Chris Huelsbeck
Musical artist
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Christopher Hülsbeck (born 2 March 1968),[1] professionally known as Chris Huelsbeck, is a German video game music composer who has worked in the industry since the 1980s.[2] His early work includes music for games such as The Great Giana Sisters and the Turrican series.[2] He later worked on the music for Factor 5 titles such as Star Wars: Rogue Squadron and its sequels.[2]
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2 March 1968
Chris Huelsbeck | |
|---|---|
Huelsbeck in 2011 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | Christopher Hülsbeck 2 March 1968 |
| Genres | Electronica, video game music |
| Occupation | Composer |
| Years active | 1986–present |
| Website | Official website |
Career
Huelsbeck's professional career began in 1986, when his composition Shades won a music competition organized by the German computer magazine 64'er.[3][4] This led to a position at Rainbow Arts,[4] where he composed music for games including The Great Giana Sisters.[5]
Huelsbeck also developed music tools for home computers. In 1986, he published SoundMonitor for the Commodore 64[6] and later co-created the TFMX ("The Final Musicsystem eXtended") sound editor with programmer Peter Thierolf.[7]
During the early 1990s, Huelsbeck composed music for the Turrican series and co-founded the game developer Kaiko, whose releases included Gem'X and Apidya.[7] In 1998, he moved to the United States to join Factor 5, where he worked on the Star Wars: Rogue Squadron series.[2]
Huelsbeck continued composing in later years, including Giana Sisters: Twisted Dreams (2012), Tiny Thor (2023) and X-Out: Resurfaced (2025).[8][9][10]
Orchestra performances
Huelsbeck's music was performed in the Game Concerts series in Leipzig between 2003 and 2007, including works from Apidya, Turrican II, Turrican 3 and The Great Giana Sisters.[11]
On 23 August 2008, Symphonic Shades was presented in Cologne as a concert devoted entirely to Huelsbeck's music, performed by the WDR Radio Orchestra and the FILMharmonic Choir Prague.[12] It was the first video game music concert to be broadcast live on the radio.[13] In 2009, selections from Symphonic Shades were performed by the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra as part of Sinfonia Drammatica, alongside music by Yoko Shimomura.[14]
Selected video game credits
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1987 | The Great Giana Sisters | Music |
| 1988 | Katakis / Denaris | Music |
| 1989 | R-Type | Intro music |
| 1990 | X-Out | Music |
| 1990 | Turrican | Music |
| 1991 | Turrican II: The Final Fight | Music |
| 1991 | Z-Out | Music |
| 1991 | Gem'X | Music |
| 1992 | Apidya | Music |
| 1992 | Jim Power in Mutant Planet | Music |
| 1993 | Mega Turrican / Turrican 3: Payment Day | Music |
| 1993 | Super Turrican | Music |
| 1995 | Super Turrican 2 | Music |
| 1996 | Tunnel B1 | Music |
| 1997 | Extreme Assault | Music |
| 1998 | Star Wars: Rogue Squadron | Music |
| 2000 | Star Wars Episode I: Battle for Naboo | Music |
| 2001 | Star Wars Rogue Squadron II: Rogue Leader | Music direction |
| 2003 | Star Wars Rogue Squadron III: Rebel Strike | Music direction |
| 2012 | Giana Sisters: Twisted Dreams | Music |
| 2013 | Doctor Who: Legacy | Music and production |
| 2017 | Bubsy: The Woolies Strike Back | Music |
| 2019 | Fade to Silence | Music |
| 2023 | Tiny Thor[9] | Music |
| 2023 | Interstellar Sentinel | Music |
| 2025 | X-Out: Resurfaced[10] | Music |
| 2026 | Apidya Special[15] | Music |
Selected discography
| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | Shades | Album |
| 1992 | Apidya Soundtrack | Soundtrack |
| 1992 | To Be On Top[16] | Album |
| 1993 | Turrican Soundtrack | Soundtrack |
| 1997 | Tunnel B1 Soundtrack | Soundtrack |
| 1997 | Extreme Assault Soundtrack | Soundtrack |
| 2000 | Merregnon Soundtrack, Volume 1 | Composer, one bonus track |
| 2004 | Merregnon Soundtrack, Volume 2 | Composer, two tracks |
| 2008 | Symphonic Shades | Orchestral album |
| 2013 | Turrican Soundtrack Anthology[17] | Soundtrack anthology |
| 2014 | GEM'X Extended Soundtrack | Soundtrack |
| 2017 | Turrican – Orchestral Selections[18] | Orchestral album |
| 2023 | Tiny Thor Soundtrack | Soundtrack |
| 2024 | Interstellar Sentinel Soundtrack[19] | Soundtrack |
| 2025 | X-Out: Resurfaced (Original Video Game Soundtrack) | Soundtrack |
