Richard Jacques
Encyclopedia
Richard Jacques is a British
music composer
. He is best known for his video game music, most notably for numerous video games created by Sega
.
duet, at age of nine. Richard began studying music at Colchester Institute School of Music and Wells Cathedral School
, but he got his primary music education at Royal Academy of Music
, where was exposed to a number of instruments and was taught to play in various genres, from jazz
to rock
. Jacques finished the academy with Bachelor's Degree
"In Music Composition" in 1995 and two days after his graduation set as in-house composer at Sega Europe.
games, most notably jazz
and powerpop-influenced scores for Sonic R
and Sonic 3D Blast
. In 2000 he also created the interactive radio system for Metropolis Street Racer
and composed additional hip-hop tunes for Jet Set Radio
, but Jacques's most known and acclaimed work at Sega came with his soundtrack for 2001's Headhunter
. Jacques composed it with London Session Orchestra at Abbey Road Studios
, scoring dramatic orchestral pieces. The soundtrack was well received, won awards, was historically performed at first Symphonic Game Music Concert at Leipzig
and became popular entry at Video Games Live
event. Jacques left Sega Europe shortly after Headhunter's release and became freelancer, but contributed to soundtracks of sequels of Headhunter and Jet Set Radio
, and still composes for titles in Sonic the Hedgehog series. Perhaps his most known work from recent time is the additional score for critically acclaimed science fiction
RPG
Mass Effect
. Aside from composing video game music, Richard also writes pieces for commercials and Video Games Live
. He also composed some of the music in the BBC
TV gameshow series, Don't Scare The Hare
.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
music composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
. He is best known for his video game music, most notably for numerous video games created by Sega
Sega
, usually styled as SEGA, is a multinational video game software developer and an arcade software and hardware development company headquartered in Ōta, Tokyo, Japan, with various offices around the world...
.
Early life
Born in musical family, Jacques was interested in composing from early age. He wrote his first music achievement, a pianoPiano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
duet, at age of nine. Richard began studying music at Colchester Institute School of Music and Wells Cathedral School
Wells Cathedral School
Wells Cathedral School is a co-educational independent school located in Wells, Somerset, England. The school is one of the five established musical schools for school-age children in the United Kingdom, along with Chetham's School of Music, the Yehudi Menuhin School, the Purcell School and St....
, but he got his primary music education at Royal Academy of Music
Royal Academy of Music
The Royal Academy of Music in London, England, is a conservatoire, Britain's oldest degree-granting music school and a constituent college of the University of London since 1999. The Academy was founded by Lord Burghersh in 1822 with the help and ideas of the French harpist and composer Nicolas...
, where was exposed to a number of instruments and was taught to play in various genres, from jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
to rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
. Jacques finished the academy with Bachelor's Degree
Bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
"In Music Composition" in 1995 and two days after his graduation set as in-house composer at Sega Europe.
Career
At Sega Europe Jacques began with doing soundtracks for a plenty of Sega SaturnSega Saturn
The is a 32-bit fifth-generation video game console that was first released by Sega on November 22, 1994 in Japan, May 11, 1995 in North America, and July 8, 1995 in Europe...
games, most notably jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
and powerpop-influenced scores for Sonic R
Sonic R
Sonic R is a racing game developed by Traveller's Tales and Sonic Team for the Sega Saturn and PC, the latter version being ported to the GameCube and the PlayStation 2 in Sonic Gems Collection. It features characters from the Sonic the Hedgehog series...
and Sonic 3D Blast
Sonic 3D Blast
Sonic 3D is an isometric platform game in the Sonic the Hedgehog series. It was developed in the United Kingdom by Traveller's Tales and published by Sega. The Japanese version was also Sega Saturn exclusive...
. In 2000 he also created the interactive radio system for Metropolis Street Racer
Metropolis Street Racer
Metropolis Street Racer or MSR is a racing game for the Dreamcast. It was developed by Bizarre Creations, and published by Sega. The game was originally intended to be a Dreamcast launch title in Europe and North America, however, due to numerous delays it was not released in Europe until November...
and composed additional hip-hop tunes for Jet Set Radio
Jet Set Radio
is a video game for the Dreamcast, developed by Smilebit and published by Sega on June 29, 2000. A 2D version of the game was later released for Game Boy Advance; this version was developed by Vicarious Visions and published by THQ. Its sequel, Jet Set Radio Future was released 2 years later for...
, but Jacques's most known and acclaimed work at Sega came with his soundtrack for 2001's Headhunter
Headhunter (video game)
Headhunter is a video game developed by Amuze for the Dreamcast and PlayStation 2 video game consoles. The Dreamcast version of the game was only distributed in Europe, by BigBen Interactive....
. Jacques composed it with London Session Orchestra at Abbey Road Studios
Abbey Road Studios
Abbey Road Studios is a recording studio located at 3 Abbey Road, St John's Wood, City of Westminster, London, England. It was established in November 1931 by the Gramophone Company, a predecessor of British music company EMI, its present owner...
, scoring dramatic orchestral pieces. The soundtrack was well received, won awards, was historically performed at first Symphonic Game Music Concert at Leipzig
Leipzig
Leipzig Leipzig has always been a trade city, situated during the time of the Holy Roman Empire at the intersection of the Via Regia and Via Imperii, two important trade routes. At one time, Leipzig was one of the major European centres of learning and culture in fields such as music and publishing...
and became popular entry at Video Games Live
Video Games Live
Video Games Live is a concert series created and produced by industry veterans and video game composers Tommy Tallarico and Jack Wall. The concerts consist of segments of video game music performed by a live orchestra with video footage and synchronized lighting and effects, as well as several...
event. Jacques left Sega Europe shortly after Headhunter's release and became freelancer, but contributed to soundtracks of sequels of Headhunter and Jet Set Radio
Jet Set Radio Future
Jet Set Radio Future is a video game developed by Smilebit and the sequel to Jet Set Radio. The game is also known as Jet Grind Radio. It was published by Sega. It was released on February 25, 2002 in the United States, near the beginning of the Xbox's lifespan...
, and still composes for titles in Sonic the Hedgehog series. Perhaps his most known work from recent time is the additional score for critically acclaimed science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
RPG
Role-playing video game
Role-playing video games are a video game genre with origins in pen-and-paper role-playing games such as Dungeons & Dragons, using much of the same terminology, settings and game mechanics. The player in RPGs controls one character, or several adventuring party members, fulfilling one or many quests...
Mass Effect
Mass Effect
Mass Effect is an action role-playing game developed by BioWare for the Xbox 360 and Microsoft Windows by Demiurge Studios. The Xbox 360 version was released worldwide in November 2007 published by Microsoft Game Studios...
. Aside from composing video game music, Richard also writes pieces for commercials and Video Games Live
Video Games Live
Video Games Live is a concert series created and produced by industry veterans and video game composers Tommy Tallarico and Jack Wall. The concerts consist of segments of video game music performed by a live orchestra with video footage and synchronized lighting and effects, as well as several...
. He also composed some of the music in the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
TV gameshow series, Don't Scare The Hare
Don't Scare the Hare
Don't Scare the Hare was a 2011 British television game show produced by Initial Scotland for the BBC, hosted by Jason Bradbury and narrated by Sue Perkins. The programme was aired on BBC One on Saturday evenings and was first transmitted on 23 April 2011, before the first episode of the 6th series...
.
Selected works
- Alice in Wonderland
- Battlestations: PacificBattlestations: PacificBattlestations: Pacific is an action and real-time tactics video game published by Eidos Interactive and developed by Eidos Hungary. It is also the sequel to the 2007 video game Battlestations: Midway. It was released for Microsoft Windows and Xbox 360 on May 12, 2009 in North America, and on May...
- You're in the MoviesYou're in the Moviesis a party game for the Xbox 360 that is bundled with the Xbox Live Vision Camera, developed by Zoë Mode. It was released by Codemasters in the United States and the United Kingdom in 2008, and in Australia and Japan in 2009. The game is a process of filming a movie on one of the 30 scenarios that...
- Baku Baku AnimalBaku Baku AnimalBaku Baku Animal is a falling block puzzle arcade game released by Sega in 1995.-Gameplay:The player must line up falling blocks of animals and foodstuffs. When an animal is aligned adjacent to a tile of its favoured food, the animal eats the food...
- Battlestations: MidwayBattlestations: MidwayBattlestations: Midway is a video game developed by Eidos Studios Hungary and released on January 30, 2007 for the Xbox 360 and Microsoft Windows...
- Conflict: Denied OpsConflict: Denied OpsThe game has received average to negative reviews from critics, earning averages of 57 on Metacritic and 58% on GameRankings. It was criticized for its unoriginal and generic gameplay and broken co-op system....
- Daytona USA: Championship Circuit EditionDaytona USA: Championship Circuit EditionDaytona USA: Championship Circuit Edition is a racing arcade game by Sega, specifically designed for the Sega Saturn. Released in 1996, it is a reworked and extended version of the original Daytona USA, developed by Sega-AM3, the second-party developer that oversaw the mostly arcade-perfect Saturn...
- Eight DaysEight DaysEight Days is an action game that was being developed by SCE London Studio for the PlayStation 3. The game was reported to have been cancelled on 4 June 2008, however it was later revealed in October 2009 that the game was merely on hold...
- EyeToy: Play 2EyeToy: Play 2EyeToy: Play 2 is the second PlayStation 2 game in the EyeToy: Play series. It uses EyeToy camera technology to project the player on to the television screen, allowing them to interact with on screen objects. The game contains twelve new minigames, that allow for single or multi-player modes...
- EyeToy: Play 3EyeToy: Play 3EyeToy: Play 3 is the third game in the EyeToy: Play series. Up to four players can play just like the previous games. There are many new mini games such as beach volleyball and bowling.-Game list:* Volleyball* Bowling* Touchdown* DJ* Be The Band...
- HeadhunterHeadhunter (video game)Headhunter is a video game developed by Amuze for the Dreamcast and PlayStation 2 video game consoles. The Dreamcast version of the game was only distributed in Europe, by BigBen Interactive....
- Headhunter Redemption
- James Bond 007: Blood StoneJames Bond 007: Blood StoneJames Bond 007: Blood Stone is an action-adventure video game, developed by Bizarre Creations and published by Activision for the Microsoft Windows, Nintendo DS, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 platforms. It is the 24th game in the James Bond series although it is not a direct sequel to any game; it is...
- Jet Set RadioJet Set Radiois a video game for the Dreamcast, developed by Smilebit and published by Sega on June 29, 2000. A 2D version of the game was later released for Game Boy Advance; this version was developed by Vicarious Visions and published by THQ. Its sequel, Jet Set Radio Future was released 2 years later for...
- Jet Set Radio FutureJet Set Radio FutureJet Set Radio Future is a video game developed by Smilebit and the sequel to Jet Set Radio. The game is also known as Jet Grind Radio. It was published by Sega. It was released on February 25, 2002 in the United States, near the beginning of the Xbox's lifespan...
- Mass EffectMass EffectMass Effect is an action role-playing game developed by BioWare for the Xbox 360 and Microsoft Windows by Demiurge Studios. The Xbox 360 version was released worldwide in November 2007 published by Microsoft Game Studios...
- Metropolis Street RacerMetropolis Street RacerMetropolis Street Racer or MSR is a racing game for the Dreamcast. It was developed by Bizarre Creations, and published by Sega. The game was originally intended to be a Dreamcast launch title in Europe and North America, however, due to numerous delays it was not released in Europe until November...
- Outrun 2 (Euro Remix Music)
- Pursuit ForcePursuit ForcePursuit Force is a video game for the PlayStation Portable. It puts the player in the role of a police agent who joins up to a law enforcement agency known as the Pursuit Force, to restore order to a city overrun with crime. This elite unit specialises in direct armed encounters with adversaries,...
- Samba De AmigoSamba de AmigoSamba de Amigo is a rhythm game originally developed by Sonic Team and released in 1999 by Sega in arcades, 2000 for the Dreamcast video game console, and developed by Gearbox Software and Escalation Studios in 2008 for the Wii. The player uses controllers shaped like maracas with the goal of...
- Sega Superstars TennisSega Superstars TennisSega Superstars Tennis is a tennis video game developed by Sumo Digital and published by Sega. The game was released on March 17, 2008 in Europe, on March 18, 2008 in North America, and on March 27, 2008 in Australia. The game includes 16 playable characters and 10 courts from Sega franchises...
- Shinobi LegionsShinobi LegionsShinobi Legions, known as Shinobi X in Europe and Shin Shinobi Den in Japan, is a video game in the Shinobi series, developed and published by Sega in 1995 for Sega Saturn.-Storyline:...
(European version) - SingStarSingStarSingStar is a competitive music video game series for PlayStation consoles, developed by London Studio and published by Sony Computer Entertainment. 23 English-language instalments of the series have been released for the PlayStation 2, and six versions for the PlayStation 3 have been released...
- Sonic and the Black KnightSonic and the Black Knightis a title within the Sonic the Hedgehog series, released exclusively on Wii as the second entry in the Sonic Storybook series, following on from Sonic and the Secret Rings. The game is directed by Tetsu Katano, who was the lead programmer of the Sonic Adventure titles and Sonic Heroes...
- Sonic & Sega All-Stars RacingSonic & Sega All-Stars RacingSonic & Sega All-Stars Racing is a racing game in the Sega Superstars series produced for Wii, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Nintendo DS and Microsoft Windows, featuring characters from many Sega franchises. It is being published by Sega and developed by Sumo Digital...
- Sonic Chronicles: The Dark BrotherhoodSonic Chronicles: The Dark BrotherhoodSonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood is a Nintendo DS console role-playing game based on the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise, and developed by Canadian RPG developer BioWare as their first handheld video game project...
- Sonic Free RidersSonic Free Ridersis a motion controlled racing video game in the Sonic the Hedgehog series. It is the third installment in the Sonic Riders series, following Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity. The game utilizes Microsoft's Kinect peripheral...
- Sonic RSonic RSonic R is a racing game developed by Traveller's Tales and Sonic Team for the Sega Saturn and PC, the latter version being ported to the GameCube and the PlayStation 2 in Sonic Gems Collection. It features characters from the Sonic the Hedgehog series...
- Sonic 3D (Sega Saturn and PC versions)
- Starship Troopers
- Super Smash Bros. BrawlSuper Smash Bros. BrawlSuper Smash Bros. Brawl, known in Japan as , often abbreviated as SSBB or simply as Brawl, is the third installment in the Super Smash Bros. series of crossover fighting games, developed by an ad hoc development team consisting of Sora, Game Arts and staff from other developers, and published by...
- The ClubThe Club (video game)The Club is a third-person shooter video game developed by Bizarre Creations and published by Sega.The story of the game centres around The Club, an underground blood sport controlled by a wealthy elite who place their bets on who will survive the gladiatorial-style combat.-Plot:The player chooses...
- Total Immersion Racing
External links
- Richard Jacques's official site
- Richard Jacques' MySpace
- Artist profile at OverClocked ReMixOverClocked ReMixOverClocked ReMix, also known as OC ReMix and OCR, is a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving and paying tribute to video game music through arranging and re-interpreting the songs with new technology and software, as well as by various traditional means...