You've had a presence in the VGM community for a long time, starting with Time&Space (Green). What prompted you to start writing/covering video game music?

Time & Space was the first project I directed and produced but a lot went into getting to that point. Working backwards, I co-founded OneUp Studios (and the house band, The OneUps), and we worked as producers and arrangers for the whole lineup of Project Majestic Mix albums before we started out on our own as a VGM arrangement record label. That came out of the OCRemix community, which I was one of the original members of.

Continuing backwards, and answering your second question in the process, all that came out of, really, game consoles having a dedicated audio output. For the NES, it was that single RCA line out audio jack, and then the Genesis with its dedicated headphone out port with volume control. I was fascinated by game music since the beginning and being able to use these audio outputs to really hone in on what I was hearing was the start of it all. It wasn't long before I was recording game BGM test modes, later buying soundtracks, and then, I guess, fast forward to now making game soundtracks for a living.

What was your experience in the VGM community for those early albums like Project Majestic among others?

It was so fun and so very busy. Everyone involved was running on pure enthusiasm, and that came directly from the fan support. It felt like we were doing something huge, but we never stopped arranging and recording, trying new things, and meeting other musicians. I learned so much about music making in those early days too.

Who were some of your favorite artists in those early days?

I don't think anything has changed since then—there were always two sets.

First, the composers that wrote all the music that inspired us, and then the more notable arrangers from the VGM/remix scene. So, of course, we all love Nobuo Uematsu and Yasunori Mitsuda and so on (and that list has grown considerably over the years!), but what has been really neat to see is how several of the people from that original scene have gone on to become professionals in the game industry, with a handful being notable composers on their own.

How has the VGM community changed in your opinion?

It has grown so much. The first branches seemed huge at the time but they weren't at all—it's really funny to look back. As someone that worked on one of the very first labels and efforts to spread game music through arrangement, it's been particularly interesting to see that specific avenue expand so much. There are so many labels and so many support companies and sub-businesses that run off this same vein, each doing their own thing. Websites, blogs, awards, communities, forums, and lots of social media accounts sprung up too. Of course, the music has blown up to such a volume that it’s crazy to think about how literally everyone interested in this stuff used to go to one webpage from the one big community to hear a few new songs every week or two. Now, it's overflowing!

What was your experience with the Materia Collective cover albums?

I was in the mix since the beginning, and I was even in the 'room' pushing for the name! I did the first few album launches as an original member, but I haven't contributed much since then for a few reasons, the main reason being that I've been too busy writing my own video game music. What's interesting is that my agent/management and representation, Scarlet Moon Productions, works through Materia Collective (which is now a type of service for our community) on some distribution and licensing matters.