Joel Corelitz

Joel Corelitz is an American composer and sound designer. He is best known for his work on The Unfinished Swan which garnered him a BAFTA nomination for Best Music. His other works include Gorogoa, Death Stranding and the upcoming Halo Infinite.

Joel Corelitz
BornChicago, Illinois, United States
Genres
Occupation(s)Composer
Years active2012–present
Websitejoelcorelitz.com

Life and career

Having grown up in the late 1980s, Corelitz developed an interest for sounds and electronic music at the age of five. He later attended Oberlin Conservatory of Music pursuing a Major in Technology in Music and Related Arts. Before his foray into video games, Corelitz had worked on various commercials with composition studio, Steve Ford Music. He later set up his own studio, Waveplant Studios, dedicated to creating soundscapes and music for visual mediums and installations.[1]

His breakthrough would come in 2012 when Sony Interactive Entertainment approached him to compose for The Unfinished Swan.[2] Speaking about his process on the game, he said that "We wanted the music to serve as a companion for Monroe and the player as they explored the world of the game."[3] With that in mind, Corelitz based the score around an assortment of strings and percussion which included harps, violins and marimbas mixed with electronic elements. He noted that "The music is not just background noise, it’s part of the world, it’s part of how you feel, how the character feels."[4]

In 2017, Corelitz was hired by Ludvig Forssell, composer for Death Stranding to assist him in creating sounds for the game. In order to do this, the duo went to Home Depot to gather tools and random objects for use in recording. They recorded various metalic, rustic and unearthly sounds in a three day session with Forssell also integrating the sounds into his score. Corelitz also experimented with a prepared piano which he calls "..the ultimate percussion instrument". He struck piano strings with various objects like a rubber mallet and a sledgehammer producing a string sound that was "dominant". The collaboration later led Corelitz to write additional music citing the studio's preference to "keep things fresh and different".[5][6]

In 2020, Corelitz was announced as one of three composers on Halo Infinite, along with Curtis Schweitzer and Gareth Coker.[7]

Discography
Video games
Year Title Developer(s) Notes
2012 The Unfinished Swan Giant Sparrow Nominated — BATFA Game Award for Best Music[8]
2014 Hohokum Honeyslug Additional music
2016 The Tomorrow Children Japan Studio
Q-Games		 Discontinued in November 2017
2017 TumbleSeed Greg Wohlwend
Benedit Fritz
2017 Gorogoa Jason Roberts Replaced Austin Wintory
2018 Death Stranding Kojima Productions Main score composed by Ludvig Forssell
Additional music / Sound designer
2020 Eastward Pixpil
2021 Halo Infinite 343 Industries Composed with Curtis Schweitzer and Gareth Coker

References
  1. Hughes, Sam (March 6, 2018). "Interview with Joel Corelitz, Gorogoa Composer". The Sound Architect. Retrieved September 14, 2020.
  2. Galil, Leor (May 27, 2020). "Where indie music meets indie gaming". Chicago Reader. Retrieved September 14, 2020.
  3. "The Unfinished Swan Dev Diary: Original Music & Sound". PlayStation. October 10, 2012. Retrieved September 14, 2020.
  4. Ecke, Raymond (December 24, 2012). "Waveplant Composer Joel Corelitz Blends Traditional and Non-Traditional Musical Elements For Sublime "The Unfinished Swan" Videogame Soundtrack". Mix Online. Retrieved September 14, 2020.
  5. Garst, Aron (November 8, 2019). "Playing Piano with a Sledgehammer: Creating Death Stranding's Unidentifiable score". The Verge. Retrieved September 14, 2020.
  6. Link, Jeff (June 26, 2020). "'Death Stranding' Composer Joel Corelitz on the Evolution of Sound Design". BuiltIn. Retrieved September 14, 2020.
  7. Makuch, Eddie (August 19, 2020). "Halo Infinite -- Listen To Another Song From The OST By The Game's Third Composer". GameSpot. Retrieved September 14, 2020.
  8. Gera, Emily (February 12, 2013). "Journey takes the lead in BAFTA nominations". Polygon. Retrieved September 14, 2020.


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