Eirik Suhrke
Eirik Surhke | |
|---|---|
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 2006 - present |
Eirik Suhrke is a Norwegian freelance composer and video game designer known for his video game soundtracks and original chiptune music under the alias of Phlogiston. He has composed for Spelunky, Hotline Miami, and Vlambeer games including Ridiculous Fishing and Super Crate Box. He has also directed and designed games, being one of the main contributors to UFO 50, Mossmouth's 2024 retro-styled game collection.
He is a long-time collaborator of independent game designers Derek Yu and Ojiro Fumoto.
Early life
[edit]Suhrke grew up in Oslo, Norway. He started playing the bass guitar at age five and started making VGM inspired music in 2000. He credits Nobuo Uematsu as an early influence.[1]
Career
[edit]Suhrke was educated as a sound engineer and taught himself music composition. He primarily works on video games in music and sound design. His compositions for games first began as a hobby in his early teens, for RPG Maker indie games and other projects he found on online forums.[2] He started making and releasing chiptune music under the alias of Phlogistan.[1] In 2006, he co-founded the netlabel PAUSE (stylized as II) together with chiptune musician and videogame composer Disasterpeace.[3]
Suhrke composed the music and sound on the Xbox Live Arcade version of Spelunky which released in 2012.[2] The mid-tempo jazz album was inspired by early 1990s video games[4] and was composed over two years using a 1986 synthesizer, audio software from the early 1990s, and live instrumentation.[3] He also worked on Vlambeer's Ridiculous Fishing and Super Crate Box, and composed a track for Hotline Miami.[2]
In 2015 Suhrke was approached by Ojiro Fumoto to compose the soundtrack for Downwell. According to Suhrke, Fumoto initially requested the score to sound "bright and motivating" and to take inspiration from Mega Man 2.[5] The soundtrack was later released on vinyl.[6]
Suhrke is a collaborator on UFO 50, an anthology of retro-style games.[7] He is the lead composer of the entire collection[8] as well as the designer of Barbuta,[9] Mooncat,[a] The Big Bell Race, Warptank, Onion Delivery, Caramel Caramel, Divers, Pingolf, Rakshasa, Elfazar's Hat and the Campanella trilogy.[11][12]
Critical reception
[edit]Earnest Cavalli of Engadget described Suhrke's work as among "the finest indie gaming soundtracks in recent memory" in 2013.[13]
Ludography
[edit]| Year | Title | Publisher | Composer | Sound Designer | Game Designer | Notes | Ref(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Mr. Blocko | Perfect Run | Yes | No | No | [1] | |
| 2010 | Warlock Bentspine | Lazrool | Yes | No | No | [14] | |
| Super Crate Box | Vlambeer | Yes | No | No | [1] | ||
| 2012 | Spelunky | Mossmouth | Yes | Yes | No | Xbox Live Arcade version | |
| 2015 | Downwell | Devolver Digital | Yes | Yes | No | [15] | |
| Gunbrick | Nitrome | Yes | No | No | Mobile version | ||
| 2020 | Spelunky 2 | Mossmouth | Yes | Yes | No | [5] | |
| 2024 | UFO 50 | Mossmouth | Yes | Yes | Yes | [16] |
Discography
[edit]Includes work released under the aliases of Phlogiston (†) and Pajjama (‡) as well as Suhrke's full name.
| Year | Title | Label | Notes | Ref(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Mode: 3 † | 8bitpeoples | EP | [17] |
| Croqel † | Pause | [18] | ||
| 2009 | Nectar † | Pause | ||
| Game music 1 † | Pause | |||
| 2010 | Warlock Bentspine † | Pause | Video game soundtrack | |
| Super Crate Box † | Pause | Video game soundtrack | ||
| 2011 | Geif † | Pause | ||
| 2012 | Super Crate Box Special † | Pause | ||
| Spelunky | Pause | Video game soundtrack | ||
| Starch ‡ | Self-released (digital)
Orange Milk Records (tape) |
|||
| 2013 | Jane Papaya ‡ | Self-released (digital) | ||
| Ridiculous Fishing | Pause | Video game soundtrack | ||
| Game music 2 | Self-released (digital) | |||
| 2014 | Game music 3 | Self-released (digital) | ||
| Karakasa ‡ | Self-released (digital) | |||
| Friends in caves | Self-released (digital) | |||
| 2015 | Gunbrick | Self-released (digital) | Video game soundtrack | |
| Downwell | Self-released (digital)
Black Screen Records (vinyl) |
Video game soundtrack | [5][15] | |
| 2016 | skopulac | Self-release (digital) | Video game soundtrack | |
| 2017 | womb ‡ | Self-released (digital) | ||
| 2020 | Spelunky 2 | Self-released | Video game soundtrack | [5] |
| 2024 | UFO 50 | Self-released (digital) | Video game soundtrack | [19] |
| Miasma Tower | Self-released (digital) | Video game soundtrack |
References
[edit]Notes
[edit]- ^ Expanded version of Suhrke's entry for Ludum Dare 34, ...and the mooncats (2015).[10]
Sources
[edit]- ^ a b c d Sorlie, Audun (3 July 2012). "Explore Me, Kind Sir: Eirik "Phlogiston" Suhrke Interview". Original Sound Version. Archived from the original on 10 March 2014. Retrieved 14 April 2025.
- ^ a b c Williams, Mike (March 26, 2013). "Talking Shop: Freelance Composer". GamesIndustry.biz. Archived from the original on October 27, 2016. Retrieved June 7, 2017.
- ^ a b jeriaska (August 29, 2011). "The Weblog PAX 2011 Q&A: Derek Yu and Eirik 'Phlogiston' Suhrke on Spelunky for XBLA". IndieGames.com. Archived from the original on May 12, 2016. Retrieved June 7, 2017.
- ^ Pitcher, Jenna (December 24, 2013). "Spelunky, Ridiculous Fishing composer offering 'pay what you want' for albums". Polygon. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved June 7, 2017.
- ^ a b c d Jarman, Cassey (28 October 2020). "The Endless, Far-Flung Delights of Eirik Suhrke's "Spelunky 2" Soundtrack". Bandcamp Daily. Retrieved 14 March 2025.
- ^ Dotson, Carter (August 4, 2016). "'Downwell' Soundtrack to be Released on Vinyl". TouchArcade. Archived from the original on February 2, 2017. Retrieved June 7, 2016.
- ^ Matulef, Jeffrey (August 7, 2017). "Spelunky, Downwell and more indie devs announce 8-bit game anthology UFO 50". Eurogamer.
- ^ Prescott, Shaun (27 September 2024). "'How far can you push this one idea?': The UFO 50 team discusses the making of the most bonkers and beautifully weird gaming achievement of 2024". PC Gamer. Retrieved 14 March 2025.
- ^ Prescott, Shaun (27 September 2024). "'There's a lot of psychological hurdles': Why Mossmouth charged $25 for 50 games". PC Gamer. Retrieved 14 March 2025.
- ^ "..and the mooncats by aarkipel". itch.io. December 13, 2015. Retrieved November 10, 2024.
- ^ Kusters, Trent (November 11, 2024). "The AIAS Game Maker's Notebook: Brainstorming 50 Games in 1 for UFO 50". Game Maker's Notebook (Podcast). Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences. Event occurs at 1:21:55. Retrieved 14 April 2025.
- ^ "Coming In To Land". Edge. No. 397. Future. June 2024. pp. 52–69.
- ^ * Cavalli, Earnest (December 23, 2013). "Spelunky, Ridiculous Fishing, more soundtracks now 'pay what you want'". Engadget. Retrieved June 7, 2017.
- ^ Yu, Derek (18 August 2010). "Warlock Bentspine". TIGSource. Retrieved 14 March 2025.
- ^ a b "Downwell by Eirik Suhrke". VGM WAX. 1 January 2020. Retrieved 14 March 2025.
- ^ "UFO 50". UFO 50. Retrieved 13 April 2024.
- ^ "Phlogiston: Mode 3". 8bitpeoples.
- ^ "Pause". IIMusic. 4 June 2013. Archived from the original on 25 March 2017. Retrieved 14 March 2025.
- ^ Madnani, Mikhail (10 October 2024). "Branching Path: UFO 50 is a once in a lifetime package of retro gaming brilliance". RPG Site. Retrieved 14 April 2024.