Gilmore: “I really needed a project. This was perfect.”

July 06, 2024 • Updated: Mar 13, 2025 - 08:28 PM

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Adam Gilmore is an iconic name in the history of video game music, best known for his groundbreaking compositions in the home computer era of the 1980s and 1990s. His work on titles such as “Zybex” and “Draconus” for the Atari 8-bit and Commodore 64 has left an indelible mark on the hearts of retro gaming fans.

In this exclusive interview for Atariteca, Gilmore shares details about his musical journey, from his initial experiments with synthesizers to his return to the world of composition after more than three decades. Through personal anecdotes and reflections, the English musician offers us an insight into his creative process, his influences and the challenges of a constantly evolving industry.

What inspired you to venture into composing music for video games?
From the age of 10 I had been playing musical instruments. My dad played the organ, and we had a Yamaha Electone and then a Lowrey; I started on these and took a few lessons. At the age of 12, I started playing the trombone, but I didn't continue. I also played the Scottish bagpipes for a few years in the Boys Brigade.

A friend had a ZX81 in 1982 and I was fascinated by programming so I got my own ZX81 that year. I had it for about a year and then my parents got me a TRS80 Model 1 Level 2. It had a game called Dancing Demon where you could program your own music and have the demon dance to the beat. Eventually I got into metal when I was about 14 and bought a bass guitar. This coincided with my parents buying me a Commodore 64 and me getting a copy of Electrosound which I used to write some demos and learn 6502 assembler. I grew up in the seaside town of Whitley Bay where there were lots of arcades. I spent a lot of time in the arcades, playing titles like Super Locomotive. This game had the BEST music - I later found out it was a cover of "Rydeen" by the Yellow Magic Orchestra.

I had uploaded my demos to a British C64 BBS called CompuNet and had started attending a computer club in Wallsend, Newcastle-upon-Tyne. At the club, I met local games programmers, including Derek Brewster, who was starting Zeppelin Games with Martin O’Donnell and Brian Jobling (already an accomplished Atari 8-bit game developer). By this time, I had written my own music player for the C64, bought my first synthesizers (a Casio CZ-101 and Yamaha RX17), and written music for two games: UXB and Mission Jupiter (both unreleased).

Zeppelin Games was developing primarily C64 games in 1988, the first three being Zybex, Sabotage and Draconus. I did the music for these, and then Brian Jobling lent me an Atari 800XL to port my C64 player. I did that and ported the music for Zybex and Draconus.

It was a combination of enjoying writing and playing music, and programming.

What were some of the main musical influences that shaped your compositional style?
Influences came from two directions: electronic music and metal. I liked JMJ, Kraftwerk, Yellow Magic Orchestra and Tangerine Dream, for the melodies and atmosphere; as well as metal bands like Iron Maiden, Raven, Venom and Slayer. I also listened to bands like Magnum, FM and Vow Wow, which showcased the combination of synthesizers and rock/metal.

"I'd like to compose the melody for an RPG as they often offer opportunities to write atmospheric music in-game."

How do you remember the video game music composing scene in the UK during the 80s and 90s?
For me, it was all about Rob Hubbard – I loved his compositions and sound design; his music made me smile. I bought games just because he wrote the music. Other musicians I liked at the time were Martin Galway (for the atmosphere and filter programming) and David Whittaker (for the beat). In the late 80s, I was at university and writing music more as a side income, so I didn’t follow the scene much.

Can you describe your creative process when composing music for video games in the 80s and 90s, especially for Atari 8-bit?
There were a number of ways to approach composing music for games. Sometimes I would start on my synthesizers (Casio CZ-101 and Kawai K1) looking for a melody and/or chord progression. Once I had this, I would input the notes into my player using the Atari Macro Assembler (I think), and then experiment with sounds. Sometimes I would start by programming a sound or effect into my player that led to a rhythm or musical progression, and then build on this. Back then, most of my games were low-budget, so I didn't have a lot of time to devote to them. I typically wrote the music in a day or two, so there wasn't a lot of time to experiment.

Of the games you composed music for, which one was the most challenging and why?
The most challenging was “Simon The Sorcerer” on PC. There was over an hour of music and I had to write a new music player that would take MIDI files and play them on an Adlib or Roland MT-32. I think it also had to support PC speaker sound, though I guess just sound effects.

In the case of the Atari 8-bit specifically, were there any technical limitations that you found particularly challenging? If so, how did you overcome them?
The main challenge with the POKEY is the tuning of the oscillator. On my Atari player I used three channels, one of which was 16-bit to allow for more precise tuning on one of the channels.

What are some of the pieces of music you are most proud of and why?
«Zybex»: was the first song I released on Atari and C64.
«Afterburner»: The arcade soundtrack was great, and I think I did a good conversion.
“Surf Ninjas”: This was one of the last pieces of music I made on PC and I think the style of the music fit the game really well.
«Tony: Montezuma’s Gold»: After more than 30 years since I last wrote music for games, I was asked to write the music for this new C64 game. The game won Best Retro Game at Pixel Heaven 2024. It took me a long time to write the music, but I'm pleased with how it turned out and want to write more.

Two tracks that resonate with us are “Zybex” and “Draconus.” What was the creative process behind the composition of both tunes?
Both were originally written for the C64 and then ported to the Atari. I don't remember the exact process for them; but listening to them again, I can make a guess:

“Zybex” was written around the main bassline that starts around 01:00, the melody was added, and then the intro.

“Draconus” definitely started after experimenting with the low-pass filter on the bass sound. I was trying to get a more atmospheric sound than “Zybex.” The end was probably after listening to too much of the music from “Monty on the Run.” I had originally written a different piece of music for “Draconus,” but it ended up on “The Corporation” (Activision, 1988).
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What about “Blinky’s Scary School” and “Ninja Commando”?
«Blinky’s Scary School» has two main parts, the intro and the rest. The intro is a “haunted house” tune and then it transitions into a more “fun” tune. It’s pretty discontinuous, but it was trying to bridge the “scary” parts with the cartoony ones.

"Ninja Commando" doesn't really fit the game; I probably didn't see it before I wrote the music. I guess I was pressed for time and just put together a melody.

Many of your songs have been covered, particularly in the rock metal style. What are your impressions of these covers?
Yeah, every now and then one pops up on my YouTube feed. They're really good and it's nice to hear the rock and metal influences come through:

Konrad "Franklyn77" Gasiorowski: This was the first version I heard, recorded in 2010.
Andrzej "Andy" Kidaj: more of a typical orchestration Electronic Dance Music (EDM) from “Zybex” and “Draconus”, with great synth sounds.
Lucas "1ucasvb" Vieira: a orchestral arrangement of «Draconus»; I really like the harpsichord.
Paweł "Serenity" Szymczyk: Pawel released this cover shortly after When we released the music for “Tony,” it captured the style of 80s metal very well.
Momentvm + Mikro Orchestra: The latest version of “Tony’s” music, with guitar, synthesizers and an absolutely superb overall production.

Was there a melody that you consider a turning point in your career as a composer?

«UXB» (1986) – first (unreleased) C64 game music – was bad, but I wrote the music and the player.
«Zybex» (1988) – first game music released for the C64 and Atari.
«The Corporation» (1988) – first music for a full-priced game (and more profits).
«Simon the Sorcerer» (1993) – it was a lot of work, on a big game, collaborating with my friend Mark Mcleod. It was probably the last song I made for a game until 2024.

Could you share an interesting or funny anecdote from your time working on music for video games?
In 1993 I bought my first CD-ROM drive and a copy of “Return to Zork” to try out on the new drive. I took it home and started the game. The music was recorded with a full orchestra using CD audio and decided that was the end of my career in game music.

"I'm working with an Atari developer on a game, but it's secret at the moment."

Is there any video game project that you would have liked to compose music for, but couldn't?
I would like to compose the melody for an RPG as they often offer opportunities to write atmospheric music in-game.

What can you share about your involvement in the music for “Tony: Montezuma's Gold” for the Commodore 64?
Last March I was scrolling through the Facebook Messenger app on my phone. I discovered a set of menus I didn’t know existed, including a spam folder buried about three levels deep. Most of the messages were from shady ladies offering to send me pictures, but one of them was from a guy named Rafal. He had messaged me in May 2023, but it had ended up in spam. I opened the message expecting to be offered pictures… but to my surprise it asked if I still composed music for the C64. There were pictures, but they were screenshots from the Amiga version of “Tony.” Rafal asked if I would be interested in writing some of the music for the C64 version of the game. I had always thought about writing more music for games since the last time was in 1993, but I really needed a project. This was perfect, so I said yes and installed GoatTracker.

What other Atari 8-bit projects are you currently collaborating on with your music?
I'm working with an Atari developer on a game, but it's secret at the moment.

What do you think about the current state of video game music?
To be honest, I don’t play many games now except for “7 Days To Die” (a great open-world zombie game I backed on Kickstarter over 10 years ago). I have a Nintendo Switch and occasionally play games on it. After I finished writing music for games in the early 90s, game music became much more professional as audio quality improved. Trained composers would record live musicians for the scores and use high-quality synthesizers and digital recording. Players improved to become more interactive, seamlessly changing music as the game changed.

I'm always amazed when I see new Atari or C64 demos on YouTube; the quality of the music is so much better than when I was making it.

What advice would you give to composers looking to get into video game music today?
I'm not really in "the industry" so it's hard to say, but if I were trying to get into game music now, I'd do the following:

1. Learn to actively listen, compose, arrange, and use a digital audio workstation (DAW).
2. Practice composing different styles: EDM, orchestral, rock.
3. Find indie developers you can work with on different games.
4. Keep experimenting and find your style.

We appreciate you taking the time to give us this interview. One last question: if you could go back in time, what advice would you give to your younger self when you were starting out in this industry?
Spend more time on sound design and musical details.