EPISODE 38 IS LIVE!
@codymatthewjohnson.bsky.social is back! He joins @marinahascoffee.bsky.social to talk life, creativity, becoming a video game composer, and what it feels like to be nominated for a Grammy!
Grab a coffee & enjoy! ☕
youtu.be/O-8h3xcrD0g
More life chats with @codymatthewjohnson.bsky.social! Had so much fun recording this one.
If you take a listen, hope you enjoy 🤘☕
Cody Matthew Johnson @codymatthewj X.com To get closer to the vocalizations of Danzikan, I blended in some gerbils and spider monkey, amongst other sounds, to get that chipping flavor you hear from Danzikans in the films 2:07 PM • 2/2/26
Cody Matthew Johnson @codymatthewj X.com Mainly inspired by the vocal processing for Chopper from Rebels! Chopper has an unmistakable liveliness and humanness to his emotes and l aimed to capture that with the singer on this track. Yes the singer is me ;) but heavvily processed 2:04 PM • 2/2/26
Updates from @codymatthewjohnson.bsky.social on how he created the Danzikan vocal effects, inspired by Chopper and incorporating gerbils and spider monkeys!
Huge congratulations to all of the nominees — and deep respect for the collaborators whose craft continue to elevate the bar for game audio.
Grateful we have the privilege to work to be part of a community that values collaboration, care, and excellence.
🏆 Audio of the Year — Delta Force
🏆 Best Audio for an Indie Game — Wildgate
🏆 Best Cinematic & Cutscene Audio — Delta Force
🏆 Best Original Soundtrack Album
🏆 Best Main Theme
The stillness of xmas eve morning felt like the right moment to pause and say thank you to the teams, collaborators and community we’re fortunate to be part of.
Honored to see Emperia’s work and titles we’ve supported recognized by the Game Audio Network Guild again this year!
“Lando’s Redemption” from #StarWarsOutlaws DLC is my most melodically complex piece yet – referencing Williams’ Lando & Rebel motifs as well as @joneverist.bsky.social 's Rebel theme from Outlaws, to convey his suave veneer & grave sense of duty.
Here's a #gamemusic analysis of the themes!
For day 212 of #TheDiegeticShuffle, @ithiliel.bsky.social found this smooth sax player in the Outlaws DLC, jamming on a raised platform. It wasn't until the Wild Card DLC soundtrack was released a few weeks later that we learned it was "Outer Rim Rhapsody" by @codymatthewjohnson.bsky.social.
It's another @codymatthewjohnson.bsky.social track from "Songs from the Underworld," a one-bar organ groove of descending chords endlessly repeated with improvised melodies & rhythms swirling atop it, like a Star Wars echo of the Hombres' "Let It Out (Let It All Hang Out)". youtu.be/kadVYHkWloM?...
This global collaboration was spearheaded by Hélène Choyer, whose leadership and coordination made these sessions possible.
Immense gratitude to our musicians, engineers, and the full Emperia Sound and Music team for handling this project with the respect it deserves.
These tracks honor the traditional music of three cultures:
• Ashanti — performed by Nana Osei Twum Barima
• Aztec — performed by Aztec music specialists Pierre Harmon (winds) and Laurent Sauron (percussion)
• Iroquois (Haudenosaunee) — performed by Dan Cecil Hill
We’re excited to share a first teaser of our recordings for Europa Universalis V, drawn from Paradox’s Musical World Tour video.
Massive thanks to Paradox for welcoming Emperia into the family on this project.
Special shoutout to @raycasarez.bsky.social for the influencer mic and capture this footage live at the panel and to Jamie Mac Rae @sebastianwolff.bsky.social @materiamusic.com for inviting me to join them on this panel!
Creativity is only one half of the job. The business behind the music we make is what shapes our careers and opens doors to opportunities
This year has been full of incredible collaborations. I’m grateful for conversations happening around our craft and the future of game music
Your creative identity is powerful, but your business identity is what sustains you.
Throwing it back to this year’s GameSoundCon panel: “What Business Am I In Again?: Navigating the Music Industry for Game Composers”
Made a score reduction/analysis vid for the #Helldivers2 main theme, “A Cup of Liber-tea”! It transcribes both orchestra and synths/drums, and highlights themes. Try and guess how many times you hear the main motif repeated throughout? :-P
Full vid on YT! #gamemusic
Thank you to Lilith Games, Team AFK, our performers, producers, engineers, mixers, and everyone who has helped us bring the music of AFK Journey to life from the launch of the game. And thank you to the Hollywood Music in Media Awards for this recognition!
We were proud to stand beside two Emperia projects this year — AFK Journey and Delta Force — and our label Emperia Records received an nomination for Best Score for Video Game (Console & PC) for Fallen Aces: Episode 1 composed by Josh Barron. We’re incredibly proud and grateful.
Songs like these are always a true team effort:
Music by: @benhicksmusic.bsky.social & Gina Kouyoumdjian (p/k/a Matilda Stray)
Performed by: Gina Kouyoumdjian
Produced by: Alec Justice
Score Production & Music Direction: Emperia Sound and Music
Emperia takes home an Hollywood Music in Media Award — Best Song/Score – Mobile Video Game for “Whispers of the Ruin (Thorns of Devolution Season Theme Music)”from AFK Journey!
I am so thrilled that you were nominated. It’s one of those special moments, because the music was incredible and genre-defying, and it’s a beloved world. There’s a lot of magic in this nomination, and its’s couldn’t have happened to a nicer person! Congratulations!
And to the @recordingacademy.bsky.social, thank you for your ongoing recognition of game music as the art form it’s always meant to be seen as.
This isn’t just a milestone. It’s a reminder that passion, collaboration, and connection always find their way to the surface in our creative work.
I’m eternally grateful to @ubisoft.com, @lucasfilm.bsky.social @ubimassive.bsky.social, Disney, my team at Emperia Sound and Music and everyone on the Outlaws music teams who believed in this music and gave it space to breathe.
Above all else, this moment feels like a reflection of the people who made it possible. The trust, friendship, and chemistry I’ve had the privilege of sharing with @wilbertroget.bsky.social and @joneverist.bsky.social turned our work in a galaxy far, far away into something deeply human and personal
I’ll be sitting with this one for a while — likely the rest of my life.
Being nominated for a GRAMMY®, especially for something as close to my heart as @starwarsoutlaws.ubisoft.com: Wild Card & A Pirate’s Fortune, feels surreal in every possible sense of the word.
#GRAMMYs
Huge love to Charlie for helping bring Star Wars Outlaws music to life! And special thanks to @RayCasarezMusic for not only introducing me to Charlie, but also for filming and editing this clip!
#StarWarsOutlaws #GRAMMYs #GameMusic
This has been sitting on my drive for way too long, and today feels like the right time to let it out of carbonite.
Charlie Robbins came in and absolutely shredded. Working with him was equal parts awe & inspiration. Every track came back with more character than I imagined.
The Emperia family is beyond proud of our creative teams highlighted here:
Josh Barron Barron • @benhicksmusic.bsky.social • Gina Kouyoumdjian• Alec Justice • Jeff Rona • Max Davidoff-Grey
Here’s to celebrating the incredible talent behind these nominations!
#HollywoodMusicInMediaAwards
From the noir grit of Fallen Aces: Episode 1, to the emotive storytelling woven into the AFK Journey songs, to the pulse-pounding energy of Delta Force, every note represents months (and often years!) of passion from creatives who genuinely care about the craft.
