper Kyd on Assassin's Creed Brotherhood and Curing Insomnia (Interview)".Nerd Reactor.Archived fromthe originalon 19 June 2018.Retrieved19 June2018.
- ^Webb, Charles (3 July 2012)."Interview: Composer Jesper Kyd, 'Metal Hurlant Chronicles,' And the Sounds of Sci-fi".MTV News.MTV.Archived fromthe originalon 19 June 2018.Retrieved19 June2018.
- ^D., Spence (11 December 2007)."Jesper Kyd and Assassin's Creed".IGN.Ziff Davis, LLC.p. 1.Retrieved19 June2018.
- ^Taylor, Paul (9 January 2005).""Raiders of the Lost Arts" Interview with BAFTA award-winning Danish composer Jesper Kyd ".Music4Games.Archived fromthe originalon 27 May 2009.Retrieved19 June2018.
- ^D., Spence (11 December 2007)."Jesper Kyd and Assassin's Creed".IGN.Ziff Davis, LLC.p. 4.Retrieved19 June2018.
- ^"Songs by Jesper Kyd".bemanistyle.com.Too Much Dedication, LLC. Archived fromthe originalon 28 September 2007.
- ^abTamburro, Paul (1 July 2005)."Assassin's Creed Composer Jesper Kyd on the Creative Process and His Favorite Soundtrack".CraveOnline.Archived fromthe originalon 8 August 2017.Retrieved19 June2018.
- ^Evoker (14 September 2010)."Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood - Interview".UGDB.com.Eighth Art Ltd. Archived fromthe originalon 18 September 2010.Retrieved15 September2010.
- ^Makuch, Eddie (27 January 2017)."Listen To The Pulsing, Electronic Music From Crytek's VR Game, Robinson: The Journey".GameSpot.CBS Interactive Inc.Retrieved30 January2017.
- ^"Jesper Kyd Scores Warhammer: Vermintide 2".Gamasutra.UBM.18 January 2018.Retrieved18 January2018.
- ^"The Arbiter calls. Will you answer?".Call of the Arbiter.Retrieved10 June2023.
- ^"Jesper Kyd - Awards".IMDb.Retrieved2 April2022.
- ^"3rd Annual GANG Awards - 2004 Released Games".Audio Gang.2004.Retrieved19 June2018.
- ^"Assassin's Creed II".IMDb.
- ^"Composer Jesper Kyd to receive Nile Rodgers Global Creators Award at 2018 Canadian Music Week".Electronic Musician.Toronto: Future Publishing Limited Quay House. 25 April 2018.Retrieved13 July2018.
- ^"MTV - Video Music Awards".Game Trailers.31 August 2006.Archivedfrom the original on 25 December 2007.Retrieved12 July2018.
External links
edit