Richard
Wilkinson
From his studio in Brighton, UK, Richard Wilkinson draws on a rich variety of musical inspirations, from his brass band upbringing in Lancashire, to classical piano training and creative sound-manipulation from his years of experience as a sound designer.
His music for videogames and feature films is bold, melodic, charismatic and painstakingly crafted, whether it’s an expansive, thematic orchestral score or an intimate, textural minimalist sound. In recent years, he’s worked on several high-profile videogame and VR projects, like Peaky Blinders: The King’s Ransom and Narcos: Rise of the Cartels, with its ronroco and charango-led folky score, reminiscent of Pedro Bromfman’s excellent work on the original Neflix series.
Narcos featured a music system designed to sound like a semi-improvisational South American folk ensemble accompanying the peaks and troughs as the action unfolds – it was praised for its authenticity as well as the dynamic, scored-to-picture effect it produced during gameplay.
His work in the Doctor Who universe has been warmly received by fans and critics, with a critically-acclaimed soundtrack to the first ever feature-length VR episode of the show, Doctor Who: The Edge of Time. The score (recently released as a collectors’ edition vinyl LP) is a mix of orchestral, melodically-led thematic work, alongside plenty of the kind of sonic experimentation that goes to the heart of the show and harks back to Delia Derbyshire’s work with the Radiophonic Workshop. He then added to the Whoniverse with his score to Doctor Who: The Edge of Reality, recorded at Air Studios.
He has recorded a new version of the iconic Doctor Who theme, used in two upcoming Doctor Who games released in 2021.
PROCESS
“I don’t really have a ‘house style’, besides trying to treat each project as a new, fresh start. It’s an intensely intimate, detailed task to find the ‘sound’ of a project, and many eureka moments have come from close collaboration with directors and producers.
The best work is done when there’s space for vulnerability and experimentation – and that’s true for any creative work. I’m big on melody and harmony, but when a project needs a sound that’s more defined by something abstract or textural I find that equally exciting.”
Testimonials
“Special mention should also go to the game’s music, with the winningly varied score from Richard Wilkinson helping to amp up the atmosphere and the tension when needed, complementing the returning Nick Cave theme tune really well”
– RadioTimes
“…travels from violin to Cristobal Tapia De Veer skronky weirdness to loping reggae in the span of just over two and a half minutes, and it’s absolutely stunning.”
– Starburst Magazine
“On top of that, the sound and the music was fabulous.”
– Gamereactor.eu
Enquries
COOL Music
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ollie@coolmusicltd.com
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stacey@coolmusicltd.com