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Nov 30, 2017 By Austin Trunick

The next entries in Black Screen Records’ line of limited edition vinyl video game soundtracks will be composer Jon Everist’s acclaimed scores for Shadowrun: Hong Kong and Shadowrun: Dragonfall. Shipping later this winter, Black Screen Records’ 180gram vinyl releases will feature the games’ scores in remastered form, with sleeve artwork by Joel DuQue and Jenn Ravenna.

The Shadowrun universe launched in the late ‘80s, blending high fantasy into a dark, cyberpunk setting. Since its debut as a tabletop roleplaying game, the Shadowrun world has been used as the setting for novels, a card game, and – most notably – eight video games, starting with the 1993 classic Shadowrun on the SNES. Shadowrun: Dragonfall (2014) and Shadowrun: Hong Kong (2015) are two of the most recent entries in the series.

Based in Seattle, composer Jon Everist has become highly-regarded for his work in the games industry.

“I was first introduced to Shadowrun on Super Nintendo when I was 9 or 10 years old,” says Everist. “I can say that games like Shadowrun and Final Fantasy III on SNES got me into making music, which is a trip to think that I’d be scoring the Shadowrun series 20 years later.”

Pre-orders for both limited edition soundtracks are now available through Black Screen Records. Along with classic black vinyl versions, Shadowrun: Dragonfall will receive a limited pressing on clear vinyl, while Shadowrun: Hong Kong will also arrive as a gold and silver 2LP set. (In addition, a very limited number of signed copies will be available directly from Everist.)

Everist’s other video game soundtracks include BattleTech, Necropolis, and Planetstorm: Fallen Horizon. Initially inspired by artists like Aphex Twin, Bjork, and Radiohead, Everist now combines electronic music with orchestral instrumentation to compose his scores. He describes his method of approaching a game soundtrack below:

“I always like to approach projects like a sponge, getting as much art and story direction as I can and really getting deep into the emotional arc we’re trying to convey,” he says. “I usually avoid all music references if at all possible, and simply stick to story and art. My job is ‘emotion translator.’ I purposely tried to avoid getting too caught up on nostalgia and repurposing old ideas or music that came before. I wanted to approach it fresh and updated with a character driven and cinematic focus.”

He continues: “The Shadowrun universe is just so damn interesting and complex, and as time wears on it becomes more and more relevant. Ultimately, Shadowrun is about those giant grey areas between good and evil, man and machine, mysticism and pragmatism, the power hungry and the disenfranchised. It’s [William] Gibson and Phillip K. Dick meets Lord of the Rings, and all the philosophy and emotion that comes with that. The music, I hope, is a reflection of that. It’s man meets magic, meets machine.”

(blackscreenrecords.com)

(everistsound.com)