Jessica Curry apparently loves the Mass Effect 3 soundtrack

Jessica Curry is one of the most celebrated composers in video game history, winning a BAFTA for her composition of the Everyone has gone to the Rapture score, and she got her video game start on the sweeping, dramatic score for Dear Esther. And we haven’t even talked about the spooky sounds she wrote for Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs.

Speaking to Polygon FM — our weeklong dive into the most interesting music in video games — Curry talked to us about her first foray into video games, her process and influences, and how fans are enjoying her music today.

Was there a game soundtrack or song that inspired you to start making game music? Can you paint the scene of what that felt like for you, and why the music was so effective?

I had never played a game before when (developer Dan Pinchbeck) asked me to write the music for Dear Esther — games just weren’t in my world. It was strange but liberating to compose a game soundtrack before I ever listened to it! The good thing was that it freed me from constraints. The first piece of game music I heard that I really loved was Clint Mansell’s “Leaving Earth” on the Mass Effect 3 soundtrack. Melancholic epic that conjures up endless, floating landscapes — what’s not to love?

Can you break down one of your own songs and its influences? Was it inspired by game soundtracks, other music, or something else?

One of the favorite pieces of music I’ve written is “Great friends“for the game So let’s melt.

I wanted to make music that didn’t sound like anything else, but there were two tracks that were definitely in the back of my mind when I wrote this piece. The first is “Baba O’Riley” by The Who — I love the electronic arpeggio that pulses so energetically through the song.

The other music is “The State” by composer Louis Andriessen. Like “Baba” it also has a beautiful pulse and I love the minimalist repetitions and textures. I also love the purity of the vocal style in the piece and that was hugely inspiring when it came to conducting the choir in the sound I wanted for “Great Friends”.

What are the main instruments used to create the soundtrack for Everyone has gone to the RaptureHow did you choose those instruments?

For Trance I wanted to create a wonderfully English, bucolic sound; a sound reminiscent of the world of Elgar and Vaughan Williams. So strings, woodwinds and choir play a major role in the soundtrack. I heard the soloist Elin Manahan Thomas sing in concert and knew immediately that her voice would be the center of that sonic world. Her voice (on) the score still gives me goosebumps to this day.

Is there anything else we should know about your approach to composing video game music?

I put my heart and soul into every project. I think people can feel the love and care and the best part of my job is reading all the incredible emails about what my music means to people. My music has accompanied people down the aisle, fleeing war zones and at the funerals of their loved ones and it is an honor and a privilege to know that.