It’s possible you haven’t heard of Legend of Xuan Yuan, because it’s a mobile game in China.

I don’t make a habit of checking in on the game scene in China, so it was rather random how I discovered this music, and therefore, Matthew Carl Earl.

I was on a big panel for a game audio awards ceremony at the end of 2017 and early 2018 to listen to dozens of scores for games and nominate which I thought were best in certain categories. There were several of games I’d never played and even some I’d never heard of, like Xuan Yuan.

And there’s so much listening involved in that kind of thing, so I’d put on the music from whatever game and continue about my business, taking notes if anything popped out as something I really liked. A couple of scores kept popping out, one of which was Legend of Xuan Yuan, and the other was a game called King of Chaos, also scored by Matthew.

So I reached out to him.

It’s been a long time since we spoke, a year has passed since our chat, but I really enjoyed speaking with him and learning more about him and his musical life.

PLAYLIST:
By Matthew Carl Earl unless noted

“Legend of Xuan Yuan” from Legend of Xuan Yuan
“The Voyage Begins” from Moonlight Blade
“Yi Hua Island” from Moonlight Blade
“Through Chains That Drag Us Downward” by Xanthochroid from Of Earthe and Axen Act II
Pipa sample
Guzhen sample
Erhu sample
“Main Theme” from King of Chaos
“The Deckhand’s Tale” from Moonlight Blade
“Legend of Xuan Yuan” from Legend of Xuan Yuan
“Ying Guang Gu Bao, The Fluorescent Castle” from Legend of Xuan Yuan
“Legend of Xuan Yuan” from Legend of Xuan Yuan
“A Warm Welcome” from King of Chaos
“A Winter Hunt” from King of Chaos
“Peace of Mind” from King of Chaos
“Yao Fang Shui Xie, The Village on the Water” from Legend of Xuan Yuan
“Yi Xing” from Honor of Kings
“Into the Fire” from Legend of Xuan Yuan