Martin Iveson is still making Game Music

One of my favorite 16-bit era composers was Martin Iveson. Getting his start at Core Design with titles like Jaguar XJ220 and Wolfchild on Sega CD, his music set the tone for what many would come to expect from video game soundtracks on compact disc. He also had that early 90’s euro-techno flavor that hit the perfect balance between catchy and ambient down pat. But things turned mediocre soon after for me and outside of some joint audio work on Tomb Raider and the hip-hop tracks from Shell Shock his presence really faded away.

Turns out he’s kept pretty busy with work on several Eidos flops like Fighting Force 2, Tomb Raider: Angel of Darkness, and Herdy Gerdy. He also broke from games in the mid-90’s to perform as Atjazz, releasing two albums of deep house/hip-hop/jazz as well as remixing and doing DJ sets.

And just now I’ve come across some of his latest work in the European PSP title, Free Running. Sadly, it’s still a bit generic, much like the urban hip-hop vibe the game tries so hard to pull off, and much like those early tracks from Shell Shock. Maybe in this age of retro-remakes like Bionic Commando he’ll soon be tapped to revisit the early 90’s and bring back some of that wonderful music that etched his name into my mind in the first place.

Speaking of wonderful 90’s action game music, check out one of Martin Iveson’s finest tracks from the Sega CD’s Wolfchild below.