A collection of cues from various film, videogame, and other projects I've worked on, past and present.  Think of this as an audio portfolio of sorts, an aural demo reel, if you will.

Scoring/Soundtrack Demos

In late 2020, I was hired to score a vertical slice for a Silver Age-inspired superhero game that leaned hard into the comic-book aesthetic, blending comic pages with turn based battles and deck-building gameplay. I built a progression-based interactive music system for battles that would advance in intensity as the fight escalated, finally climaxing in victory or defeat.  You'll hear the main theme for the game, and then a a boss battle track for a fight against an electrically-powered supervillain.  The fight is broken up into three stages that, in FMod, would be triggered to advance at key moments, and then finally we get two possible ending outcomes for the battle. 
Which will it be? Triumph or failure?

(Placeholder art from Irrational's fantastic Freedom Force)

C&C - Boss Battle - Super-Charger

C&C - Welcome to Cape City

The official soundtrack for the 2021 Devolver MaxPass+ Showcase: Monetization as a Service is now available!
http://hyperurl.co/DDCUMaaS

8 tracks of cinematic nonsense by yours truly and the stunning ode to 90's sitcoms, "Daydream", by Stemage, feat. The Arkadian as a capstone to the experience!

Check a look at the full showcase here:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=viojUZ4gS5w

Special thanks to Imagos Films for making this absurd flight of genius possible.
www.imagosfilms.com

Devolver Digital® Cinematic Universe: Monetization as a Soundtrack? - 3 - Welcome To The Future

A peek at the score for tomorrow's premiere of the horror "classic", "Werewolf in a Girls Sorority" from RocketJump.com!

Soundtrack Now Available!
Loudr:
http://www.loudr.fm/release/werewolf-in-a-girls-sorority-the-original-soundtrack/XV5bb

Bandcamp:
http://johnrobertmatz.bandcamp.com/album/werewolf-in-a-girls-sorority-the-original-soundtrack



Werewolf in a Girls Sorority - The Transformation

A piece written for the upcoming game Enemy Starfighter, designed by Mike Tipul.

Find out more about the game at www.enemystarfighter.com and follow Mike at twitter.com/tipul on Twitter!

Enemy Starfighter - Death From Above

An excerpt of the original score for the upcoming video game Fossil Echo.
(Formerly a shorter excerpt; this has been updated to the Album release version.)
You can purchase the complete album at:
https://johnrobertmatz.bandcamp.com/album/fossil-echo-original-soundtrack

Original Text:
Fossil Echo's music is written as a series of interactive pieces, overlapping, interweaving and repeating as needed to support the action on screen.  Here's a snapshot of one of those sequences.
Enjoy!

Check out the game, and our announcement trailer here:
www.fossilecho.com

And follow us on Twitter at @FossilEcho (www.twitter.com/FossilEcho/)

Buy Full Soundtrack

Fossil Echo Soundtrack - From the Roots to the Boughs

The score for Imagos Films' interactive promotional short for the newly-released Westerado: Double Barreled (http://store.steampowered.com/app/275200/), published by Adult Swim Games.
Check out the film here:
https://interlude.fm/v/V1erGV

Find out more about Imagos's latest projects here:
http://imagosfilms.tumblr.com/

Enjoy!

08 - The Three Quarters Cup Of Pink And Pistols - The Ballad Of Westerado

06 - The Soiled Dove - The Ballad Of Westerado

01 - The Gunslinger Cometh - The Ballad Of Westerado

An excerpt from the score to "For the King", an upcoming turn-based RPG by IronOak Games.

"It is said that the the Burning Forest, the birthplace of magic, is constantly shifting and rearranging itself whenever mortal eyes turn away.  Take heed that you do not lose yourselves amongst its crimson boughs..."

For the King has a Steam page - Wishlist it to be notified when we launch into Early Access!
store.steampowered.com/app/527230/

Find out more about For the King at:
ironoakgames.com

Wishlist on Steam!

For The King - The Burning Forest

Fossil Echo is the culmination of more than two years of work, and I’m incredibly pleased to finally be able to share it with you.  The game tells the story of a young boy climbing a mysterious tower that rises from the middle of the sea.  How he got there, why he’s on this quest, and what he’ll find at the top are all things you’ll have to discover for yourself as you make your ascent.

With its beautiful hand-drawn and animated art style and incredible environments, Fossil Echo immediately captured my imagination, and was an absolute joy to score, and giving a voice to the strange and wonderful world created by artist and designer Philippe Crifo was a genuine pleasure.  

Depicting a world equal parts haunting, beautiful, and dangerous, with flashes of real beauty around every corner is every composer’s dream, and I hope you enjoy listening Fossil Echo as much as I enjoyed writing it.

Fossil Echo releases on July 1st, 2016.  
Pre-orders are available at www.fossilecho.com

Fossil Echo Original Soundtrack - The Forest And The Fire

Fossil Echo Soundtrack - Into The Caves

Featuring the wonderful @mklachu on violin

Fossil Echo is the culmination of more than two years of work, and I’m incredibly pleased to finally be able to share it with you. The game tells the story of a young boy climbing a mysterious tower that rises from the middle of the sea. How he got there, why he’s on this quest, and what he’ll find at the top are all things you’ll have to discover for yourself as you make your ascent.

With its beautiful hand-drawn and animated art style and incredible environments, Fossil Echo immediately captured my imagination, and was an absolute joy to score, and giving a voice to the strange and wonderful world created by artist and designer Philippe Crifo was a genuine pleasure.

Depicting a world equal parts haunting, beautiful, and dangerous, with flashes of real beauty around every corner is every composer’s dream, and I hope you enjoy listening Fossil Echo as much as I enjoyed writing it.

Fossil Echo releases on July 1st, 2016 and on Steam on July 8th, 2016.
DRM-free and Steam versions are available at www.fossilecho.com

Fossil Echo Soundtrack - Main Theme

A smattering of music from different projects, from fantasy to westerns, from sci-fi to jazz, all curated to take you on a musical journey.  
Perhaps you'll hear something you like?
Feel free to reach out if you have any questions.
www.johnrobertmatz.com
JRNMatz (at) Gmail.com

Game/Film Composing Demo Reel - Mk1

An array of cues from an audition for a dark sci-fi film project.
I tried to capture the darkness of the setting and the peculiarly retro/modern aesthetics of the piece.
It was really fun to write.

Art by Vladimir Manyukhin
https://www.artstation.com/artwork/OBxN6

Sinister World - (On Approach/A Living Vista/A Decision/A Deception)

I’m incredibly happy to share the main theme for Ambition: A Minuet in Power with you all!
This piece features the virtuosic oboe of Kristin Naigus (@field-of-reeds), best known for her work on ABZÛ, Tooth & Tail, and the just-released Moss. The main theme sets the stage for the game, raising the curtain and acting as an overture of sorts, foreshadowing the heights of grandeur you might rise to, while nodding to the lines and people you might cross to get there. It’s all wrapped up in a musical form that takes its cues in equal parts from period opera overtures and a Classical-era oboe concerto. 

This piece was an absolute pleasure to write. It allowed me to pull on the sounds and techniques of the late 18th century, taking influence from composers like Mozart, Haydn, and the Chevalier de Saint-Georges himself, Joseph Boulogne. This has been an absolute thrill, and I can’t wait to share more with you. 

Special thanks also to Andrew Steffen, Andrew Stern, Sam Bobinski, and Michael Scott Gebhart (@bassoonify) for bringing the orchestra to life.  

Hope you enjoy this taste of what’s to come for Ambition’s musical score!

Ambition: A Minuet in Power - Main Theme

Main titles to a new game in production by Jonathan Xikis (http://www.jonathanx.com/).  More noire awesomeness to accompany a world trapped in the technology and trappings of the 1940's.

Trumpet and Flugelhorn played by yours truly, piano is Cinesamples new Piano in Blue library.  Amazing instrument.

Moonshot - Main Theme

A phonograph recording from an alternate Earth, from a musical never written, here's the famous title love duet from the New Broadway show, "It's a Broken Moon"!

Featuring:
Katie Matz as Peggy

John Robert Matz as Steve

and Cinesamples Piano in Blue providing accompaniment!

All audio glitches and artifacts are intentional!

Moonshot - It's a Broken Moon - Duet

Master Test Mix 1
Mastering by Robby Duguay
Guitar on Track 21 Robby Duguay

Mythgard - 01 - Main Theme

Another cue from the upcoming visual novel/choose your own guillotine adventure/dating sim set on the eve of the French Revolution,  "Ambition: A Minuet in Power"! 
This Giga is from the suite of music associated with the Church faction, hence "Suite Vaticana".  I took a decidedly Baroque approach for this suite, channeling a bit of the fire of Vivaldi through our two soloists, Michaela Nachtigall (Violin) and Andrew Dunn (Cello) and basing the core of the movement around the idea of a theme and variations spread across the trio. (I played the Harpsichord part myself.)


For more information about Ambition: A Minuet in Power, please check out www.ambition-game.com

Ambition: A Minuet In Power - Suite Vaticana - ii. Giga

Chicago-area based composer (for film, videogames, and concert hall), music educator, and voice actor.  I write epic, intimate, emotional, memorable scores for orchestra, band, piano, electronics, and percussion.  Check out my website at www.johnrobertmatz.com, if you like my music, check out my albums for sale at johnrobertmatz.bandcamp.com, and please comment on my stuff!  Inquiries can be directed to JRNMatz (at) Gmail.com